The Calamity of Calamus

Introduction
Walt Whitman is famed as the first American poet. His use of free style has been praised by many and seen as very American. Walt Whitman's career as a poet was criticized in two different ways. He is either seen as a genius for his style, or he is seen as repulsive because of his homosexuality and the way he expresses it in his poems. One of his most criticized works was his 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass. The Calamus section in particular caused the most controversy because of its explicit nature. Calamus was seen as bold, as well as an insult to society.
Live Oak, with Moss = Calamus
Originally Walt Whitman wrote some of the poems in Calamus under the title of Live Oak, with Moss (Miller 130). He later revised and edited these poems due to their explicit content and his unwillingness to be that open. (Sex, Politics, and "Live Oak with Moss").
Fredson Bowers is credited with discovering "Live Oak, with Moss". He had found that Whitman......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: The Calamity Of Calamus
Approximate Word Count: 1872
Approximate Pages: 8 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on The Calamity Of Calamus, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!