Underline 3 Words That Were New to You Or You Didn T Know the Definition Of

This is from the preface (introduction) to Walt Whitman’s famous collection of poems Leaves of Grass.

Other states indicate themselves in their deputies … but the genius of the United

States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges or churches or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors … but always most in the common people. Their manners, speech, dress, friendship—the freshness and candor of their physiognomy—the picturesque looseness of their carriage

… their deathless attachment to freedom—their aversion to anything indecorous or soft or mean—the practical acknowledgment of the citizens of one state by the citizens of all other states—the fierceness of their roused resentment—their curiosity and welcome of novelty—their self-esteem and wonderful sympathy—their susceptibility to a slight—the air they have of persons who never knew how it felt to stand in the presence of superiors—the fluency of their speech—their delight in music, the sure symptom of manly tenderness and native elegance of soul … their good temper and open handedness—the terrible significance of their elections—the President’s taking off his hat to them, not they to him—these too are unrhymed poetry. It awaits the gigantic and generous treatment worthy of it.

Underline 3 words that were new to you or you didn’t know the definition of.

What is a question you have about this passage?

______Read it again. This time with breaks and bullet points added to help you see his list.

Other states indicate themselves in their deputies … but the genius of the United States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges or churches or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors … but always most in the common people.

 Their manners, speech, dress, friendship

 the freshness and candor of their physiognomy

 the picturesque looseness of their carriage

 their deathless attachment to freedom

 their aversion to anything indecorous or soft or mean

 the practical acknowledgment of the citizens of one state by the citizens of all other

states

 the fierceness of their roused resentment

 their curiosity and welcome of novelty

 their self-esteem and wonderful sympathy

 the air they have of persons who never knew how it felt to stand in the presence of

superiors

 the fluency of their speech

 their delight in music

 the sure symptom of manly tenderness and native elegance of soul

 their good temper and open handedness

 the terrible significance of their elections

 the President’s taking off his hat to them, not they to him these too are unrhymed poetry. It awaits the gigantic and generous treatment worthy of it. 1. Choose one of Whitman’s descriptions of the common people of America,

which he says are the genius of America. Your chosen description should be

one that you feel has evidence given America’s past or present.

2. Write a response that argues why this description is true using evidence

from America’s past or present.

For example, if Whitman had said, “America is great for their deep love of ice cream.”

You would find evidence that shows America does, in fact, love ice cream. You could use statistics, a historical event, a current issue in the news, or your own personal experiences.