A New America: Comparing The Works of Walt Whitman and Robert Frost
Format
Oral Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Jeffrey Hole
Faculty Mentor Department
English
Abstract/Artist Statement
Iconic figures in American literature, Walt Whitman and Robert Frost have written modern works that depict and give expression to the identity of America—its landscape, people, and place in the world. While previous critical interpretations of these two canonical authors have focused on stylistic and modernist aesthetics, my presentation attempts to examine the racial and gender implications of their poetic visions. In his “Passage to India,” for instance, Whitman explicitly ties his notion of modernity to what he believed was the identity of America. Though the poem is typically read as a celebration of human progress and global connectedness, I argue that the racial and gendered implications come to light in the poem’s imperialistic language. In other words, rather than a figure of racial pluralism, Whitman evinces a paradigm for racial and gender discrimination that defined America during that time. On the other end of the spectrum, Frost does not merely highlight the concept of modernity in his poetry but, instead, presents contemporary issues pertaining to race and gender in a manner that allows his readers to call into question the societal views of the time. This is particularly evident in his comedic and satirical work “Design.” In my paper, I attempt to demonstrate the differences between these two modernist poets on the topic of race and gender in order to call into question what is considered canonical American literature.
Location
DeRosa University Center, Room 211
Start Date
28-4-2018 11:20 AM
End Date
28-4-2018 11:40 AM
A New America: Comparing The Works of Walt Whitman and Robert Frost
DeRosa University Center, Room 211
Iconic figures in American literature, Walt Whitman and Robert Frost have written modern works that depict and give expression to the identity of America—its landscape, people, and place in the world. While previous critical interpretations of these two canonical authors have focused on stylistic and modernist aesthetics, my presentation attempts to examine the racial and gender implications of their poetic visions. In his “Passage to India,” for instance, Whitman explicitly ties his notion of modernity to what he believed was the identity of America. Though the poem is typically read as a celebration of human progress and global connectedness, I argue that the racial and gendered implications come to light in the poem’s imperialistic language. In other words, rather than a figure of racial pluralism, Whitman evinces a paradigm for racial and gender discrimination that defined America during that time. On the other end of the spectrum, Frost does not merely highlight the concept of modernity in his poetry but, instead, presents contemporary issues pertaining to race and gender in a manner that allows his readers to call into question the societal views of the time. This is particularly evident in his comedic and satirical work “Design.” In my paper, I attempt to demonstrate the differences between these two modernist poets on the topic of race and gender in order to call into question what is considered canonical American literature.