Leaves of Grass book review

I find poetry to be intimidating, so I haven’t read many poetry books. However, I do have a book by Alfred Lord Tennyson, which I’ve partially read, but that’s about it. But I’ve always been intrigued by poetry as an artform, so who else could I read? That’s when I remembered hearing so much about the renowned poet, Walt Whitman, and the impact he had on literature. Therefore, before I die, I needed to read at least one work by Walt Whitman. And so, I did. Here’s my Leaves of Grass book review!

BACKSTORY:

I’ve always felt I would need a specialized literature degree to really appreciate good poetry. So, that made me feel intimidated—too discouraged to even try to read poetry.

I didn’t understand the structural elements of a poem, its stanzas, its meters, or its rhythms. The whole concept of writing, reading, and understanding poetry was a foreign one for this otherwise well-read enthusiast of literature.

Finally, only a few years ago, I bought a collection of works by Alfred Lord Tennyson. I have only read chapters of this large volume, but what I read, I liked. Unfortunately, reading Tennyson’s poetry was hard work.

I didn’t really understand the structure of Tennyson’s poetry, but I could visualize the picture he was trying to paint in the reader’s imagination. So, I continued to read Tennyson, with some breaks and pauses in between.

Some of Tennyson’s poems that captured my imagination were: Locksley Hall, and Locksley Hall Sixty Years After, which I really enjoyed! In addition, I was captivated by Enoch Arden.

My enjoyment of Tennyson’s poems encouraged me to look at the works of other poets. But, what other poet should I investigate?

Why not read some of Walt Whitman’s poetry, I thought to myself. After all, there are many schools, libraries, and other structures named after the poet (see the partial list at the end of this article), so he must have had a significant impact on poetry and literature. So, I bought Leaves of Grass, one of his more renowned works.

Who was Walt Whitman?

But, who was Walt Whitman? When he was younger, he was a printer. Then, he went on to be a newspaper journalist, a teacher, as well as an author. Throughout his adult life, Whitman wrote poetry.

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As I read Leaves of Grass, Whitman’s words conjured up images about people living in the early 1800’s, and early American life. In many ways, those images surprised me, because it sounded as though our ancestors were really a lot like us, with our modern American lives.

Those images were really like short, two-sentence snippets of someone’s existence. But, how could only two sentences about a person make me immediately empathize with that person?

I don’t how Whitman’s technique worked, but it did. Once the author finished writing the two sentence-snippets, he moved on to another person. The author’s montage of snippets helped me visualize their entire lives, but in only two sentences. Wow!

In other parts of the book, he would devote longer paragraphs, and paint a more in-depth montage of that person’s life.

Or, other times, he would write about animals. Here’s one snippet about animals that was really thought-provoking:

I think I could turn and live awhile with the animals . . . . they are so placid and self-contained.

I stand and look at them sometimes half the day long.

They do not sweat and whine about their conditions,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied . . . . not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or industrious over the whole earth.”

(pages 55-56, Song of Myself, Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman)

What a beautifully unique way of thinking about animals. I think that Whitman was making a comparison with the animal kingdom, and how their way of living might be superior to humanity’s flawed, greedy, vain, and arrogant form of life.

Despite my conclusions, I’m not sure that my interpretation is correct. However, after reading the passage, I think my analysis sounds logical.

What do you think? What is your interpretation of that passage about animals?

I especially enjoyed Whitman’s A Song for Occupation chapter. Once again, Whitman was creating snippets of thoughts about people, and how they might be related to the world around them.

Below is one passage that I circled as I read. Once again, this passage provoked me into thinking about other people a little differently. It made me think that I should be more accepting of other people and their flaws, because I also have some serious flaws.

Either way, aren’t we all worthy of our lives, and aren’t we all worthy of being ‘immortal’?

Because you are greasy or pimpled—-or that you was once drunk, or a thief, or diseased, or rheumatic, or a prostitute—or are so now—or from frivolity of impotence—or that you are no scholar, and never saw your name in print . . . . do you give in that you are any less immortal?”

(page 88, A Song for Occupation, Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman)

Even though some of the phrases in that passage seemed awkward, or maybe even grammatically incorrect, it was still beautiful and thought-provoking.

But, with if the awkward phrasing of that passage had disguised the poet’s correct interpretation? Did I correctly understand that passage?

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As we all know, poetry is open to interpretation. And, our interpretations can differ, depending on our backgrounds, our education, our work experiences, and our family life.

But, despite my effort to interpret everything that Walt Whitman had described in Leaves of Grass, I failed to understand some passages. For instance:

Great genius and the people of these states must never be demeaned to romances. As soon as histories are properly told there is no more need of romances.”

(page 18, Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman)

I think Whitman was writing about poets in that entire first chapter, but I’m not certain about that! Or, he might have been writing about poems as a form of literature.

But, I don’t know. However, I do know that it provoked me to think about the words he wrote, and what the poet was trying to communicate to the reader.

If I failed to comprehend his words in that passage, does that mean I failed, or maybe that the poet failed? Once again, I don’t know. In fact, I don’t know enough about the artform of poetry to answer my own questions!

For the most part, I really enjoyed reading Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. It painted vivid images that made me empathize with different people—they were people I never would have known in my life, but thanks to Whitman’s words, I could get to know them vicariously.

If you’ve been intimidated by poetry, like I have been, I think you should read Leaves of Grass. With this book, you can read just a few pages at a time. The author’s words will still provoke you into thinking differently.

TAKEAWAYS:

Poetry has always intimidated me. In the past, I’ve read poems, but they didn’t really grab my attention for very long. To me, poems seemed pompous or stuck-up, so I avoided them.

However, I’ve heard so much about Walt Whitman and the impact he has had on literature. And there are so many buildings and structures named after him, that I felt I should at least attempt to read some good poetry!

What I’ve found is that Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass is beautifully written. It talks about the wide, diverse population of people who shaped our early history in the United States in the 1800’s.

If you have been put-off by poetry like I have been, try reading Leaves of Grass. I believe you’ll enjoy it and love it just as much as I do!

Thanks for reading our Leaves of Grass book review! And, if you’ve already read Leaves of Grass or other works by Walt Whitman, please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Schools, libraries, and other structures named after Walt Whitman

The Walt Whitman Bridge, Philadelphia PA

Walt Whitman Middle School 246, Brooklyn, NY

Walt Whitman High School, Los Angeles, CA

Walt Whitman High School, Bethesda, MD

Walt Whitman Branch, Brooklyn Public Library

The only home owned by Walt Whitman

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Photos and content by Doug Martin and Our Book Banter