Walt Whitman: poet of the people
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- Walt Whitman: poet of the people
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Walt Whitman: poet of the people
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[post_content] => Practice Passage (Question 1-6)
*This passage is the property of Khan Academy and has been reformatted into an AAMC-style interface in their entirety by MedLife Mastery. MedLife Mastery does not endorse and is not an affiliate of Khan Academy.
The first publication of Leaves of Grass by now famous poet, Walt Whitman, was a failure. People like to believe that they can recognize excellence when they see it; but the fact remains that they cannot and will not, unless it assumes a familiar form. It is quite simple for university professors and literary critics to praise Whitman and his book today; it was impossible for them to do so in 1860.
The first quality in the book to repel readers was the verse form; in the poetry of Whitman there was no apparent pattern. His poems seemed to be prose passages cut up and arranged to look like verse. After the academic critics accepted Whitman, many learned justifications were put forward concerning his verse. One professor argued that in rejecting the rhythm of the line (the usual rhythm in conventional verse) for the rhythm of the phrase (the rhythm of natural speech), Whitman was simply following a good American custom of ignoring verse patterns as the eye sees them and following the sound as the ear hears it. Another maintained that Whitman consciously combined rhythmic features of prose and conventional verse in order to evolve a new form. A number have expended considerable energy trying to show that assonance, alliteration, and parallelism (features found in much conventional poetry) are not missing from Whitman’s verse. But all hasten to argue that the verse form in Leaves of Grass is not as unorthodox as it appears.
The second quality in the book to repel readers was the obvious confusion shown by Whitman between nature and art. All great poetry from the golden age of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides to the middle of the nineteenth century is marked by careful discrimination between raw nature and art. Aristotle laid down the principle that “the most beautiful colors, laid on confusedly will not give so much pleasure as the chalk outline of a portrait; Longinus said that “Nature fills the place of good fortune, Art that of good judgement,” and that too many images “make for confusion rather than intensity”; and Demetrius wrote that “not all possible points should be punctiliously and tediously elaborated, but some should be left for the comprehension and inference of the hearer.” The great ancient critics, apparently, believed that the primary function of the artist was to select from nature certain details which would be representative, vivid, and coherent, and which could be architectonically organized. The artist had to differentiate sharply between nature (whether it was human or physical) and art which was the representation of nature, organized and processed into a coherent art form.
But Whitman made no such fine differentiation. Whitman believed the poet is merely “the channel of thoughts and things without increase or diminution.” The “absurd error” of considering nature and art as distinct was never made by Whitman. As a result, Leaves of Grass was definitely something new in the literary world, for it was an attempt to reproduce life precisely as the poet saw it, with no effort made to select material or organize it.
The third quality in Leaves of Grass to repel readers was the intense individualism of the poet. Of all arts, poetry is one of the most egoistic. The world accepts the fact, for no one questions Shakespeare’s bland assertion that as long as his verse lives his mistress will live. “I celebrate myself, and sing myself,” Whitman wrote in Song of Myself; and from that theme he rarely departed. No poet has used the personal pronoun I as frequently as has Whitman.
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[questions] => Array
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[question] => In the discussion of the first unsuccessful publication of Leaves of Grass, which of the following is NOT mentioned as a reason for the book’s initial failure?
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[answer] => 3
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
The passage states in paragraph 2 that the first thing to “repel readers was the verse form” so structure is mentioned as a reason for the book’s failure (option 1). Paragraph 3 talks about Whitman’s own poetic interpretation of nature, which suggests that his style of natural imagery was another reason for the book’s failure (option 2). Additionally, the passage states that “intense individualism” (option 4) was another element of Whitman’s poems that readers disliked. The article never mentions the content being offensive (option 3).
Option 3 is correct.
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[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. lack of structure
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. Imagery
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. offensive content
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. Egoism
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[1] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3873426850
[question] => Information in the passage suggests that Whitman’s poetry in Leaves of Grass was most likely characterized by:
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 2
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
There is nothing in the passage to suggest that Whitman’s poems would have overly simplistic language (option 4). Paragraph 5 does mention Whitman’s “intense individualism” (option 1) as a feature of his poems, but in a sense of self-celebration rather than political autonomy. The structure discussed in paragraph 2 has to do with verse structure, rather than grammatical structure (option 3). Paragraphs 3 and 4 indicate that Whitman wrote about nature, and that his poems were less coherent and organized than people were used to (option 2).
Option 2 is correct.
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[each_answer] => A. themes of individual political autonomy.
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[each_answer] => B. jumbled and disordered natural imagery.
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[each_answer] => C. unusual grammatical structure.
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[each_answer] => D. overly simplistic language.
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[question] => Which of the following assertions is NOT consistent with ideas in the passage?
