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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
inspiring
slow-paced
I planned my reading of this perfectly so that I would finish on the 4th of July, and honor the American Independence Day with perhaps the greatest American poet.
While trying to organize my thoughts on this poetry collection, I think of one of Mary Oliver’s essays in Upstream, where she says that Whitman’s poetry feels like a friend.
My first real exposure to Whitman was the year I turned 18. I missed my high school graduation to work a lovely little play called I And You. The spoiler-free plot of this play was essentially two teenagers working on a school project due the the next day about Leaves of Grass. The snippets of Whitman’s poetry truly touched me then, in a way poetry never had before, and I knew I had to read it in full. That was such a pivotal point in my life, that now, his poetry will always be entangled with becoming the person I am now.
Anyway. I put off reading it for a long time, overwhelmed by the length of it, and worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. I had nothing to worry about. I’m glad I read it now, at another pivotal point of my life.
Leaves of Grass made me look in on myself, at all the beauty I can create, and the beauty of the world around me. It was filled with stunning imagery that I literally dreamed of when I slept.
I implore you to read this. I’ll read it to you, if you like, just shoot me a message. It truly touched my heart, and I hope it touches yours, too.
While trying to organize my thoughts on this poetry collection, I think of one of Mary Oliver’s essays in Upstream, where she says that Whitman’s poetry feels like a friend.
My first real exposure to Whitman was the year I turned 18. I missed my high school graduation to work a lovely little play called I And You. The spoiler-free plot of this play was essentially two teenagers working on a school project due the the next day about Leaves of Grass. The snippets of Whitman’s poetry truly touched me then, in a way poetry never had before, and I knew I had to read it in full. That was such a pivotal point in my life, that now, his poetry will always be entangled with becoming the person I am now.
Anyway. I put off reading it for a long time, overwhelmed by the length of it, and worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. I had nothing to worry about. I’m glad I read it now, at another pivotal point of my life.
Leaves of Grass made me look in on myself, at all the beauty I can create, and the beauty of the world around me. It was filled with stunning imagery that I literally dreamed of when I slept.
I implore you to read this. I’ll read it to you, if you like, just shoot me a message. It truly touched my heart, and I hope it touches yours, too.
I tried. Couldn’t do it. It’s the first (ever in my 29 years) on my “Did Not Finish” shelf. It was so boring. And I didn’t particularly care for the racism . Or the misogyny. Or talking about his old white male sexual arousal. That is all. #thankyounext
A romantic poet who likes to write about broad swathes of American and world life.
“I contain multitudes.”
“I contain multitudes.”
A select few of Whitman's lines and poems touch me deeply, but for the most part I find him dull and overly verbose.
reflective
slow-paced
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I had read a few of Whitman's poems, but I picked up the whole collection and read through it. Beautiful poetry, to say the least. I was able to appreciate Whitman more than ever before. I loved some poems more than others, but as a whole, the collection is one I would recommend to others.
