Analyzing a Photograph of Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, near the town of Huntington on Long Island, New York. At age 11, he was apprenticed to a law clerk and discovered the wonder of books. He later worked as a printer, journalist, teacher, and carpenter before finding his voice as a poet.
During the Civil War, Whitman traveled to Washington, DC, to see his brother, George, who had been wounded. He stayed in Washington, DC, and worked as a general aid and nurse in Army hospitals. Whitman later took a position in the Federal Government where he continued to work for many years. Whitman was deeply shocked by the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, which inspired his poems “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” and “O Captain! My Captain!”
Look closely at this photograph of Walt Whitman taken during the 1860s. Observe the details and answer the questions below.
