Walt Whitman – Poetic RealistWalt Whitman, one of the great American poets of the 19th and 20th centuries, was inspired to pursue his passion and talent for writing by what some would call a call to action, from the writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson, known in his day as an "American Transcendentalist" writer, called the poets of the mid-1800s to action with his essay titled: "The Poet." The fact that Walt Whitman, considered a realist poet, was partly inspired by this transcendentalist perfectly illustrates the constant progression of literary styles of this era. It seems that through his poetry, Whitman wanted to go further than what was traditionally done. He successfully entered into realism, perhaps without readers even realizing at first that he was in part the pioneer of a new literary movement. To understand how Whitman moved to realism, one must first understand transcendentalism. The Sanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines Transcendentalism as: "...an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early 19th century...acting with a sense that a new era was at hand...criticism of their contemporary society for its unthinking conformity, and has urged each person to find, in Emerson's words, "an original relationship with the universe..." This makes clear that not only was Emerson calling the next generation of writers to action, but he was demanding more deep from its readers. Whitman evolves this transcendentalist style into his own form, later defined as realism, by calling his readers into a deeper stream of thought and then connecting his own deeper thoughts to the reader and the world around him. Whitman also expresses a realistic mentality on issues that are normal...... middle of paper...... not just for the sake of poetry, but to describe his life and world. Works Cited • Baym, Nina & Levine, Robert. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 8th Edition, Volume 2.” New York/London: WW Norton & Company 2013. Print• Whitman, Walt. “Song of Myself.” Excerpted from: Norton Anthology of American Literature. 2013. Print: pages 24-66 • Whitman, Walt. “The Groomer.” Excerpted from: Norton Anthology of American Literature, 2013. Print: Pages 71-73• Whitman, Walt. “When the lilacs last in the yard, they bloom.” Excerpted from: Norton Anthology of American Literature, 2013. Print: Pages 73-78• “Transcendentalism” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy website, April 10, 2014 www.plato.sanford.edu/entries/transcendentalism/• “Ralph Waldo Emerson. 2014. The Biography.com website. April 10, 2014 http://www.biography.com/people/ralph-waldo-emerson-9287153.