Loyola University Chicago

Loyola eCommons Master's Theses

Theses and Dissertations

1943

Whitman and Sandburg Irene Kuzminski Loyola University Chicago

Recommended Citation Kuzminski, Irene, "Whitman and Sandburg" (1943). Master's Theses. Paper 643. http://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/643

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1943 Irene Kuzminski

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Yv1IITMAN AND SANDBTJ.JJ.G

by Irene Kuzminski

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of .Arts in Loyola University

1943

•' FOREWORD TO MISS KUZMINSKI'S THESIS

NOTE BY EXA.i\1Di'ER

"''

In the typing of this thesis, propei indention of run-over lines in the inserted quotations of poetry was not observed.

As a consequence, it is not readily apparent

(especially in free-verse examples) where a line of verse, as written by the poet in his own text, begins and ends. The reader of this thesis is accordingly advised not to copy or use the poetry quotations given here without verifying then in the texts of Whitman and Sandburg, references to Which are given in the accompanying footnotes.

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December 15, 1943

... Introduction The purpose

o~

this thesis is to make a comparison of the

..;

poets Wh1 tman and Sandburg in regard to the similar! t7 of qualities in their prose and poetry and the forces that were instrumental in producing these

qualit~s.

First,the outstanding

incidents in their lives will be considered in order to explain the likenesses

o~

their works

art.

o~

their characters and the resulting effects on

A comparative study of the economic and social aspects

o~

their respective eras will reveal a similarity of purpose and attitude in the warks of both poets. After a thorough consideration of these external influences, the dominant themes, espec1all7 democracy and human1t.,, will be..... explained and illustrated by citing corresponding examples from the prose and poetry of the two poets. In add1 tion, the sim1lari ey of the s t7le, form, and language of the two writers will be analyzed, conclusi vel7 proving that Sandburg is the only contemporary poet, who consistently expresses, more than any other modern poet, the older poet's ideas and conceptions of a native, American style and diction. After a summarization of the above factors governing the poets' lives and works, the differentiating characteristics will be enumerated and exemplified.

In conclusion, their contribution

to American culture and their positions in American literature

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will be discussed with a view toward the future growth and development of native poetry.

•• Contents chapter I

....

Introduction; the historical, econo~c, and social backgrounds of Wh1 tman' s and Sandburg's eras as they influenced their experience and thought; a comparison of their lives; the effect on the character and quality of their works. _., Page 1-14 Chapter II A comparative evaluation of the works of the writers in literary values and aesthetic attributes; the importance of their contributions to American literature; an estimate of the position and relationships held by the two authors among American writers. Page 15-24 Chapter III A study of the basic principles underlying their prose and poetry; the outstanding elements of h1~n1ty, democracy and Americanism in themr, the differences of approach to these themes. Page 25-60 Chapter IV A comparison of the technical qualities and aspects in the poetry of Whitman and Sandburg; their metres and fol'JU; irregularities of language and grammar; peculiar verbal expressions;_ etc. Page 61-90

Chapter V

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A summary of the similar! ties found in the prose and poetry of the writers; enumeration of their opposing trait&J possible influences of their works as a basis for future American literature. Page 91-103

CHAPTER I

During the thirties and forties when Leaves £! Grass (1855) .....

was being shaped in Whitman's mind, great changes, economic, social,and psychological,were evolving in the everyday life of America.

Large increases in populatiot and the growth of indus-

trialism,due to the invention of the machine, were instrumental in transforming communities that were primarily agricultural, into rapidly growing cities replete with countless factories and business firms.

The construction of the transcontinental

railroad and the increased use of lakes, rivers,and canals helped to develop the spreading nationalism of the nation. Politically, the new period had its beginning in 1828 1 when the rough westerner Andrew Jackson replaced the cultured ,,.. presidents of the preceding era and succeeded in common people into power.

~ringing

the

In one generation, from 1830 to 1870,

the country had changed from a provincial English colony into a young nation with a decided native character of strong individualism and a new and freer democracy.

Traditional conventions

were being disregarded and a new "unlimited democracy"l was rising.

Noticeable historic events that influenced this trans-

formation are as follows: the settlement of the West, the 1 vernon Farrington, First Century of American Literature

p.44l

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2

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california gold rush of 1849, the ••