Do you Consider Walt Whitman as a Modern Poet?

Walt Whitman as a Modern Poet

The American Civil War proved a turning point in her political and literary history. After that, the American nation ushered in a new era of modern reconstruction. The American literature during this period flourished in a fresh and free atmosphere. Some of the writers broke away from the traditions of the past and emerged as modern writers. Walt Whitman was one of them; he sang of the American nation and American people in his poetry. He brought about some innovations in the poetic art and technique which characterize him as a modern poet.

 

 

Democracy is a modernist tendency in literature and Whitman presented himself as a strong advocate of American democracy. He tried to encompass the whole of America, the whole gamut of his activities. He found his subjects among all sorts and conditions; his catalogues symbolize the equalizing process of democracy.

Whitman did not follow the poetic conventions and traditions and techniques. The greatest contribution made by Whitman to the growth of American poetry is his total change of existing poetic form and his use of free verse. Since he wanted to deal with modern man with a fresh outlook on life he realized that he required an original type of verse form. The old types, he thought, were fit only for the old topics from myths, religions and feudal wars and aristocracy. He wanted to write in a frank, crude and realistic manner.

Consistent with his love for democracy, he made use of the voice of the people, the richness and beauty of colloquialisms and the colourfulness of the slang.

Whitman discarded the two traditional elements of poetic style-rhyme and metre. He evolved a vital and vigorous metre and rhyme. His rhythm is the rhythm of prose verse. He was the first American poet to make it a subject of metrical study.

The use of images and symbols by Whitman is also a modern element, as also his dramatic elements in poetry. The ‘I’ and ‘You’ in his poems introduce the dramatic element. But Whitman does not present his images and pictures before his readers in any logical order. This is a also the steam-of-consciousness device as employed by Walt Whitman.

In terms of his poetic medium too, Whitman is modern. From the viewpoint of syntax we find him as the poet of the phrase. Modern poets echo the syntax of Whitman.  

 

You Can also Read:

• How Whitman Has Used Imagery in His Poems

• Walt Whitman Use of Symbols in ‘Song of Myself’

• Whitman as a Poet of Democracy/Poet of America with Reference to Song Myself

• Use of  Symbol in Whitman’s Poem “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”