Walt Whitman Group
Question:
lillian01
Student
College - Freshman
What is the conceptual unit of a Whitman poem?
Qualities he thinks makes a line, a stanza, a poem.
Answers:
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appletrees Teacher
College - JunioreNotes Editor
Posted by appletrees on Wednesday August 26, 2009 at 4:26 PMIt's difficult to answer this without referring to a specific poem. But Whitman's most famous poetic works, including 'Leaves of Grass' (which includes 'Song of Myself' and 'Carol of Harvest' among others) show the reader that he allows his use of poetic form in an often informal way, allowing his choice of words to convey emotions and imagery central to his messge. The thematic material is often concerned with nature, with sexuality, with individuality, and with mourning the dead, depending which poems you're reading. I also think the idea of 'conceptual unit' you're asking about may in fact be 'conceptual unity'? In which case, these themes and topics are all linked conceptually and thematically by being related to the most central and significant aspects of human existence.
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