Whitman's friend, Richard Maurice Bucke, reported that he had heard Whitman read "Mystic Trumpeter" "in a manner which singularly combined strong emphasis with the very realization of self-composure, simplicity and ease," further noting that "his voice is firm, magnetic, and with a certain peculiar quality we heard an admiring auditor call unaffectedness." (15) The poetics of naturalness that Bucke posits here--one that is without affectation but powerfully affective--is a sign of the times, as Whitman proposes to bring oratory in line with intimate conversation, to insist on the centrality of passionate speech as embodied in delivery to the project of persuasion and the communication of moral truths.

Similarly, self-esteem may mean arrogance, or a groundless confidence, or a charming and puppyish unaffectedness. Self-esteem may be a mask, the guise of a defensive maneuver to hide insecurity; it may be a sort of barometer, constantly measuring self-versus-the world.

Attempting to adopt the unaffectedness of a fictional detective, Gaylord nevertheless remains emotionally defeated.

The Arcadian theme was wholly appropriate to Pelham; not only to his sudden, unexpected death at the height of his career, but equally to the admired facets of his character--his sincerity and integrity, his common sense, his humility and unaffectedness, his calm restraint that kept the peace.

While I find his differences delightful, we must be prepared to deal with the fact that highly socialized 'normals' tend not to share our appreciation for such transparency, innocence, and unaffectedness.

The apparent simplicity and unaffectedness of the forms might lend itself to the vagaries of Portugal's relatively unsophisticated construction industry, but that is not to say that this is uncomplicated architecture.

As a playground leader and aspiring teacher, I love children and admire their innocence and unaffectedness. A movie was playing in a small theater, in which a father was telling a story about his son.