Philosophy

The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he absorbed it, is the statement used by Walt Whitman to make and stand on his idea that poets should not only embody his fluency with words and his prowess of letters and words through his or her works. Instead, real poets should reflect as much as they could in what their society embody and represents. Ultimately, poets should find their own ways of exposing the faces of their society in any form and context that they wish to reiterate what is the unknown and trivial even if it is obvious and often neglected. Whitman appeals to the recognition that poets should reflect not only his good and exemplar traits, but also his or her imperfections. Whitman strongly believes that through these imperfections, ordinary individuals can find their right places in their own concepts of society. These imperfections comparatively can serve as mirrors wherein individuals can look at what they are and what they can become of.

Walt Whitman is one of the most influential poets that ever lived in the Western hemisphere as a matter of fact Whitman even holds the title of being one of the most influential poets that ever walked the earth. The reason for his unmatched fame and influence, more particularly in the United States of America is simply found on his expositions on his very own imperfections. Through his poems about imperfections he was able to show the different sides of the American culture and even to some extent human nature. He coupled his honest topics with the free versed style of writing that even made his readers feel the freedom that he extends through his works. He is also known for his poems that stood out from the tragic and melodramatic poems during his time his poems became the alternative and radical poems of that period. Aside from these descriptions of how Whitman writes, oddity is the next sure shot description. He has an odd taste of honesty and humor which made his poem interesting to read and popularly accepted by his readers.

Leaves of Grass
Understanding the line left by Whitman to describe the blueprint of a genuine poet will require an understanding of how Walt Whitman places his words to have the optimum effect to his readers. An ordinary glance to the line may give the impression that Whitman pertains to social acceptance and convention wherein the poet must contextualize his works with. But ordinary glances are not enough and will never be enough for the profoundness that Whitman fancies him self with. Instead of social acceptance, it is better and even far safer to assume that Whitman pertains to mutual recognition and understanding in terms of ideas and prepositions. The real test of a poet is measurable with the extent that he or she was able to make his or her works popularly loved and accepted by the people. Such concepts of test are far from real and far satisfying from the real test that Whitman prescribed. Real poets based on the test of Whitman should be able to share inclusive subject matters relevant to his or her society with the courage and assertion which cannot be measured by simple words.

It is safe to assume that Whitman pertains to a more socially integrated poetry which should relieve with the common misconceptions that poets should be alienated from the society. This attitude of Whitman is well reflected in his works which are collectively seen as poems of politics, daily life and even religion. His collection of works can never be grouped into specific attitudes of poems. The reason for this constrain is simple, Whitmans poems have no specific path and style of writing and theme. They tend to reflect the different sides of what society really is. The works of Whitman can be seen in the categories of life and death, happiness and depression, and even wholesomeness and eroticism. Whitman was able to deliver all of these themes through his works without having to refrain from his almost barbaric use of language because people adore the message of his works and not just simply his style in making the message he.ard. If Whitman took his own measure and test of how to become a genuine poet, will he pass It is safe to say yes, not just because of it is favored to say so but also because history is the witness of his magnificent craftsmanship of words. Poets after Whitman slowly adapted to the changes that Whitman brought to the whole world of poetry. In a way he liberated the field of literature which gained him the privilege of even being compared to the Declaration of Independence.

Individuals from all walks of life should exert efforts to realize what Whitman has to offer simply because its message can transcend to the different endeavors that individuals would pursue. Whitman is not dogmatic in his perception of society and the role of individuals (in his case a poet). He simply holds individuals accountable to their participation in their own perceptions of society.        

Whitman as a poet of possibility
Muriel Rukeyser categorized Walt Whitman as a poet of possibility as contrasted to Herman Melville being a poet of outrage. In explaining why these categories are used in the literary world as classification of poets are still unclear and can even be misinterpreted. In a way the reasons for coining the terms of classification is problematic making the categorization problematic. However, the impetuses why these classifications are made are more relevant than what it was termed. Whitman is favored and acclaimed because of his assertive use of literature to expose the different faces of society. On the other hand, Melville is highly criticized for his short lived and shortly endured works (Demetillo, 1962). This system of categorization can be interpreted apart from their literal conceivable meaning. The result of such investigation can result to completely debunking the concepts pushed for by Rukeyser. For the sake of discussing these categories, this essay will delve on the terms and context used by Rukeyser in formulating these categories.

Whitman as a poet of possibility in its own right fits the legacy that Whitman has left in the literary world. Whitman is known for his different poems that pertain to diverse underlying issues that cater to the creation of a holistic understanding of society and its implications. Aside from being a poet of possibility, Whitman can also be seen as a symbol of optimism. He was coined as a symbolic optimist because he is able to be assertive enough in his ideas which complementarily create a domino like effect to his readers (Demetillo, 1962). Whitman is also known as a man more than capable of creating exemplary poems he has a profound belief in destiny which makes his works highly overwhelming in influencing individuals and even dangerous in creating superficial worlds where words in poems mean more than just a complex combination of the element individuals know as letters.    

Combining the traits of Whitman and Melville can be seen from the start as an attempt that dwell in a world of the wildest dreams. However, looking deep in the wide collection of Whitmans works, one can see that the combinations of the different types of being a poet can be made to reality such as that of Whitman. His works use different types of setting that convey different meanings and attempts to influence. Whitman was able to celebrate the masses by successful attempts to see the world through the eyes of what he sees as the masses. However, no matter what the idea he wishes to convey, Walt Whitman still uses his trademark of being bold and assertive in writing and wording attitude combined with his influential technique of being inclusive in terms of establishing and defending the subject matter.