Walt Whitman

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at Walt Whitman's poetry containing ambiguous and bisexual references. The paper discusses how criticism of such references are silly and offensive in today's world. The paper further discusses how Whitman has virtually become a poster boy for the gay community because of his willingness to explore unconventional sexual identities and predilections.

From the Paper:

"Whitman has nearly become a poster boy for the gay community because of his willingness to explore unconventional sexual identities and predilections. Not only in his poetry but in his personal life, Whitman did not avow heterosexuality as the only possible or acceptable means of love. His verse celebrates the essence of love and of human social contact. Whitman's views on friendship and romance were unrestrictive and the poet didn't buy into divisions based on gender, race, or class. Whitman was an abolitionist in pre-Civil War America, a labor advocate when the Industrial Revolution was just getting underway, and a proponent of the sexual revolution a century before it was acceptable, let alone "cool" to be gay."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Lawson, Andrew. "Spending for Vast Returns: Sex, Class, and Commerce in the First Leaves of Grass." American Literature 75(2). 2003. pp. 335-365.
• Nelson, Robert K. & Price, Kenneth M. "Debating Manliness: Thomas Wentworth Higginson, William Sloane Kennedy, and the Question of Whitman." American Literature 73(3). 2001. pp. 497-524.
• Whitman, Walt. "Among the Multitude." Leaves of Grass. Retrieved Feb. 17, 2006 from http://www.bartleby.com/142/70.html
• Whitman, Walt. "Are you the new person, drawn towards me?" Leaves of Grass. Retrieved Feb. 17, 2006 from http://www.bartleby.com/142/45.html

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• Analytical Essay # 53699 : "Walt Whitman: Poet and Advertising Genius"

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