Study Questions
Describe Whitman's conceptions of the soul and the
body, and the relationship between the two. Which is
more important, in his view?
How do you account for the eroticism in Whitman's
poetry? Does he use homosexual eroticism differently
from heterosexual eroticism?
What kinds of structures does Whitman use in his
poetry? Why might he be using these rather than
traditional structures like rhyme?
Describe Whitman's diction. What kind of language
does he use? Does this have implications
politically? Poetically?
Discuss the relationship of the poems in Leaves of
Grass to one another. Are they intended to be
read together or separately? Do they form one larger
document? What about the different editions of
Leaves of Grass? Why did Whitman keep
revising this work?
How does Whitman handle modernity and technological
change? What kinds of landscapes do we see in his
poetry? What role does the city play? What role
does nature play?
What is uniquely American about Whitman's poetry?
Consider both substance and style.
How does Whitman incorporate current events into his
poetry? What about the Civil War?
What, in Whitman's view, is the function of poetry?
Does it have a public or ceremonial role?
Describe Whitman's account of his development as a
poet. What experiences were important, and why?
