Lowell was elected the poet of the class of  and, as was tradition, was asked to recite an original poem on Class Day, the day before Commencement on July 17, Instead, his poem was printed and made available thanks to subscriptions paid by his classmates.
Literature represents much of the very best of humanity's writings, and it is not by any accident that, after bestsellers and sensationalized books have faded from memory, literature continues to thrive and remain intensely relevant to contemporary human conditions.
Literature's stories and texts survive the fires of time. This is why for Lowell and whitman essay and centuries - long after their authors have gone silent - the writings of Dante, Shakespeare, and Austen, among so many other vital voices, will continue to captivate readers and comment upon life.
Literature has innumerable qualities and purposes and can open doors to unique situations and worlds which are never wholly removed from our own. Literature introduces us to memorable characters who often have something in common with us or people we know, and those portraits and portrayals can speak directly to the many questions and challenges we individually or collectively face today.
Through literature we can discover new meanings, locate and begin to cross bridges between seemingly distant or dissimilar persons, places, things, and thoughts.
Literature remains relevant and essential because it relates as it conveys and carries us beyond ourselves and our world - metaphorically and literally - so that we might experience fresh perspectives, receive challenges to our knowledge and sensibilities, reach new understandings, perhaps even attain wisdom, through such things as poetry, plays, novels, short stories, memoirs, and all the other literary forms.
Through literature we have such amazing opportunities to rediscover ourselves, our world, a universe of thought, feeling, and insights waiting to be revealed anew to - and through each of us - and all because of a few well-chosen words which can speak volumes and clearly across languages, cultures, entire generations, and well beyond most boundaries.
In reading and interpreting literature we help to keep it alive, thriving, pertinent, personally interpretive and interesting. In doing this, we renew its promise, participating in it, influencing it in small or major ways, and ultimately help to preserve it for those readers yet to follow and recommence this most incredible journey of endless perceptions and revelations.
To be continued - by you To continue reading about the wonders and benefits of literature, consider one or more of these titles in the library system catalog:19th Century America. Updated July 30, JUMP TO.. Primary Documents - Timelines - Maps, - From Jefferson to the coming of the Civil War, Manifest Destiny & the Wild West, Industrial Revolution, Women's Rights, Inventions & Railroad History, The Gilded Age, Spanish-American War & Imperialism, The Progressive Era - Populism, Various Misc.
Topics. THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE An Encyclopedia in Eighteen Volumes INDEX TO CHAPTERS. Essay Express! Examples of essays and research papers on many topics:: Observation and Participation in Lowell and Whitman .
Walt Whitman, in full Walter Whitman, (born May 31, , West Hills, Long Island, New York, U.S.—died March 26, , Camden, New Jersey), American poet, journalist, and essayist whose verse collection Leaves of Grass, first published in , is a landmark in the history of American literature.
American Literature. A Comparison between James Lowell's "Lowell" and Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" James Russell Lowell and Walt Whitman are both American poets who have contributed to the emergence of American Literature.
Famous Poets and Poems is a free poetry site. We have a large collection of poems and quotes from over poets. Read and Enjoy Poetry.