The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.1 Walt Whitman (1819-1892) and William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) are two American poets, who have significantly influenced contemporary literature. Whitman and Williams brought new ideas into poetry and many outstanding American poets of the twentieth century name Whitman and Williams as their tutors. Walt Whitman and William Carlos Williams belong to different generations and social circles, but many literary critics, authors and linguists agree that Williams proceeds the ideas of Whitman. Walt Whitman is born in the family of nine children and all of his life he tries to support himself. He works as the editor and the journalist and after he witnesses the terrors of the American Civil War in 1962, he moves to Washington, D.C., where he works as nurs and helps to support the hospital financially. Whitman is fascinated with human body, he writes a poem Sonf og Myself, in which he praises the beauty of it, and he can not stay calm seeing what harms brings the war. Whitman writes: If any thing is sacred the human body is sacred.
(Whitman, I Sing the Body Electric) The most famous work by Walt Whitman and his only poetic book is the Leaves of Grass. Whitman himself first publishes this book in 1855. During later years Whitman continues to edit this book, add new sections and poems, and during his life the book is re-issued in many variations. Whitman is concerned with style, form and language of his poetry. Walt Whitman writes about American society, he explores the reality of everyday life with its benefits and drawbacks. He is not romanticizing the life; instead he reveals all aspects of society and role of the person in it.
The Essay on Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
It is a fact that Benjamin Franklin was one of the only founding fathers to actively participate in all aspects of designing The United States of America. He was intricately involved in the Albany Plan of Union, the Declaration of Independence, the treaty of alliance with France, the peace treaty with England and the Constitution. His inventions included the flexible urinary catheter, bifocals, ...
Whitman is interested in abolitionism ideas 1Walt Whit man. Preface to November Boughs, Leaves of Grass. (1888) and in his poetry he straightforwardly admits to have African-American lover, who is supposed to be male by literary critics. Whitmans poetry is totally optimistic, he writes about life around him, about things that can be found in every corner of the country and he loves what he writes about: I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,/ Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,/ The day what belongs to the day-at night the party of young / fellows, robust, friendly, / Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs. (Whitman, Song of Myself) Whitmans audience can easily understand his poetry, because he writes about simple things using simple language. He is Americaentirely free from the renaissance humanist ideal of the complete man of from the Greek idealism, he is content to be what he is, and he is his time and his people. (Ezra Pound) William Carlos Williams is very often compared to Walt Whitman.
Williams virtually continues what Whitman started, because he begins his poetic career shortly after Whitmans death. Williams pursues medical career, attends medical schools abroad and in America and during his busy time in Europe and alongside active medical career manages to write multiple poems. Williams shares Whitmans fascination with human body and he dedicates much efforts to his medical work. In 1949 he also publishes a poem The Pink Church about human body, but audience saw comminist motifs and this poem had negative influence on his career. Williams corresponds to Whitman in his choice of the main theme of his poetry: both poets choose America as their main theme and muse and they portray American life in all its aspects. The literary means of both poets also share many similar features.
The Essay on Walt Whitman The American Poet
... is no doubt that Whitman is the greatest American poet, and his work ... poet is, William Shakespeare, but theres also no question to who the worlds greatest 19th century poet is, Walt Whitman. Whitman ... Whitmans poetry is very much more popular that it was in his time, as it is the case with many poets ... Whitman. Through the war Whitman was often depressed about the war torn country, and would often write ...
Williams and Whitman pay much attention to form and sound of the poetry. The poetry of Williams is characterized by unique form, which is used in order to highlight his admiration of America. The poet finds absolutely new form, which reflects reality of resident American life. The pauses and breaks of the poets triadic line in his works imitate the speech and ragged rhythm of jazz music: Hot for savagery, I went sucking the air! Into the city, Out again, baffled, on to the mountain! Back into the city! Nowhere The subtle! Everywhere the electric! (Williams, Paterson) Williams creates four poetic rules. First, he insists, that the poet should draw themes from the common everyday life. Second rule consists in writing only about things to which the audience can relate.
William Carlos Williams states that the poet should speak about real people and events and use live spoken language. He rejects the influence of European, namely English poetry on American poetry; he draws distinguished American vocabulary and idioms. Similar to Whitman, Williams uses simple language, which can be heard on the streets, but Williams goes further, he applies ruder, colloquial speech in his poetry, which he calls American language and highlights its difference from the English language. In the forth principle of poetry Williams asks the poets to write about local, because the picture of life is fully seen only when someone completely understands the small fragment. Williams sees the meaning only in material things, not in symbols or abstract notions. He says: “no ideas but in things.” This is another essential innovation of Williams, because Whitman on the contrary, is the master of symbol and readily applies it in his poetry: Through you I drain the pent-up rivers of myself, In you I wrap a thousand onward years, On you I graft the grafts of the best-beloved of me and America.
(Whitman, A Woman waits for Me) Bibliography Aspiz, Harold. “Walt Whitman: The Spermatic Imagination.” American Literature 56. 10 (1984): 379-395 Ball, Gordon. Doors in Leaves of Grass. Calamus 26.12 (1984): 21-24 Peters, Robert. “A Look at the Birth of Whitmans Poetic Voice.” Los Angeles Times 13.8. (1984): 8-9 Pound, Ezra.
The Review on William Carlos Williams Poetry Press University
... Rod, The Early Poetry of William Carlos Williams, Cornell University Press, 1975.Ungar, Leonard, editor, Seven Modern American Poets: An Introduction, University ... division, the "variable foot." To invent the new language, Paterson must first "descend from the erudition and ... on shore and heads inland-"toward Camden," Williams said, "where Walt Whitman, much traduced, lived the later years of ...
A Critical Anthology. Penguin, 1970. Pound, Ezra and William Carlos Williams. Selected Letters of Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams. (New Directions, 1996..
