Walt Whitman Essays (491 words) - Assassination Of Abraham Lincoln

walt whitman A World of Politics Thesis: Walt Whitman was a man who used his thoughts on political issues concerning the Civil War within his writings because of many experiences he had encountered. Whenever ever the term political writing comes up, most people would think of Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman was one of the most popular political writers of all times. Nearly everyone agrees that Walt Whiman is America s greatest poet (Unger 331). Whitmans ideas and attitudes were chiefly those of the Romantic Movement (Foerster 719). Some of Whitmans most popular writing were Leaves of Grass, A Song of Myself, and Drum-Taps. Leaves of Grass is a poem mostly concerning Whitmans childhood and memories, this is one of Whitmans fewer poems that does not contain politics. A Song of Myself is a poem where Whitman expresses himself as a homosexual, this is also one of his fewer poems concerning politics. Drum-Taps was written during the time Whitman was serving as a doctor during the Civil War. Drum-Taps consists of what Whitman himself had seen and experienced during the Civil War. I. Beginning of a great career Vacca 2 A. Growing up 1. Raised by grandparents a. They filled him with a love of nature and humankind b. Grandmother told Walt tales of the Revolution 2. Worked as an editor of a newspaper a. Learned many current politics b. Was kicked out because of an anti-slavery post B. Published his first poem Leaves of Grass 1. A great success 2. People either disliked or liked it II. Influenced by Lincoln and the Civil War A. Aided as a doctor for the wounded 1. Helped his brother George out when he was wounded 2. Wrote Many poems on what he saw a. Drum-Taps b. Sequel to drum-Taps B. A strong supporter of Lincoln 1. Wrote three poems concerning Lincoln a. O Captain! My Captain! b. Hushd be the Camps Today Vacca 3 c. This Dust Was Once the Man 2. Believed Lincoln was the greatest president of all time III. Whitmans thoughts and ideas A. Whitman id not care about the means of achieving a truly democratic society B. Whitman believed that the true story of the Civil War would never get into the books. C. Did not believe in slavery a. Reasons for supporting Lincoln b. Was despised by people because of his beliefs D. Whitman believed that the present theory of our army and navy is sensible and true, then the rest of America is an ummigrated fraud E. Whitman believed that America, for all its troubles, alone possessed the prerequisites for a great moral and religious civilization Many Critics believe that Whitmans Civil War experiences destroyed him as a poet, because in the post war years he rarely wrote with his earlier inspiration and produced few great poems (Moore 8). But Whitman would not have been known for his political writings if it wasnt for the Civil War. Whitmans poetry was a celebration of the common man, of American democracy, and of sexuality, conveyed through a revolutionary and rhapsodic free verse (7). After the war, he would celebrate the democracy itself, not merely the poet (Miller 133). Bibliography miller

Kurt Cobain essays

Kurt Cobain essays On April 9th the world woke up to the news of Kurt Cobain's suicide. Those who followed the grundge music of Cobain's band, Nirvana, were angry, but not surprised. With songs such as "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" and constant references to suicide and drugs, suicide was the obvious explanation for his death. Kurt put it best when he said, "I'm thought of as this pissy, complaining, freaked-out schizophrenic who wants to kill himself all the time." (Bozza) To many people, Cobain just joined the club of rock stars who self-destructed. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Brian Jones set the precedent. The Seattle Police Department confirmed the conclusion everyone had already made; Kurt Cobain committed suicide. Sympathy was hard to find. After his death, Kurt was called a "worthless shred of human debris" by Rush Limbaugh. (Amirault). Even Cobain's fans were not sympathetic to the pain Kurt suffered at all. They were mad. At his vigil, the crowd chanted "a**hole" because they thought of Kurt as a coward. (Jones) Cobain already had undergone a near-death experience in Rome earlier in the year that may or may not have been a suicide attempt in which Cobain digested nearly fifty pills called Rohypnol. He also locked himself in a room with a .38 caliber pistol and said he was going to kill himself after a dispute. Kurt Cobain was also notorious for hating his fame. He was once quoted as saying, "I'd rather be dead than cool." (Jones) Kurt Cobain also had stomach pains that sometimes caused him to vomit air because he could not even hold down water. Cobain's marriage and band were both on the brink of breaking up. The pieces of the puzzle seem to fit together perfectly. The suicide note, the pain, the history of Kurt Cobain, and the attitude everyone perceived Kurt possessed pointed to suicide. Neither Kurt Cobain's character nor what he did previous to this incident is in question. It is true...