I love digital humanities.

Let’s check out some digital research tools to help us unpack “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” by Walt Whitman.

  1. Read the Poem “Crossing the Brooklyn Ferry”

2. Search for “Brooklyn Ferry” in the New York Public Library’s Digital Collections. What images are most helpful to you in understanding the poem? Which images do you want to investigate further?

3. Check out Dr. Jesse Merandy’s multimedia version of “Crossing the Brooklyn Ferry.” Are there any lines here that Dr. Merandy did not digitize that you wish you could learn more about? What kinds of pictures, facts, information or definitions would you link to this poem? Can you think of any other projects you would make? How else could you play with and “open up” this poem?

Extra Credit/Further Study:

Dr. Merandy created an interactive mobile device Walt Whitman game!

There is also a cool Whitman mapping project by students from the University of Maryland.