Am Lit

Derdiger

Mimicking Whitman

Your assignment for today is to write a poem that mimics Whitman in tone, style and content. Below are some
characteristics of Whitman’s poems…

Style Content Tone

-Free verse -The self -Passionate
-No rhymes or internal rhymes -The beauty of everyone -Rebellious
-Long lines -Unity -Religious
-Long poems broken into sections -Rebellion -Contemplative
-Repetition -Nature -Appreciative
-Exclamations -The body -In awe

Your poem MUST

1. Address a topic Whitman might write about

2. Try to copy his style and formatting
3. Assume a tone he would use (or multiple tones)
4. Be a minimum of 15 lines long

You may write one of three poems:

1. “Song of Myself” in which you write about all the things, people, places that make up who you are
2. “I Sing the Body Electric” in praise of the human body
3. “Pioneers O Pioneers!” in which you are calling for action, expansion, rebellion

Here’s how you will be graded:

Criteria 4 3 2 1
Style Student applied at Student applied two Student applied one Student did not
least three aspects of aspects of Whitman’s aspect of Whitman’s attempt to mimic
Whitman’s writing writing style in his or writing style in his or Whitman’s writing
style in his or her own her poem. her poem. style.
poem.
Content Student’s poem was Student’s poem was Student’s poem was Student’s poem was
clearly about a topic clearly about a topic about a topic Whitman not about a topic
Whitman writes about Whitman writes about. writes about, but Whitman writes about
and had a clear didn’t make much and didn’t make sense.
intended purpose. sense.
Tone Student established a Student established a Student established a Student did not
tone that Whitman tone that Whitman tone in his or her establish a tone in his
uses in his poems by uses in his poems by poem, but it was not a or her poem.
using careful word using careful word tone Whitman uses in
choice and description. choice. his poems.
Rhetorical Student used 3 Student used 2 Student used 1 Student did not use
devices different rhetorical different rhetorical rhetorical device which any rhetorical devices
(diction and devices, which devices, which contributed to the in his or her poem.
imagery do contributed to the contributed to the meaning and tone of
not count, as meaning and tone of meaning and tone of the poem.
they are given the poem. the poem.
above.)
Example:

Song of Myself

I celebrate myself, and sing myself,

And all the stars in the sky
And all the atoms in me are made of the same dust.

I loaf and invite my soul,

I lean and loaf at my ease and take in the words of a thousand before me.

My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’d from a far away soil

Born there of parents born one state over, and their parents the same
I, now twenty-six years old in change of direction,
Hoping to propel ever forward till death.

New waves of inspiration,

Changes in the wind,
I clear away for the good and bad, I permit them enter at every port,
Differences unchecked with original tongues.