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Walt WhitmanA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“A Noiseless Patient Spider” by Walt Whitman (1868)
This particular poem was originally part of a larger work of poetry titled “Whispers of a Heavenly Death” published in The Broadway, A London Magazine. Just as “A Glimpse” is about human connection amidst noise and chaos, “A Noiseless Patient Spider” is about trying to make space for oneself in the world. The work parallels the act of a spider making its web, throwing out one thread after another, with an individual’s soul trying to make connections in the wide universe. The poem centers on physical connection and individuality.
“O Me! O Life!” by Walt Whitman (1855)
“O Me! O Life!” was initially published in the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass. Whitman’s speaker opens by questioning the purpose of life amidst chaotic and depressing scenes and an overall lack of hope. However, it then ends with an anthem to individuality and perseverance, maintaining that each person has something to contribute to the world that only they are capable of giving.
“America" by Walt Whitman (1888)
Whitman’s “America” reads as an ode to the nation. It first appeared in The New York Herald on February 11, 1888.
By Walt Whitman
America
Walt Whitman
A Noiseless Patient Spider
Walt Whitman
Are you the new person drawn toward me?
Walt Whitman
As I Walk These Broad Majestic Days
Walt Whitman
Crossing Brooklyn Ferry
Walt Whitman
For You O Democracy
Walt Whitman
Hours Continuing Long
Walt Whitman
I Hear America Singing
Walt Whitman
I Sing the Body Electric
Walt Whitman
I Sit and Look Out
Walt Whitman
Leaves of Grass
Walt Whitman
O Captain! My Captain!
Walt Whitman
Song of Myself
Walt Whitman
Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night
Walt Whitman
When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer
Walt Whitman
When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd
Walt Whitman