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
Paragraphs 1 and 2 directly address the fact that Leaves of Grass was a failure only when it was first published (option 1). In paragraph 1, the author writes that people cannot recognize excellence “unless it assumes a familiar form,” and in paragraph 2 the author explains how Whitman’s poetry lacked the patterned verses that were so typical of poetry before “Leaves of Grass” was published. The author explains in paragraph 2 that Whitman’s poems were unusual because they had “no apparent pattern” and that his poems “seemed to be prose passages cut up and arranged to look like verse.” Thus, prose poems were not as common, since they were considered unusual (option 2). In paragraph 4, the author explains that Whitman made no effort to “select material and organize it” in his poems about nature, and that people were more used to poetry that selected “from nature certain details which would be representative, vivid, and coherent, and which could be architectonically organized.” Whitman’s poetry was therefore considered less coherent than what people were used to (option 3). The passage author never argues that the belief that great poetry always portrays nature exactly as it appears was common (option 4). If anything the passage implies that readers at the time held a view consistent with the great ancients, as it suggests that Whitman’s mirroring of nature repelled readers.
Option 4 is correct.
)
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. Leaves of Grass eventually became a highly regarded book of poems.
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. Prose poems were uncommon when Leaves of Grass was published.
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[each_answer] => C. Whitman’s poetry was less coherent than people were used to.
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[each_answer] => D. It was a common belief that poetry should always mirror nature exactly as it appears.
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[question] => Suppose a new artist emerged whose work was loved by some critics and hated by others. Which potential explanation for the different attitudes about this artist is the author most likely to agree with?
“The critics who praise this new artist …”
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 3
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Beyond the Text” question, which means that it wants you to either apply or extrapolate the ideas in the passage to new situations or to assess how new information would impact the ideas presented in the passage. It is important to understand the assumptions underlying the article, and how new information may or may not shift the central thesis.
The author writes in paragraph 2 about how academics did not start to recognize Whitman’s work as poetry until much later. The author’s main thesis is that “people like to believe that they can recognize excellence when they see it; but the fact remains that they cannot and will not, unless it assumes a familiar form.” This implies that a new artist’s work will be received more positively by those who are already familiar with other works of a similar style (option 3). The author does not say anything to imply that modern acceptance of Whitman is due to greater open-mindedness (option 1) or awareness of art history (option 2), or being less analytical (option 4).
Option 3 is correct.
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. “are more open minded about new things.”
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. “are more aware of artists like Whitman who were initially rejected.”
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[each_answer] => C. “have been exposed to work similar to the new artist’s work.”
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[each_answer] => D. “are less analytical and intellectual.”
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3143847772
[question] => The author’s central argument suggests that the primary reason people initially do not recognize art, that eventually becomes famous, as being good is that:
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
The author’s mentioning of academia in paragraph 2 is not used to argue that academia is always behind (option 1), but to illustrate how academics have more recently analyzed Whitman’s poetry structure. While it is true that paragraph 5 mentions individualism as one reason why Whitman’s poetry was initially rejected (option 2), no argument is made that art should be for the collective good. The author does not assert that Leaves of Grass was poorly written (option 3), only that it was rejected by society when it was initially published. The passage author states, as a general matter, in paragraphs 1 and 2 that people do not like art that is unfamiliar (option 4). The passage then goes on to explain why Leaves of Grass was unfamiliar at the time of first publication- the verse structure, the individualism, and the incoherent natural imagery.
Option 4 is correct.
)
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. academia is invariably several decades behind the development of culture.
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[each_answer] => B. art is meant for the collective good, and is less appealing when overly individualistic.
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[each_answer] => C. Leaves of Grass was poorly written, when compared to most classical poetry.
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[each_answer] => D. people are less likely to appreciate art that is less familiar.
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3143847772
[question] => The author quotes the views of other critics in order to support which claim about Whitman’s poetry?
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 1
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Within the Text” question. These items generally ask you to think about the author’s reasoning, such as what claim an author is trying to support with a piece of evidence, what assumption underlies a specific statement, or whether an argument is flawed.
While the author mentions patterned verse (option 2), and public repudiation (option 4) in the passage as real factors in the initial failure of Leaves of Grass, the author does not support these ideas with quotes from critics. Including too much detail and failing to selectively choose what aspects of natural imagery to include in his art (option 1), is supported by numerous quotations by ancient philosophers and poets in paragraph 3. The critique is that Whitman’s work was too reflective of nature and thus not art, which is almost the opposite of distorting nature (option 3).
Option 1 is correct.
)
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[each_answer] => A. that the imagery was too inclusive
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[each_answer] => B. that it lacked patterned verse
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[each_answer] => C. that it distorted nature
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[each_answer] => D. that it was publicly repudiated
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