Walt Whitman and the Civil War Essay - 955 Words

Walt Whitman is a famous poet in American history and the founder of free style of writing poem. He was well-known with his work of Leaves of Grass and Drum-Taps. Walt Whitman was inspired to write poems about Civil War and changed his style of writing after experiencing the horrible result of the war. Walt Whitman was born in West Hills, Long Island, on May 31, 1819. He is the second son of eight siblings in the family. In his early life, Whitman received a formal education until age of 11 because he needed to help his father to support the big family. His first job as an office boy â€Å"opened up the world of literature to him† (Reynolds 6). No longer after that, he became a printer at local newspaper which made him interested in†¦show more content†¦He took care of the patients by giving them courage and lending his ears to listen their stories (Folsom â€Å"Walt(er)†). Walt Whitman’s careers in journalism gained him interest in literature and journalism. His interest inspired him to write journals, poetries, and novels. When he was 15 years old, he was able to publish his first article â€Å"In Olden Times† when working at the Star in 1834 (Oliver 9). In 1855, Walt Whitman published his famous book of poems Leaves of Grass. Whitman introduced a new style of poetry to the poetry history which now called the free verse. Whitman was also famous with his revision of Leaves of Grass. Throughout his life, he published eight different edition of Leaves of Grass. Besides Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman also produced another great work of literature Drum-Taps. The Civil War inspired Walt Whitman to write another great literature Drum-Taps. The news of his younger brother’s wounded in the war made him go down to Washington. The scenery of wounded soldiers in the hospital moved his heart to stay and volunteer as a nurse. His interaction with the patients inspired him to write poems. Many poems were produced during the time, and later on, he compiled his poems into one work called Drum-Taps. Drum-Taps is a collection of 42 Walt Whitman’s poems about the Civil War. The title Drum-Taps was meant â€Å"to emphasize†¦the emotionalShow MoreRelatedWalt Whitman Essay901 Words   |  4 PagesWalt Whitman Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, Long Island, New York. He was the second of six children. From 1825-1830, he attended public school in Brooklyn. After his years of education, Walt Whitman experimented with many different jobs. From 1836-1838, Whitman taught at several schools in Long Island. After teaching, Walt Whitman returned to printing and editing in New York. 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