whitman PPT

Life Experience





born in 1819, on the West Hills of Long Island, New York. His father was a farmer, also a carpenter and builder. His mother, was barely literate, but gave him unconditional love. Whitman only attended school for five or six years, then he dropped out and worked as a printer. Later, he worked as a teacher, run a weekly papers in his native town, worked as an editor. His learning largely came from his self-study and wide reading.
Poems Appreciation
Song of Myself
A.
Who does“myself”refer to ? B. How do you understand the line “I loafe and invite my soul?” C. What does “a spear of summer grass” symbolize?
B. How do you understand the line “I loafe and invite my soul?” This line indicates a separation of the body and the soul, the physical and the spiritual. The union of the body and the soul will not be achieved unless the self is awakened.

Some Features of Poetry

1. Emotion, strong passion Expresses and arouses strong feeling such as love, pity, fear, sadness, joy, etc

2. Condensed and vivid language Language is the most important thing in poetry. Poetic language is the most vivid and condensed language in literature 3. Special form alliteration, meter(rhythm), rhyme
人生若只如初见，何事西风悲画扇 寻寻觅觅，冷冷清清，凄凄惨惨戚戚。 乍暖还寒时候，最将难息。 赌书消得泼茶香，当时只道是寻常。 生当做人杰，死亦为鬼雄。 壮志饥餐胡虏肉，笑谈渴饮匈奴血。待 从头，收拾旧山河，朝天阙！ 大江东去,浪淘尽,千古风流人物。 莫听穿林打叶声，何妨吟啸且徐行。竹 杖芒鞋轻胜马，谁怕？一蓑烟雨任平生。
Life Experience




He was also fond of music. During the Civil War, he served as a correspondent for The New York Times as a volunteer nurse in many hospitals for the sick and wounded in Washington D.C. He was poor all his life and never married. He died at Camden on March 26, 1892. devoted himself to the composition of his
Harriet Beecher Stowe
President Lincoln greeted her as the “little woman who wrote the book that made this Great War.”
Walt Whitman wrote about America and praised America in his poetry. Emerson (and Whitman himself) considered Whitman to be the poet America so desperately needed.

He is produced by his time and he expresses the voice of his time.

Historical background
1. Rapid development of industry (singing highly of the nation) 2. Democratic idealism began to exert influence on every aspect (democracy,equality,freedom) 3. Civil war democratic and abolitionist literature began to rise. In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe---Uncle Tom’s Cabin President Lincoln called her “the little lady who wrote the book that made this big war”. (antislavery) 4. The American literary field in the nineteenth century blossomed also with poetry.

— Emily Dickinson

Milton defines poetry as “thoughts that voluntary move harmonious numbers” （凝神酝酿能激起和美诗句的情思）; and Chatfield says, "Poetry is the music of thought, conveyed to us in the music of language."

Poetry

“All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”.
“A good poem is the crystallization of word and emotions.” The poet has found the emotion, the emotion has found the word.
Myself” ---the poet himself “Myself” ----to a group of people who had the American national characteristics and the democratic ideals like Whitman.


C. What does “a spear of summer grass” symbolize? A spear is a symbol of male energy. Grass is a symbol of hope and youth. Summer is the hot season. All the three nouns put together form an energetic and hopeful image, which indicates Whitman’s optimism and experience.
Leaves of Grass
1855, the first edition It contains a preface of more than eight thousand words and twelve poems, including his most famous one, Song of Myself 1892, the Deathbed Edition The Deathbed Edition contains all his poems, nearly four hundred. It consists of twelve sets of poems and two appendixes. the ninth edition of this great work was published
Leaves of Grass
Whitman moved to Camden in 1873 after suffering a paralyzing stroke, where he would spend the rest of his life.
“look for me under your boot soles”
Wordsworth


Definitions

The best words in the best order. Samuel Coleridge
When I read something I feel so cold that no fire can warm me, I know its poetry; When I read something I feel my head is chopped off, I know it’s poetry.”
4. Symbolic


How to analyze a poem
Theme Style Language (linguistic features) Form

Walt Whitman
(1819--1892)
Whitman—Son of the Time

Whitman could have been produced by no other country than the United States, and America could not have produced him at any other time.
Symbol—grass

XiaoCao.mp3
Symbol—Grass

Symbolizes: the common people their spirit (tough, brave, indomitable) the eternity youth, hope the equality the poet his poems
那东西就变成了他的一部分在那一天或者那一天的一部分如果是早开的紫丁香那么它会变成这个孩子的一部分还有那青草那白色红色的牵牛花那红色白色的苜蓿草以及那菲比鸟的啾鸣还有那三个月大的小羊羔淡粉色的一窝小猪小马驹和小牛犊还有谷仓空地上或泥泞的池塘边那叽叽喳喳的小鸟一家所有的这一切都成了这孩子的一部分

十年生死两茫茫。不思量，自难忘。千 里孤坟、无处话凄凉。纵使相逢应不识、 尘满面，鬓如霜。 夜来幽梦忽还乡。 小轩窗，正梳妆。相顾无言，惟有泪千 行，料得年年断肠处，明月夜，短松冈。
Song of Myself
It
is the longest poem(1346 lines) in Leaves of Grass This is the selected part of Song of Myself. A. Who does“myself”refer to ?
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Whitman manifested his strong love towards America, the nation, the people, nature. It is the song for his homeland, for the rapid development of the country, and for their ideal of freedom and democracy. He condemns those slave-owners and sings highly of the democracy. “Singer of the U.S.A in the 19th century.”