American Literature: Final Exam Questions, Essay Example

Walt Whitman’s relationship to the nation is exemplified within the context of his poetry.  He sees the poet as a representation of the carnal side of man, that which was pushed aside for the sake of society.  He essentially sees the role of the poet as someone who celebrates life, and as such, the poet is the celebration of the human.  The “I” of the poem is located in the section “Song of Myself”.  The “I” of the poem represents a person’s reaction to the compromises of living in civilized society.  It refers to the use of distinct cultural ideas to create an identity that allows a person to deal with the world they live in, or the situation that living in an increasingly urban society.

Walt Whitman’s role as a democratic poet is a representation of those people who make up that democracy.  His poetry is rife with democratic imagery, people of all walks of life in all types of locales and situations across America.“Leaves of Grass” is essentially a celebration of life, or the human spirit, which is the heart of a strong democracy.  It spreads in scope from the mundane to the fantastic, in an attempt to capture the multiplicity of personas that made up the American landscape.

Democracy shapes the form and meaning of Leaves of Grass.  Whitman attempts to capture not only the American pioneering spirit, but the spark within all of humanity that leads to the triumphant progression of his march through time.  His poetry is a celebration of the human spirit, and all that goes along with it.

In “On Civil Disobedience” Thoreau’s shifts of perspective through the course of his essay conveys radical changes in his relationship to his friends, Concord, and the federal Government.  He came to see an individual’s role in society as that which keeps the government in check.Not only this, but he began to see his role and responsibilities within his relationships with others in a similarly radical way.  It is not only a person’s responsibility to question the assumptions and the moral standings of their friends and family, but the government and academic institutions as well.

He saw himself and others as a counterbalance to political corruption.  This applies to relationships with other people, essentially creating a society of noncompliance.  He argues against a pacifistic role as a citizen.  Those who wait for the next election in order to bring about changes through politicians are not fulfilling their responsibilities as citizens.

His night in jail, due to his refusal to pay a poll tax, changes the way he looks at his personal actions in relation to the government.He argues that if a person sees a law as unjust, it is their duty to not comply with it.  While some argue that law they disagree with should be followed until it is appealed through the government itself, Thoreau argues that if the law is deemed immoral it shouldn’t be followed in any case.  It is the citizen’s role to disobey the law, going to jail if necessary, until it is repealed.  In this way, he embodied the argument in real life.

He came to view government as inherently corrupt, and because it could never be perfect, it is not something that should ever be followed for the sake of its own self.  Government is not perfect, though it could someday be.  At the point of his writing “On Civil Disobedience” he saw government as an institution prone to injustices.For this reason, it is a person’s duty to disobey unjust laws, so that the government can be propelled towards perfection.