Modern poetry: characteristics, themes, and literary significance

Whitman Lens

Walt Whitman -- From a Different Perspective

Walt Whitman was inspired by the Transcendentalist Movement which was something of an offshoot of the Romantic Movement. As such, Whitman was something of a positive character who embraced diversity and especially democracy. In the preface to Leaves of Grass he wrote "The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem." He was unfettered in his ability to tackle some of the more controversial topics of his day; culture, sexuality, beliefs, and religion. In the 1872 preface he writes[footnoteRef:1]: [1: (Harris)]

The people must begin to learn that religion, (like poetry,) is something far, far different from what they supposed. It is, indeed, too important to the power and perpetuity of the New World to be consign'd any longer to the churches, old or new, Catholic or Protestant Saint this, or Saint that. It must be consign'd henceforth to democracy en masse, and to literature. It must enter into the poem of the nation. It must make the nation.

Whitman was willing to take on the dogmatic remnants of previous generations and remake the world into something better, more egalitarian, and with more freedom.

Whitman's spirit would not find an audience with all worldviews however. Consider the perspective of Chana Bloch who focused on the fact that although our daily experiences might include beauty and connection, it is also punctuated by violence, tragedy and loss[footnoteRef:2]. Her work includes more of the negative aspects of life that were illustrated with the gory detail such as in "The New World"[footnoteRef:3]: [2: (Dresser)] [3: (Bloch)]

My uncle killed a man and was proud of it.

Some guy with a knife came at him in Flatbush and he knocked the fucker to the ground.

The sidewalk finished the job.

By then he'd survived two wives and a triple bypass. He carried the plastic tubing in his pocket and would show it to you, to anyone.

He'd unbutton his shirt right there on the street to show off the scar.