Dangerous assertion that Whitman was Bisexual

http://www.grossmont.edu/karl.sherlock/English231/ExerciseWhitmanandMelville.html

This strikes me as the sort of careless, breezy accusation that destroys reputations. Whitman as bisexual!!! I write as the first person to anthologize Whitman's "Live Oak, with Moss" as a Gay Manifesto. How can you redeem Whitman's reputation after such an accusation as contained in this "exercise"?

 

 

English 231:  American Literature I

Exercise:  Walt Whitman and

Herman Melville

PART I

Step 1:

Divide yourselves into two "factions":  those who prefer Herman Melville over Walt Whitman, and those

who prefer Walt Whitman over Herman Melville.  Break the factions into two groups (four groups total),

and form circles with these groups.

Step 2:

Take a minute to close your eyes and imagine yourself as your group's preferred poet.

A.

If you are Walt Whitman, picture yourself lying on the ground out in nature,

under the skies, embracing someone beside you, woman or man. (Whitman

was bisexual.)

B.

If you are Herman Melville, picture yourself in your favorite chair

and your memories of a woman or man you might have loved.

(Melville was also bisexual.)

Step 3:

Each student should take out a loose leaf sheet of paper (must be loose, not in your

notebook), put his or her name (not the poet's name) at the top, and compose the first line

of a poem about death in the style of the poet your group prefers.

Step 4:

Pass your sheet of paper to the person on your left, and write the next line of the poem.  Continue this

process until everyone has finished everyone's poems, and the person who began the poem has it back

in their hands.

Step 5:

Share the results by reading them aloud, and select one of the poems from your group that best

represents the style, themes, motives, and spirit of the poet in whose style it is written.  Be ready to share

it with the class and defend its content and style choices.

PART II

Step 1:

Take ten minutes to revise the poem you started, but convert it into a poem that could have been written

by the other poet.  (If you preferred Melville, revise your poem in the style of Whitman, and vice versa.)

Step 2:

Share the poem with your group, and select one poem that is the most successful in its translation.  Be

prepared to share this with the class and defend your selection by pointing to actual poetry--page and

line numbers--by Whitman or Melville for support and illustration.  (The author may read his or her poem

aloud to the class, or choose someone in the group to do this.)

Instructor:  Karl J. Sherlock

Grossmont College • 8800 Grossmont College Drive • El Cajon, CA 92020 • 619-644-7000