Charles Whitman

Gaspar De Villagrá is considered to be the first published poet in the United States as he recounts his journey through epic poetry. The poem, Historia de la nveva Mexico, is divided into three separate parts and then into thirty-four various cantos. As Manuel M. Martín-Rodríguez comments in his passage describing the origins of Villagrá’s poetry and expedition, “Villagrá’s poem serves a utilitarian purpose: that of justifying actions and highlighting services in hopes of obtaining royal favor,”…

"O Me! O Life" by Walt Whitman, and "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns, are both very well known and well-written poems. Both of these poems have similarities and differences, including structure, tone, and figurative language. Very often, poetry's themes revolve around humanity and love. Such include Whitman's and Burn's poems. To begin with, the structure of "O Me! O Life" is dramatically different from that of "A Red, Red Rose". Walt Whitman wrote in free verse and used a significant gap…

Honors American Literature – 29 Danielle Dresen Leslie Lee Illusions Have you ever heard the phrase, “be thankful for what you have?” Or perhaps, “never judge a book by its cover.” It is most likely that you have, seeing as these are both popular phrases with which we use to convey the importance of gratitude and understanding. Whether you agree with these phrases or not, Edgar Lee Masters and Edwin Arlington Robinson do; so much so that they have incorporated them into the themes of their…

“Hope” is the thing with feathers-- Emily Dickinson wrote the poem “Hope” is the thing with feathers in the year 1861. This poem is an extended metaphor transforming the word hope she uses, into a bird that is inside of every human. Hope and the bird are both symbols for something greater. They transform with each other and bring the reader the idea of hope in many forms. The idea of the poem is to exhibit hope as an aspect inside of us all that is powerful and inspiring. I would like to…

When you write something, what are your goals when you write it? Langston Hughes was one poet that wrote because he had goals in mind. One of his goals was to write was about the time of unfair treatment in the USA. His poems are made to connect the races in this time. One inspiration of why he wrote this poem is because he showing the hard life that many of the African Americans had/have. Whether it be the slave-ship, plantations, reconstruction, or the great migration to the urban north. The…

Harlem Renaissance author and poet, Claude McKay, in his poem “America,” describes the complicated relationship he shares with America. McKay intends to share this relationship, highlighting both the good and the bad. He uses a harsh tone to describe the unforgiving nature of the struggles America poses, while using a more hopeful and determined tone when describing the good the America does. McKay hopes through sharing his love-hate, he is able to connect to his audience, people going through…

intention, but it was the result of this bloody war. The fate of a fractured America grieving the loss of hundreds of thousands of men was a cause of concern for all citizens. One of those people pondering America and its future was the poet, Walt Whitman. Through the careful usage of figurative, denotative and connotative language, Walt Whitman’s final stanza in “A Woman Waits for Me” explores American identity following the Civil war and procreation and how it should not merely be a human…

future. Today, Walt Whitman is regarded as the finest poet that…

contain multitudes.)” There is no doubt that Walt Whitman is one of the most timeless and classic writers from American history. His large influence on the free verse form of poetry paved the way for modern poets to come. His poems reflected his transcendentalist thoughts and great love for the relatively young country America. Walt Whitman wrote with a spirit that tried to define what it meant to be American at the time. When one thinks of Whitman, the first piece to come to mind more often…

Slang in America The essay Slang in America, written by the early 1800s American poet named Walt Whitman, was an interesting essay to read. It really made me stretch my mind as to try to comprehend and understand what the 1800s poet was trying to say. Throughout his work he was trying to portray the distinctive American language; which introduces new words and the unique qualities of American life. Whitman believed that our language; the way we talk and write were the most inestimable…