The Identities in Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” Whitman wrote the poem “Song of Myself” in 1855, but his arguments are still heard today. In Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself,” he expresses his opinions about the world, the nature and the individuals of human being. He believes that people should have equal rights and there should not be a line of color that determines people’s rights. Whitman states that women and men shall be equal. He believes that truth is unspeakable and people are connected to the universe. Whitman not only just identifies his self as a representative of the people; he also identifies other different things in the universe, which includes women, death, religion, and the democracy in the society.
From the poem, it shows that Whitman is well educated by the scientific theories. In Whitman’s opinion, the universe dynamic and ever-changing, which new ideas and thoughts will be produced as the world changes (Trecker 11) and there is “always the procreant urge of the world” (Whitman 45). As Whitman says that he represents the whole human race and the voices of men and animals speak through him, he states himself is a “kosmos”. The self contains more than soul and body, it consists of goodness and badness, all the live forms, and it is deathless (Whitman 401-415). He is the universe, and he accepts all forms of lives. Besides that, he can also hear from the universe. “I heard what was said of the universe, heard it and heard it of several thousand years” (Whitman 1023-1024). He is as old as the universe and with that time he heard the universe. Whitman states that “Prodigal, you have given me love—therefore I to you give love! O unspeakable passionate love” (446-447). He thanks Earth for giving love to him and he will give his love to the Earth in return. Whitman argues that if the first step is the awareness of self, the next step is expanding self to a larger scale. According to Whitman’s point of view, the universe exists in every object at every moment (Kepner 148). Man can obtain description about the universe though scientific works and the beauties of nature (kepner 148). The purpose of the statement is allowing man to be aware of his self identity and explore the structure of universe though his life (Kepner 148). Man shall release his self and merge it to the universe. Though out this process, one can have better knowledge about his role in the universe (Kepner 148). He argues that “There was never may more inception than there is now, Nor any more youth or age than there is now, Mad will never be any more perfection than there is now”(31-33).
Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." The Norton Anthology of American Literature.. Gen. ed. Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: Norton, 2012. 24-67. Print.
Whitman’s beliefs on human equality are most commonly viewed in his writings, such as Leaves of Grass. His display does not stop there though, he also broadcasted it through his everyday life. Through these outlets he expressed his belief that humans, despite their race, gender and sexuality, were all equal and valuable to the society.
Whitman, Walt. Song of Myself. Dover Thrift ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2001. Print.
The Heath Anthology of American Literature repeatedly refers to Walt Whitman and his poetry in terms of being American, yet as I read Song of Myself, my thoughts are continually drawn to the philosophies and religions of the Far East. Like the Tao Te Ching ideas are expressed in enigmatic verse and each stanza is a Zen koan waiting to be meditated on and puzzled out. Even Emerson called Whitman's poetry "a remarkable mixture of the Bhagvat Gita and the New York Herald" ("The Whitman Project"). Song of Myself contains multitudes of passages that express Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist thought.
Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is a vision of the American spirit, a vision of Whitman himself. It is his cry for democracy, giving each of us a voice through his poetry. Each of us has a voice and desires, and this is Whitman's representation of our voices, the voice of America. America, the great melting pot, was founded for freedom and democracy, and this poem is his way of re-instilling these lost American ideals. In this passage from "Song of Myself" Whitman speaks through his fellow man and speaks for his fellow man when his voice is not socially acceptable to be heard.
"Why should I pray? Why should I venerate and be ceremonious?……I find no sweeter fat than sticks to my own bones." (pg 40)Nature and all of her wondrous facets, especially the human body, was Whitman's religion. Walt Whitman was indeed an intensely spiritual man in his own unconventional way. His epic classic "Song of Myself" demonstrates these attitudes of his, and in his view how the proverbial "poet" of his America should believe. Humanity yearns for spiritual fulfillment and Whitman believed that everything around us and even ourselves were walking testaments to what true ethereal life is.
Every sentence in Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" tends to either repeat or contradict. He even says of himself, "I contradict myself" (Lauter, p. 2793). This can make Whitman's poetry a little confusing to some. In his many stanzas, definition of the soul is ambiguous and somewhat contradictory.
