Introduction to the Epic Poem Format

Introduce the Epic Poem format as rendered through Whitman and Crane. Epic poetry is, in a sense, the writing, or chronicling, of history through the eyes of a poet.

1. Have students read the poem, Song of Myself, by Walt Whitman.
2. Discuss how Whitman's style captures the spirit of a maturing and confident nation in the 1850s; also discuss how he provides detailed historical data for New York City prior to the Civil War as he painstakingly records shop names, advertisements, and other ephemera.
3. Have students read the poem, The Bridge, by Hart Crane.
4. Compare Crane's style to Walt Whitman's, discussing how it reflects the 1920s, another transformative era. Also discuss his use of the relevant past and the focus upon the Brooklyn Bridge as a unifying metaphor of the age.
5. Discuss how these models bracket the selected time period and offer numerous stylistic examples for student experimentation.
6. Review the Epic Poem Project. Remind students that they are to create an epic poem about a current theme in 1900 America.