from Walt Whitman: A Life

This passage from Justin Kaplan’s biography addresses Ralph Waldo Emerson’s response to Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Write a letter to Kaplan in which you give your overall impression of Emerson’s letter and the effect of Emerson’s opinion on Whitman’s book. Think about Whitman’s reasons for publishing Emerson’s letter and give your opinion on the appropriateness of Whitman’s having done that. Cite evidence from the biography as well as from what you know of Whitman’s life and his poetry to support your views.