Films for the Humanities and Sciences - Walt Whitman: Sweet Bird of Freedom

Walt Whitman: Sweet Bird of Freedom

The essence of Whitman’s literary philosophy is distilled in this delightful dramatic monologue. We visit the elderly Whitman, portrayed by Dallas McKennon, in his Camden, New Jersey, home, where he talks about his personality, family history, and strong affinity to the common man. We learn about the frustrations he has endured as a poet, and of his disappointing relationships with his publishers, editors, and contemporary Ralph Waldo Emerson. He reminisces about his youth in New York, his wanderings throughout the United States, and his time spent as a nurse during the Civil War. A dramatic reading of "O Captain! My Captain!" pays homage to Abraham Lincoln. Portions of poems from Leaves of Grass are interwoven throughout. (29 minutes)

Tell a Friend!

Your Name:
Your Email:
Your Friend's Email:
Your Message:
We respect your privacy and will not use your friend's address without permission.

Item#: BVL6862
Copyright date: ©1991
VHS ISBN 978-0-7365-1783-6
DVD ISBN 978-1-4213-7346-1


VHS	$149.95
DVD	$149.95

Prices include public performance rights.

Related Titles

Arthur Miller and The Crucible

In the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy set up the Un-American Activities Committee to combat the growing "threat" of communism in the U.S. Playwright Arthur Miller was one of many writers summoned to testify at this political witch-hunt. Miller, who w...(more details)

VHS	$99.95
DVD	$99.95
DVD + 3-Year Streaming	$149.93
3-Year Streaming	$99.95

William Faulkner

This beautiful and exceptionally insightful documentary offers a critical key to understanding one of America's foremost writers. The face Faulkner in his lifetime showed the world was no more than a fictional construct, or a series of contradictory ...(more details)

VHS	$169.95
DVD	$169.95
DVD + 3-Year Streaming	$254.93
3-Year Streaming	$169.95

Thoreau's Walden

A re-creation of the two-year period (1845-1847) during which Thoreau lived alone in a cabin at Walden Pond, savoring the fruits of solitary communion with Nature while bemoaning the lot of the mass of men who lead lives of quiet desperation. The vis...(more details)

VHS	$99.95
DVD	$99.95
DVD + 3-Year Streaming	$149.93
3-Year Streaming	$99.95

Mark Twain: Huckleberry Finn

One of the cornerstones of Americana, Huckleberry Finn has come under fire because of the language in which the runaway slave Jim is addressed. This program provides an excellent introduction to the book, examining the background against which it was...(more details)

VHS	$99.95
DVD	$99.95
DVD + 3-Year Streaming	$149.93
3-Year Streaming	$99.95

Nathaniel Hawthorne

For many, The Scarlet Letter represents the pinnacle of 19th-century literature. In this program, three leading Hawthorne scholars use the novel and several Hawthorne short stories to explore issues of interpretation and literary analysis. Each work ...(more details)

VHS	$169.95
DVD	$169.95
DVD + 3-Year Streaming	$254.93
3-Year Streaming	$169.95

See additional titles in American Literature