Hello everyone

I am Mumtaz Ahmad, and Welcome to my presentation

 Topic : “For You O Democracy”

by

Walt
Whitman
Contents:
 About the Author/ Poet
 Influenced by
 Whitman’s Philosophy
 Text of the Poem
 Significance of the Title
 Structure of the Poem
 Summary of the poem
 Explanation
 Literary Devices
 Conclusion
 About the Author / Poet:

 Born : May 31, 1819, West Hills, New York, United States
 Died : March 26, 1892, Camden, New Jersey, United States

 Occupation : Poet , essayist , journalist

 Famouse Work: Leaves of Grass (Collection of Poems) first published in 1855

 Influenced By: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sir Walter Scott, William Shakespeare,
Frances Wright, Homer, Oscar Wild ,
Abraham Lincoln etc…

 Walt Whitman is considered one of the most influential poets in the history of
American poetry , and he i considered the national poet of America.
Continued:
 He is often called the father of “Free Verse”. It doesn’t mean that he
introduced free verse, but he did the most in free verse in English Poetry as
Hamza Baba did for Ghazal in Pashto Poetry.
 ‫ستا پہ اننگو کے د حمزہ د وینو سرہ دی‬
‫ زہ دے باباکڑم‬،‫تہ شوے د پختو غزلہ زوان‬
 Whitman was the representative poet of his age.
 Used common themes for his own poetry, and he is known as poet of the
common people.
 Whitman’s first principle about poetry;
“poetry
above all else must be true to life”. It means that he was deeply mimetic, realistic
commitment. Rhythms and forms, content, language, all must be drawn from life.
 Famous Quotes about Whitman:

 "You cannot really understand America without Walt Whitman,

without Leaves of Grass... He has expressed that civilization, 'up to date,' as
he would say, and no student of the philosophy of history can do without
him.”

( Mery Berenson)
 "America's poet... He is America.“

( Ezra Pound )
 Whitman’s Philosophy:
 He incorporated both transcendentalism and realism.

Transcendentalism :
A philosophical movement began in 19th century in New England.
Transcendentalism was emerged/ extended from :

1) Humanism: ( Movement began in Renaissance )

Humanism is the faith that human beings can live
happily without religion. It values the welfare of human beings more than
religious beliefs.
 Theocentrism

2) Nobal Savage ( French philosopher Rousseau)

 Continued:

Transcendentalists :
They believed that society and its institution particularly
organized religion and political parties , which corrupt the purity of the individual .
They have faith that people are at their best when they truly self-relaint , and
independent of religious institution , political parties , and close to the nature.
Realism:
A philosophy posits that the external objects and physical world exist
independently of human perception or thought , asserting their objective reality.
In contrast;

Idealism:
Posits that reality is fundamentally a product of mind.
 Text of the Poem:
Come, I will make the continent indissoluble,
I will make the most splendid race the sun ever shone upon,
I will make divine magnetic lands,
With the love of comrades,
With the life-long love of comrades.

I will plant companionship thick as trees along all the rivers of America,
and along the shores of the great lakes, and all over the prairies,
I will make inseparable cities with their arms about each other’s necks,
By the love of comrades,
By the manly love of comrades.

For you these from me, O Democracy, to serve you ma femme!

For you, for you I am trilling these songs.
 Significance of the Title:

 Democracy in the sense of Civics:

“A
system of government by the whole population.”
OR
“ Government by the People.”
 Democracy Meaning in the Poem:
“
Here in the poem Whitman used the term Democracy for Freedom.”
 Whitman Gives the idea of freedom and a land for it which will be
endless, indestrauctable, for each and every individual and collectively
regardless of any background.
 Structure of the Poem:

 ‘For You O Democracy’ is written in free verse and comprises three

stanzas; the first two are five lines long, while the last one is a couplet.
The last two lines of each quintet are also indented and use repetition —
which resembles the refrains of a song.
 Summary of the poem:
 At the very beginning of the poem, the poet gives praise to democracy and
promises to create for it a land and country worthy of serving it.
 They plan on making the land indestructible, populating it with a magnificent
race of people who will be united by a “life-long love of comrades.”
 Further the speaker plans to plant “companionship” as one would plant trees,
fostering their growth throughout the American landscape. This bond will also
extend to the cities, which will remain closely connected, much like a line of
people standing side-by-side, linking their arms around one another.
 Again, the speaker assures that brotherly love is crucial to such a vision.
 At the end of the poem the speaker directly addressing, “Democracy…ma
femme!” ( The phrase, which in French means “my wife,” implies the
existence of a romantic and devoted relationship between the two. )
Revealing that it is for them, they sing songs of democratic and liberating
passion.
 Explanation:

 "For You, O Democracy" is a poem by American poet Walt Whitman. It is part

of his collection "Leaves of Grass."
 In this poem, Whitman celebrates democracy as a powerful and liberating
force. He personifies democracy as a divine and all-encompassing presence
that includes everyone, regardless of their background or status. Whitman's
poem praise enthusiastically the virtues of equality, freedom, and the
potential for individuals to contribute to the greater good in a democratic
society. It is a passionate and optimistic ode to the democratic ideals that
Whitman held dear.
 Literary Devices:

 Visual Imagery: The poem relies on a variety of visual depictions, as when the
speaker asserts they will create a “continent indissoluble” (1). Other examples
include the images of trees and cities that comprise Whitman’s use of
figurative language.
 Metaphor: Whitman refers to the country as being a “divine magnetic [land]”
(3) in order to convey its lofty and powerful nature. Another example comes
when the speaker states they are “trilling these songs” (11) for democracy’s
sake, the poet’s words being compared to a piece of music.
 Personification: when human traits are given to non-human things, such as
when the speaker describes the “inseparable cities with their arms about each
other’s necks” (7) or refers to “Democracy, to serve you ma femme!” (10).
 Simile: a comparison that uses “like” or “as” to bridge itself, as when the
speaker claims to “plant companionship thick as trees along all the rivers of
America” (6).
Thank Your for Attention

The End