Walt Whitman is one of the most famous poets in American history. He redefined poetry, and created a uniquely "American" voice. I believe that he changed the world of poetry not for better but for worse. Whitman ventured away from traditional rhyming and rhythmic poetry to a style that would eventually become what we know as free verse. He striped his poems of what I think truly makes a poem a poem. Answering Emerson's call, Whitman wrote explicitly on many controversial topics (e.g. sex, Communism, homosexuality, and war).
One of his longer poems "Song of Myself" (its 1345 lines) is one of the most selfish and immoral works I have ever read. Whitman was clearly a Godless man who had no problem celebrating immorality. Reading his poetry for literature class has not been an enjoyable experience, and I would not recommend him to anyone.
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