In “Song of Myself”, he talks about many things including death. He begins by asking, “What do you think has become of the young and old men…[and] women and children?” (Whitman). He implies that death happens to everyone, but goes on to say that, “they are alive and well somewhere, /the smallest sprout shows there is really no death” (Whitman). He believes that the soul lives forever and people do not ever fully leave because they can be found in nature. It is a circle of life, everyone is connected and “all goes onward and outward, nothing collapses” (Whitman). The soul is not altered by death and the body becomes one with the earth after death. He continues to insist that death is not to be feared because it is almost an adventure, saying, “to die is different from what anyone supposed, and luckier” (Whitman). Because people are not fully contained in their bodies, they live on. Most people do not know that the soul is immortal, and that causes fear of death. Whitman affirms the idea that death does not exist because the soul lives
In stanza six of the poem "Song of Myself", by Walt Whitman, he poses the question "What is the grass?" I believe that grass is a metaphor for the cycle of life. Throughout the poem Whitman points out images that grass could represent. All of these images stem from the life and death that we come to expect in our lifetime. During your life you will experience death, it at times surrounds you, but if you look past the grief and look to the beauty you will see that it is a cycle that keeps our world in balance. The images of flags, tears, children and older people that are torn from the ones they love, but only to soon return to other lost ones are all parts of Walt Whitman's poem.
Whitman's radical ideas of individualism have a great deal to do with his Quaker background. The Quaker religion is one in which the authority was Inner Light. "Whitman himself was not only personally familiar with, but deeply impressed by, a religion whose only authority was the Inner Light" (Canoy 481). The Inner Light is a special influence, which made Whitman's poetry unique. This certain influence did such things as guide Whitman down his soul searching path as well as help him define within himself the characteristics of an individual. In section fifteen of "Song of Myself," Whitman discusses people from every class and every profession. He goes on to say "the young fellow drives the express-wagon... love him though I do not know him;" (2753). ...
The poem has set a certain theme and tone but no definite rhyme. In this poem, the poet explores into a thought of the self, the all-encompassing "I," sexuality, democracy, the human body, and what it means to live in the modern world. He addresses that the human body is sacred and every individual human is divine. Hence, Whitman was known for writing poems about individualism, democracy, nature, and war.
While the poem can be termed to be democratic, both in subject matter and its language, Whitman is viewed to be cataloging the ‘new’ America that he is seeing around him. The poem includes subject matter such as relationships, patriotism, heroes, family and ancestors, and a view on social commentaries too.
...e final line in this section (6) Whitman says, “And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.” This line suggests a similar concept that both Stevens’ and Dickinson’s poems imply, that we never really know what death is and yet we still fear it. However, Whitman goes further to say that these fears are unnecessary because there is no end in life, it is just a rebirth into another life and for all we know, an even better one, a concept that Sylvia Plath strives for in her poem as well. “Song of Myself” is written in free verse, which gives no restraints or limits on his writing, similar to his concept of life and death and how there should be no limitations because life will always continue. There are no rhymes, no common line pattern, and no noticeable rhythm, which create a calming tone, which parallels Whitman’s placid view of death.
Although Whitman uses a great deal of structural ways to stress his ideas, he also uses many other ways of delivering his ideas. First of all, Whitman portrays himself as a public spokesman of the masses. The tone of the poem is a very loud, informative tone that grabs ones attention. The emphasis placed on the word “all” adds to the characterization of Whitman as a powerful speaker. Furthermore, Whitman takes part in his own poem. Participating in his own poem, Whitman moreover illustrates the connection between everything in life. Lastly, Whitman, most of all, celebrates universal brotherhood and democracy.
Our lives will eventually lead to an eternity...and it is crucial that we take the time to evaluate our soul's future as well as its current status. Whitman clearly emphasizes the importance of looking at life as a whole and not just the moment. Through a biographical narrative of parts of his own life, urges us look at where we've been and all we've been through...look at all those who have impacted our life and realize the big picture.