Talk:Walt Whitman

Room 222 Walt Whitman High School

Could somebody please add under “Film and Television” that the TV show “Room 222” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_222) was set in Walt Whitman High School? 2607:FEA8:3F00:3B:3484:FC76:341F:8BE1 (talk) 00:21, 11 June 2022 (UTC)

Sounds very trivial; two steps removed from the main subject of this article. See WP:CRUFT. --Midnightdreary (talk) 11:27, 11 June 2022 (UTC)

I was just going to make the same request. And it's NOT 'two steps removed from the main subject'. It demonstrates how iconic Whitman is as a consensus heroic figure in American education. If some local actual high school is named after him in New Jersey, fine. But this is national television, a century after he's dead, seeking to state an ideal for American education, and landing on Walt Whitman. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:182:E82:4BC0:B9:8F8A:635B:FDE6 (talk) 22:08, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

Some TV writer admired Whitman. Big deal. Utterly trivial unless you've got a scholarly critical source on 1970s pop culture specifically explaining that this choice reflects the importance of Whitman's place in popular perception. EEng 14:18, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

There are currently no sources for the high school being named "Walt Whitman High School". Plot sections do not require sourcing, so it's fine to mention it in the "Room 222" article, but we're not talking about a Plot section here so a reliable secondary source would be needed. Marcus Markup (talk) 22:39, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

The premise of this point is weak: That showing Whitman's legacy is reliant on a trivial connection from a TV show. The article clearly demonstrates Whitman's lasting importance and impact already. --Midnightdreary (talk) 14:01, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

Unprotection?

Yesterday, someone made a really bad unprotection request for this article at WP:RFPP. I rejected it out of hand. Then, I came to look and noticed that this page was semi-protected indefinitely 11 years ago. Courcelles, the admin who protected the page back then, isn't presently active. If any regular editors/watchers of this page are okay with it, I'll test out unprotection for this page. – Muboshgu (talk) 15:49, 6 August 2022 (UTC)

We can try it and I'll be watching, as I'm sure others will be too. --Midnightdreary (talk) 23:09, 6 August 2022 (UTC)

Unprotected Let's try it out. – Muboshgu (talk) 22:04, 7 August 2022 (UTC)

Was Whitman present at John Brown's execution?

One article (Virginia v. John Brown#Spectators) says he was present, and another (John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry) that he was not. I'm hoping someone knows or can easily find out which is right. deisenbe (talk) 13:02, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

I would expect to see it in A Whitman Chronology if he was, in fact, there, and it is not. Same with this article. He describes the execution in the poem "Year of Meteors" , but has been known to present famous events as if he was there, even if he was not. Eddie891 ^Talk _Work 13:37, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

"The speaker of Whitman’s poem imagines himself present at Brown’s hanging" holds the implication that Whitman was not actually there. Eddie891 ^Talk _Work 13:49, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

Reorganization of article

Hello! I wanted to see if we can come to consensus on the recent reorganization of the article. Previously, it had been written chronologically, as are most of the articles I've seen on authors. Now, it seems like several sections (i.e. components of his beliefs, etc.) are spliced. To me, it looks like the subsection on "Health decline and death" will be about his beliefs regarding declining health and death. Additionally, the article is guilty of overlinking -- Camden, New Jersey is apparently now linked six times. More importantly, I think for such a substantive reorganization of an article that has been recognized as a Good Article, we should have some conversation to come to consensus. Any thoughts? --Midnightdreary (talk) 23:55, 26 March 2023 (UTC)

I also see this editor misrepresented the editor Samuel E. Clements as Mark Twain, though they are certainly not the same person. These edits are suspect to me now. --Midnightdreary (talk) 13:41, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

I think the original organization makes more sense, especially about the movement of 'health decline and death' (ie it should be moved back) Eddie891 ^Talk _Work 14:10, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

Brooklyn Apprentices' Library

Just created an article on this library. Whitman witnessed Lafayette place the cornerstone to the library when he was six years old and later wrote about it 60 years later in "Lafayette in Brooklyn". (see article) He also later worked as a librarian at that library.4meter4 (talk) 15:54, 22 August 2023 (UTC)