Walt Whitman Controversy

The arts can serve as a microscopic picture into culture. This image is frozen in the time that it was done and should be critiqued from that standpoint. However, some writers seem to be before their times and their writing remains a touchstone throughout the ages. This is true, in America, perhaps none more so than for Walt Whitman. Whitman’s writing can be seen as a love affair with America, itself, as he celebrated its nature, mourned its losses and had a vision for the future. The love affair seems to start with nature. Nature is often a subject for many poets. But for Walt Whitman, it seemed to be deeper than just appreciation into something more. Many times, authors will show a strong identify with a specific place. Whitman speaks of his fondness for the …show more content…
Such is the case with Walt Whitman and his love for America. He hoped it would transpire from the Civil War itno something beautiful. Democracy, for Whitman, meant equality in its purest sense, regardless of race or gender. In context with the times that he wrote in, this was a fascinating departure from the norm. He heralded equal gender rights when he penned “And I say it is as great to be a woman as to be a man” (21). This was before women even had the right to vote, and yet, here is Walt Whitman being the champion of women’s rights. Furthermore, he refers to race relations when he referred to grass…. “Growing among black folks as amount white/Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the same, I receive them the same” (6). He doesn’t see any difference in people because of their race, or even their socioeconomic class. He calls into question the black folk in the same breath as the congressman, and states he will receive and treat them all the same. He hoped America would become the county to embody these ideals to their fullest, and like any relationship, sometimes America faulted on its part to partake in his