poets. With them came an equal number of writing styles. Certainly one of the most

unique poets to write life's story through his own view of the world and with the

ambition to do it was Walter Whitman. Greatly criticized by many readers of his work,

Whitman was not a man to be deterred. Soon he would show the world that he had a

voice, and that it spoke with a poet's words. Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open

road, Healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading

Thus Whitman began his "Song of the Open Road". This paper will attempt to describe

his life and poetry in a way that does justice to the path he chose. He was a man who

grew up impoverished, who wrote from his experiences, and who tried to lift his fellow

men above life's trivialities. These are the points to be discussed on these pages. To

know the essence of Walter Whitman, you would have to understand the heart of his

Walter Whitman was born in West Hills, Long Island, New York, on May 31, 1819 . He

did not have much opportunity for education in his early life. His parents we

encouragement was a letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson praising his work. States

pen as few poets have. In short, it looks as though Whitman's haunting figure will

Whitman celebrated an untamed communion with nature with overtones of sensuality

metaphysical inclinations, should have drifted into journalism, a profession that could

explain his view of the world. To Whitman, the game was life, and in it he maintained

write complimentary unsigned reviews of his book which he had placed in the

Whitman at one time accepted a job with a New Orleans newspaper, and in doing so

I am a man who, sauntering along without fully stopping, turns a casual look

"Who Learns My Lesson Complete," and "Great Are the Myths.". Except for the last

"Son of the Answerer," "Europe," "A Boston Ballad," "There Was a Child Went Forth,"

warning at the beginning of "Leaves of Grass". A little reflection will confirm Whitman's

Some common words found in the essay are:
Leaves Grass, Waldo Emerson, Miller Jr, Quaker Whitman, Complete Myths, Leaves Grass-, Whitman Greatly, Song Road, York Brooklyn-, , leaves grass, walter whitman, poem leaves grass, leaves grass assumed, success camerado, farewell poem, grass assumed, assumed success, grass assumed success, poem leaves, success camerado book/who, view world, assumed success camerado, touches touches, camerado book/who,
Approximate Word count = 1731
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)