Reading John Greenleaf Whittier, the "Abolitionist Poet"

Way back in high school (that’s way, way back), I always liked the poet John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892). I think it may have been more because of his middle name (it sounds vaguely Hobbit-ish) than any connection I made with his poetry. It also may have been a result of my English teachers defining 19^th century poetry as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Emily Dickinson. 

Whittier is known, now as well as when he was alive, as the “Abolitionist Poet.” His poetry included subjects and themes far beyond slavery, but it was those poems which made his reputation when he was alive. He lived a long life – almost 85 years. He saw his abolitionist sentiments become legal reality after a long, bitter, and destructive Civil War. He never married and had no family; he also outlived most of his friends and contemporaries. 

To continue reading, please see my post at Tweetspeak Poetry.