Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" Whitman's masterpiece is certainly "Leaves of Grass", an anthology of poems he first published in 1855 and kept revising till his death. The title is the first element showing how grass is a fundamental symbol in Whitman's poetry: 'leaves' refers both to leaves of plants and leaves of paper, thus, to each of his own poems, which sprout forming a whole, green and luxuriant. ... "A child said What is the grass?... Catalogue technique and Whitman's relationship with the reader In the poem's first line a...

• Word Count: 2619
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

That "I" became the main character of Leaves of Grass, the explosive book of twelve untitled poems that he wrote in the early years of the 1850s. ... A few months later (1956), he printed his second edition of Leaves of Grass. ...

• Word Count: 3041
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

Whitman believed that a poet's thoughts were "hymns of praise" (1855 preface to Leaves of Grass) to things, and Rilke believed that a poet had to "win the confidence" (Letters to a Young Poet) of things. ... Whitman presents a method of "transcendence" that involves closing one's eyes, lying in the grass, and experiencing the surrounding life. ... Of course, according to him, we aren't normally in commune with our soul, but all we need to gain this connection is demonstrated in the following: Loafe with me [his soul] on the grass . . . . loose the stop from your throat, Not...

• Word Count: 2891
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School