A review by estranger0
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

4.0

Walt Whitman, though I’ve known him for a day, has captured my heart and has begun my love for poetry and its intricate details… the free and blank verse of Whitman was totally different than my previous experiences with Shakespeare’s poetry and Milton’s, but has surpassed them in terms of tranquility, unity, and clarity.

Whitman’s poems are simple and powerful, similar to how Hemingway’s prose is usually described, and always hold a special significance no matter the subject matter. He usually included transcendental themes in his poems as well as realist ideals like the love of nature and people, which I found extremely admirable. As an American who’s aware of the corruption and lies of what my country is capable of, Whitman reminded me of what once was the American dream: lush greenery, perfect unity amongst the people, love for everyone and everything, plants, animals, the cosmos, all of it; not one of them left out and not one of them unspoken about.

Song of Myself, the empowering and in itself ‘epic’ poem about the occupations of America and admiration for nature impressed me the most; it was able to speak more in fifty pages than most novels today, and contained more substance and genuine passion than all poetry today. I do not know the other names of the poems in this book from heart, but the philosophy they contain similar is similar to that of Stoicism, and frankly describes a more simple approach to appreciating life: love everyone and everything.

Whitman has caught me in his poetic verses, and I’ve fallen in love with simplicity and sincerity.