Walt Whitman was a poet who combined transcendentalism with realism. This is apparent in his poetry. Below are four brief analyses of selected poems.
This poem offers an intimacy with the author. There is a disconnect between the speaker and the crow on the ferry, but an intimacy between him and the surroundings: “Crowds of men and women attired in the usual costumes, how curious you are to me.” The central imagery and theme of the poem is that of the speaker leaning over the boat with a changing view and shining sun.
When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer
This short poem develops an image of an astronomer as an academic through in understanding the cosmos, has missed the point of their poetic and inspiring essence.
Song of Myself, Stanza 1 and 2
This poem is from the book “Leaves in the Grass” and grass is a central symbol of the poem. There is repetition in the phrase “leaf of grass” found throughout the poem. It is both an exploration of the self and a self discovery through encountering nature. Song of myself could be called an ode to the very personal relationship that a person has with one’s self. People exist within a context, are a mixture of many things, and Whitman in his first stanza uses vivid imagery of “every atop of blood” as wall as relating the self to nature, “form’d from this soil, this air.” He is making the point the he is a product of the world. In the second stanza he writes, “I breathe the fragrance myself and know it and like it.” This fragrance is as much the scent of his self as it is the world.
A Noiseless Patient Spider
In this poem the first stanza is about a spider. Whitman in the second stanza connects that image to his self, where he compares the spinning of a web to the way his own soul wanders in the attempt of creating something from this life.
Works Cited:
Four selected Walt Whitman Poems:
A Noiseless Patient Spider
Song of Myself, Stanza 1 and 2
Crossing Brooklyn Ferry
When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer
