Waltwhitman.org: A Dedication to His Legacy, Essay Example

Introduction

Arguably America’s greatest poet, Walt Whitman is maintained as a vital, living presence through the website devoted to him at www.waltwhitman.org. The evident care and professionalism manifested in this site serve as an example of how modern technology may greatly sustain an important presence who otherwise might fade from public appreciation.

Whitman, born in 1819 in Long Island, was consummately American before he ever wrote verse. Of a large family with Quaker leanings, his schooling was minimal, in accordance with the times and his working-class family’s means. By the age of twelve he was actively seeking employment and went through a variety of occupations, most in the printing industry, then later on in editing and teaching. Fueled by a rebellious spirit, he turned in 1850 to writing poetry and began his most famous collection, Leaves of Grass, which he would revise until his death forty-two years later. Some notoriety came his way, chiefly in the form of praise from Ralph Waldo Emerson and, conversely, critics who attacked Whitman’s verse as obscene, but he worked for a living for most of his life.

The Website

Built and maintained by the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association of West Hills, New York, waltwhitman.org is not an especially noteworthy site to the initial visitor. The layout is basic, if attractive, and the format is virtually a standard template. The pages are pleasant to look at, the images plentiful and well-presented, and the information is easily accessible through clearly labeled links. On first sighting, again, there is nothing remarkable about it.

However, a lengthier stay points to a level of quality and attention rare in sites devoted to historical persons. The “upcoming events” field in the upper right of the home page clearly indicates how well the site is updated, with readings and other activities set out covering a period of three months. There is moreover a beautiful clarity here in the openness and ease with which all the information is offered, from the full contact data of the Association itself prominently displayed on the upper right of the page, to a bar of links covering activities, history, and yet further contact information. This is a site that welcomes real input and participation, both online and at its literal foundation.

A substantial portion of the site is devoted to poets-in-residence, both current and past, and this component adds to a vibrant quality, one concerned with modern times, missing from so many sites dedicated to past writers of note. Moreover, the pervasive impression of meticulous care of the site is abetted by the array of images, a large collection incorporating recent photographs of the Whitman estate as well as beautifully reproduced examples of Matthew Brady’s work.

Waltwhitman.org manages to accomplish what many historical websites pursue but do not achieve: it is accessible and informative resource for the Whitman novice with a great deal to offer to the Whitman scholar as well. User-friendly, welcoming, thoroughly professional, and topically relevant with scheduled events, it is hard to conceive of a site that could do better justice to such an American icon