Reading and Interpreting the Works of Walt Whitman

For most students, the images stirred by the word "e;poet"e; are those of an introverted individual removed from the crowd and devoted more to his or her work than engaging in the company of others. Walt Whitman spent a lifetime avoiding these commonly held notions of what a writer should be. From founding his own newspaper to acting as a volunteer nurse during the Civil War, Whitman encountered years of progress and turmoil that dramatically influenced the author he would become. This detailed guide serves as a compass through the magnificent journey Whitman took as a man who wanted to present the profoundly essential relationship between poetry and society.