"Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" by American poet Walt Whitman is one of his most complex and successfully integrated poems. Whitman used several new techniques in the poem. One is the use of images like bird, boy, sea. The influence of music is also seen in opera form. Some critics have taken the poem to be an elegy mourning the death of someone dear to him. The basic theme of the poem is the relationship between suffering and art. It shows how a boy matures into a poet through his experience of love and death. Art is a sublimation of frustrations and death is a release from the stress and strains caused by such frustrations. The language is similar to "There Was a Child Went Forth".
The poem features a young boy walking on the beach who finds two mockingbirds nesting and watches them. The female bird fails to appear one day, and the male bird cries out for her. The bird's cries create an awakening in the boy who translates what the male is saying in the rest of the poem. As this happens, the boy recognizes the impact of nature on the human soul and his own burgeoning consciousness.[1]
Publication historyedit
Title page of the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass, which included "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking"
Originally titled "A Child's Reminiscence", the poem was first published in the Saturday Press on December 24, 1859.[2] The newspaper included this introduction: "Our readers may, if they choose, consider as our Christmas or New Year's present to them, the curious warble by Walt Whitman".[3]
The poem was later included in the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass[4] under the title "A Word Out of the Sea" (and occasionally erroneously referred to, even by Whitman himself, as "A Voice Out of the Sea").[5] "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" is found in the title section, Sea-Drift. Several of Whitman's individuals poems, including "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking", focus on the seashore; his first was "A Sketch".[6]
Analysis and responseedit
Upon its first publication, a reviewer for the Cincinnati newspaper Daily Commercial called the poem "unmixed and hopeless drivel" and a disgrace to its publisher.[3] Shortly after, on January 7, 1860, the Saturday Press published a response to that review titled "All About a Mocking-Bird", celebrating Whitman's poem.[7] This article may have been written by Whitman himself.[3][7]
Referencesedit
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
^Genoways, Ted. Walt Whitman and the Civil War: America's Poet During the Lost Years of 1860–1862. University of California Press, 2009: 19. ISBN978-0-520-25906-5
^ abcKaplan, Justin. Walt Whitman: A Life. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1980: 241. ISBN0-671-22542-1
^Traubel, Horace; Schmidgall, Gary (2001). Intimate with Walt: selections from Walt Whitman's conversations with Horace Traubel, 1888-1892. University of Iowa Press. p. 29. ISBN9780877457671.
^Loving, Jerome. Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself. University of California Press, 1999: 84. ISBN0-520-22687-9
^ abLoving, Jerome. Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself. University of California Press, 1999: 237. ISBN0-520-22687-9
April 15, 2024
cradle, endlessly, rocking, american, poet, walt, whitman, most, complex, successfully, integrated, poems, whitman, used, several, techniques, poem, images, like, bird, influence, music, also, seen, opera, form, some, critics, have, taken, poem, elegy, mournin. Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking by American poet Walt Whitman is one of his most complex and successfully integrated poems Whitman used several new techniques in the poem One is the use of images like bird boy sea The influence of music is also seen in opera form Some critics have taken the poem to be an elegy mourning the death of someone dear to him The basic theme of the poem is the relationship between suffering and art It shows how a boy matures into a poet through his experience of love and death Art is a sublimation of frustrations and death is a release from the stress and strains caused by such frustrations The language is similar to There Was a Child Went Forth Contents 1 Overview 2 Publication history 3 Analysis and response 4 ReferencesOverview editThe poem features a young boy walking on the beach who finds two mockingbirds nesting and watches them The female bird fails to appear one day and the male bird cries out for her The bird s cries create an awakening in the boy who translates what the male is saying in the rest of the poem As this happens the boy recognizes the impact of nature on the human soul and his own burgeoning consciousness 1 Publication history edit nbsp Title page of the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass which included Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking Originally titled A Child s Reminiscence the poem was first published in the Saturday Press on December 24 1859 2 The newspaper included this introduction Our readers may if they choose consider as our Christmas or New Year s present to them the curious warble by Walt Whitman 3 The poem was later included in the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass 4 under the title A Word Out of the Sea and occasionally erroneously referred to even by Whitman himself as A Voice Out of the Sea 5 Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking is found in the title section Sea Drift Several of Whitman s individuals poems including Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking focus on the seashore his first was A Sketch 6 Analysis and response editUpon its first publication a reviewer for the Cincinnati newspaper Daily Commercial called the poem unmixed and hopeless drivel and a disgrace to its publisher 3 Shortly after on January 7 1860 the Saturday Press published a response to that review titled All About a Mocking Bird celebrating Whitman s poem 7 This article may have been written by Whitman himself 3 7 References edit nbsp Wikisource has original text related to this article Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking Bauerlein Mark The Walt Whitman Archive http www whitmanarchive org criticism current encyclopedia entry 43 html Genoways Ted Walt Whitman and the Civil War America s Poet During the Lost Years of 1860 1862 University of California Press 2009 19 ISBN 978 0 520 25906 5 a b c Kaplan Justin Walt Whitman A Life New York Simon and Schuster 1980 241 ISBN 0 671 22542 1 Walt Whitman Archive Traubel Horace Schmidgall Gary 2001 Intimate with Walt selections from Walt Whitman s conversations with Horace Traubel 1888 1892 University of Iowa Press p 29 ISBN 9780877457671 Loving Jerome Walt Whitman The Song of Himself University of California Press 1999 84 ISBN 0 520 22687 9 a b Loving Jerome Walt Whitman The Song of Himself University of California Press 1999 237 ISBN 0 520 22687 9 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking amp oldid 1218310684, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
