Whitmans poetry is democratic in both its subject matter and its language.

As the
great lists that make up a large part of Whitmans poetry show, anythingand
anyoneis fair game for a poem. Whitman is concerned with cataloguing the new
America he sees growing around him. Just as America is far different politically and
practically from its European counterparts, so too must American poetry distinguish
itself from previous models. Thus we see Whitman breaking new ground in both
subject matter and diction.
In a way, though, Whitman is not so unique. His preference for the quotidian links
him with both Dante, who was the first to write poetry in a vernacular language, and
with Wordsworth, who famously stated that poetry should aim to speak in the
language of ordinary men. Unlike Wordsworth, however, Whitman does not
romanticize the proletariat or the peasant. Instead he takes as his model himself.
The stated mission of his poetry was, in his words, to make [a]n attempt to put a
Person, a human being (myself, in the latter half of the 19th century, in America)
freely, fully, and truly on record. A truly democratic poetry, for Whitman, is one
that, using a common language, is able to cross the gap between the self and
another individual, to effect a sympathetic exchange of experiences.
This leads to a distinct blurring of the boundaries between the self and the world
and between public and private. Whitman prefers spaces and situationslike
journeys, the out-of-doors, citiesthat allow for ambiguity in these respects. Thus
we see poems like Song of the Open Road and Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, where
the poet claims to be able to enter into the heads of others. Exploration becomes
not just a trope but a mode of existence.
For Whitman, spiritual communion depends on physical contact, or at least
proximity. The body is the vessel that enables the soul to experience the world.
Therefore the body is something to be worshipped and given a certain primacy.
Eroticism, particularly homoeroticism, figures significantly in Whitmans poetry. This
is something that got him in no small amount of trouble during his lifetime. The
erotic interchange of his poetry, though, is meant to symbolize the intense but
always incomplete connection between individuals. Having sex is the closest two
people can come to being one merged individual, but the boundaries of the body
always prevent a complete union. The affection Whitman shows for the bodies of
others, both men and women, comes out of his appreciation for the linkage between
the body and the soul and the communion that can come through physical contact.
He also has great respect for the reproductive and generative powers of the body,
which mirror the intellects generation of poetry.
The Civil War diminished Whitmans faith in democratic sympathy. While the cause
of the war nominally furthered brotherhood and equality, the war itself was a
quagmire of killing. Reconstruction, which began to fail almost immediately after it
was begun, further disappointed Whitman. His later poetry, which displays a marked
insecurity about the place of poetry and the place of emotion in general (see in
particular When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd), is darker and more isolated.
Whitmans style remains consistent throughout, however. The poetic structures he
employs are unconventional but reflect his democratic ideals. Lists are a way for

him to bring together a wide variety of items without imposing a hierarchy on them.
Perception, rather than analysis, is the basis for this kind of poetry, which uses few
metaphors or other kinds of symbolic language. Anecdotes are another favored
device. By transmitting a story, often one he has gotten from another individual,
Whitman hopes to give his readers a sympathetic experience, which will allow them
to incorporate the anecdote into their own history. The kind of language Whitman
uses sometimes supports and sometimes seems to contradict his philosophy. He
often uses obscure, foreign, or invented words. This, however, is not meant to be
intellectually elitist but is instead meant to signify Whitmans status as a unique
individual. Democracy does not necessarily mean sameness. The difficulty of some
of his language also mirrors the necessary imperfection of connections between
individuals: no matter how hard we try, we can never completely understand each
other. Whitman largely avoids rhyme schemes and other traditional poetic devices.
He does, however, use meter in masterful and innovative ways, often to mimic
natural speech. In these ways, he is able to demonstrate that he has mastered
traditional poetry but is no longer subservient to it, just as democracy has ended
the subservience of the individual.

Once I passd through a populous city

The original story behind the poem states that in 1848, at age 29, Whitman visited
New Orleans, the populous city in the poem. There he met a man, who became the
inspiration for the poem. Most scholars now reject the idea that Whitman was
involved with a Creole woman of higher social rank than his own and that his
sudden exit from New Orleans was due to complications deriving from this
relationship.
Facing West from Californias shores
Another poet from the 19th Century was Walt Whitman. His poem "Facing West from California's Shores"
offers the argument that America has the potential to be the greatest nation in the world, but it comes at a
cost. From reading the poem, one can notice that the poem is not metrically regular. The poem is written
in free verse, which is what Whitman invented. In this poem, one can see that Whitman is talking about
America with the line "I, a child, very old, over waves, towards the house of maternity, the land / of
migrations, look afar," (lines 2-3). The speaker is offering a view and contrast between the New World and
the Old World. Even though the land of America had been around long before the beginning of human
civilizations, the land provided a fresh start for a new country. One can argue that the majority of the
poem may be referring to Columbus and his quest to find the Indies. However, the last couple of lines
propose a question "But where is what I started for so long ago? / And why is it yet unfound?" (10-11). At
first glance one might conclude that the speaker is describing Columbus' failure to find the Indies. But
there seems to be a deeper meaning into these last lines. A possible argument is the speaker's search for
a land that is the closest thing to paradise. For in the New World, there were many wars between the
Americans, Spanish, British, French, and Native Americans. Therefore, the speaker has not yet found the
land of peace, for this new land has been won with blood.

When I heard the learned astronomer

Whitman wrote this poem in free verse, like most of his other poems. It consists of
one single stanza with eight lines. The lines vary in length and have different
stressed and unstressed syllables, which gives the poem an anecdotal feel. The
first four lines of the poem all begin with "When" as the speaker recalls sitting and
listening to the astronomer lecture. These first four lines function as a setup; and
the final four lines describe the speaker's reaction to the experience well as the
lesson from the poem.
In this poem, Whitman uses the example of the astronomer to show the
difference between academic learning and experiential learning. The speaker
finds the astronomer's lectures stars and mathematical formulas to be boring. He
does not feel any sort of connection to the subject matter until he goes outside
and sees the stars for himself. Looking up at the night sky is not an experience
that one can experience in a classroom, no matter how "learn'd" the teacher
might be Whitman felt very strongly that experiencing life's marvels was the only
real way to learn.
In this poem, Whitman draws out the stark contrast between the speaker and
the educated astronomer. Whitman writes the speaker's voice to emphasize the
fact that he is not an academic. For example, he shortens "learned" to "learn'd"
when describing the sophisticated professor. The speaker quickly grows bored
while listening to the astronomer talk about theories and mathematical
equations. The astronomer, however, represents a highly educated and refined
class that has a more structured approach to learning. The speaker and the
astronomer serve as foils to each other - characters who have opposite beliefs.
The writer uses this disparity to highlight each individual's distinct characteristics.

Even though this poem is short, Whitman establishes a clear and vivid setting.
First, he describes the classroom and lecture hall, where the astronomer is using
charts to illustrate his theories and the audience's polite applause. Whitman's skill
in creating evocative imagery is most powerful in the second half of the poem.
The speaker is clearly inspired as he "glides" out into the "mystical moist night air"
and admires the dazzling stars above him. Whitman paints pictures with these
words.
Ultimately, this poem serves to highlight the difference between wisdom and
knowledge. In the context of this poem, wisdom is the process of learning
through experience and exploration (the speaker appreciates the wonders of
the night sky only when he sees it for himself). Knowledge, on the other hand,
comes from research, reading, and established theories. Academic knowledge
is a more tangible form of intelligence; while wisdom, on the other hand, is
intuitive. The astronomer attempts to relay his academic knowledge in his
lecture, but the speaker does not connect to the subject matter from such a
distance.