1. Show how Whitman's boyhood on a farm on Long Island introduces him to the natural world. What other experiences in his life contribute to this interest?

2. Discuss Whitman's relationship to his immediate family. How do actions and decisions of other family members influence his work?

3. Whitman admires many people. Examine his attitude toward Abraham Lincoln, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Elias Hicks.

4. How does Whitman use the sea in his poetry?

5. What images of the city occur in Whitman's poetry?

6. What kind of a picture of America does Whitman develop from his travels throughout the United States?

7. Examine Whitman's career as a journalist. What effect does this career have on his poetic style?