Assignment:
Post a 150 to 300 word close reading of "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" Responses should consider the poem's formal elements as well as its content.
1. What five adjectives would you use to describe Whitman's style, poetic technique, and/or worldview?
2. What are three philosophical, theoretical, cultural, or political concepts that Whitman seems to admire or endorse? (e.g. "fraternity")
3. Copy and paste or type out two to four lines of Whitman's poetry below. Add a few annotations to them, making note of techniques, themes, or arguments. (e.g. "This image recurs several times in the poem," or "This line speaks to a larger theme about knowledge versus experience").
4. Formulate a sentence that ties Whitman's poetic praxis to the conceptual arguments he makes or to the worldview he develops (e.g. "Through his persistent use of ____________, Whitman poetically suggests that _____________________," or "Whitman deploys _________________ with the effect of __________________").