3 The Interpretation of the Image of “Democracy” 9
31 The Democratic Meaning of “Grass” 9
32 Gender Equality in By Blue Ontario's Shore 9
33 In Praise of Lincoln in O Captain! My Captain! 10
34 Extol Ordinary People in I Hear America Singing11
4 The Interpretation of the Image of “Death”12
41 Whitman’s View of Life and Death 12
42 The Meaning of Death in The Sleepers 13
43 The Analysis of Whispers Of Heavenly Death 14
5 The Interpretation of the Image of “Mystery” 15
51 Pantheism15
52 The Analysis of Chanting The Square Deific16
6 Whitman’s Philosophy Reflected in the Above Four Images 18
7 Conclusion19
Bibliography21
1 Introduction
This thesis aims to analyze the main images and Whitman’s philosophy reflected in Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman lived in the age of American Romanticism American Romantic period was one of the most important periods in the history of American literature It began from the end of 18th century to the breaking out of the Civil War It started with the publication of Washington Irving’s The Sketch Book and ended with Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass For romanticists, the feelings, intuitions and emotions were more important than reason and common sense They emphasized individualism, placing the individual against the group They affirmed the inner life of the self, and cherished strong interest in the past, the wild, the remote, the mysterious and the strange Being a period of the great flowering of American literature, this period is also called “the American Renaissance”