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Walt whitman a song of analysis
Identity in Song of Myself Walt Whitman - 1819-1892
Walt Whitman and individualism
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Different views of “Self” in Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” and Emily Dickinson’s “I heard a Fly buzz when I died”
One very important topic that major American authors Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson incorporated into their writing was the idea of the “self” or “self-identity”. Both Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson were prolific major American poets and many of the topics they chose to write about involved aspects of transcendentalism. Though Whitman and Dickinson wrote about some of the same topics, they did not share the same meanings, especially with the description of “self”. Published in 1855 within a poetry collection called Leaves of Grass, “Song of Myself” gives a look into how Walt Whitman felt about self-identity. Whitman uses a first person narrator to describe the “self” as the celebration of the individual through personal exploration and gaining personal experience. In Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I heard a Fly buzz when I died” published in 1896 as part of Poems by Emily Dickinson (third series), she alludes that the key to identifying the “self” is sight.
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Walt Whitman used free verse in “Song of Myself” in order to connect with the common man and his American readers. In this first person narrative, Whitman deconstructs the “self” into many different sections that all are a part of the celebration of the individual. Some of the topics he breaks the “self” into are self- identity, and human exploration (including the human body and sexuality). In the poem, Whitman uses a speaker to exclaim that for individuals to grow they must discover themselves spiritually, physically, and mentally. The speaker in the poem
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, Walt. “Song of Myself.” 1855 ed. Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” Edwin Haviland Miller. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1989. 9-11.
Walt Whitman is a highly talented writer of poetry that showcases both transcendentalism and realism. In his two writings, “I Hear America Singing” and “Song Of Myself”, He shows examples of both examples of writing. In the first poem I read by him “I hear America Singing” He talks about the middle class workers and how they contribute. In the end of this poem, the line says “Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else”. This line shows how materialistic the poem is and proves even further that it is realism.
Walt Whitman’s Understanding of Himself and his Philosophy About Life in “from Song of Myself” and “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”
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.
Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself' is, on the most basic descriptive level, a really long poem. Whitman is clearly a poet with a lot to say, or at least with a lot of different ways to say it. He meanders from the micro to the macro, from atoms to the whole earth. There are obviously myriad ways to explain what the poem is about, and myriad 'keys' to its true meaning. In what became Section 6 of the final edition (lines 90-121 of the 1855 edition ) Whitman himself addresses this sort of 'meta-question' of interpretation. By doing so in one of the quieter, more straightforward sections of the poem, Whitman invites us to use the section as one such 'key.' In Section 6, Whitman lays out a (possible) microcosm of 'Song of Myself' and gives a very kind prompt that here is a place where befuddled readers can ease their way into the poem.
1. Walt Whitman’s Section 9 of Songs of Myself is one of the shortest sections of the 52 section poem. There are only three others that are similar in length. In this section, we transition from the hustle and bustle of the urban city to the rural countryside. Whitman focuses on the economy and beauty in the nature world while maintaining the clear lens of a child. The section takes us on a hayride and reminisces about jumping off the wagon to explore and celebrate the “clover and timothy” during childhood; a happy time so different from the demands of the industrialized city outlined in section 8.
In the poem "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman he unifies the country during a chaos and the United States was extremely divided. He unifies the people by portraying the persona of multitudes and claims that he is omnipresent when he says “Maternal as well as paternal, a child as well as a man” (16, Line 13) because he is identifying himself as everyone. This is an American ideal that resonates with many because Unification is an ideal present in the pledge and the term United is even recognizable in the name of this country. Walt precedes the poem and presents a theme of equality for all, which is an important aspect of what it means to be an American. This ideal can be found in the American constitution when it states “all men are equal” and
Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg are often referred to as two of the greatest and most influential American poets. There are many stylistic similarities in both of their lives and their work. Whitman’s modern beliefs are voiced in Song of Myself (1855) as a naturally flowing free-verse poem. Whitman’s life and work resonated with Allen Ginsberg in the Twentieth Century, and Ginsberg published his contemporary voice in the grittier Howl (1956). Due to Whitman’s inspiration of Ginsberg, it is plain to see the similarities between the form and scope of these two poems; the similarities also frame a clear juxtaposition of the separate 19th and 20th centuries.
The third passage, excerpted from Walt Whitman's Song of Myself, demonstrates Whitman's willingness to represent those from usually neglected peoples, such as prostitutes, sickly persons, and slaves. He is their voice of portrayal. He is the one who will reveal the true nature of these people and the circumstances they've been forcefully thrown into. He isn't afraid to speak for them towards those who are ignorant and uncaring. He will be truthful but painfully candid, as well, as shown by how he'll "keep as delicate around the bowels as around the head and heart." He does not find indecencies more vulgar than death itself. On the contrary, he sees them as normal occurrences in life, further emphasizing how he won't back down from educating
In the poem of Song of Myself the author describes his lifestyle.In this story the author tells you about his journey and what he does.With this he says that he likes grass that it is everything to him because of its freedom that it is everywhere.Another way someone can find their place in society is by adjusting to everything that is going on around them and being able to deal with what is happening.The poem Song of Myself is talking about the fresh air freedom and only loving himself.
In the poem “Song of Myself” from the book Leaves of Grass, poet Walt Whitman believes the individual should be self-reliant and independent from society. This poem, being written in response to slavery and the fight for equal rights. Whitman illustrates, “not I, not anyone else, can travel that road for you/ you must travel it for yourself.” (II. 80-81) This depicting his thought as an individual having the need to be self-sufficient. This proving, Whitman’s thought that the individual needs to find life answers on his own; he believes the individual must find his/her purpose guided by the events of life. Whitman delineates, “you must habit yourself to the dazzle of life and every moment of your life.” (II. 100) Whitman believes each one
Although Whitman's and Dickinson's poetry contained many similarities through ideas of transcendentalism, the contents of their writings are what separates them from one another. Many of Whitman's writings included the subject of nationalism. Through nationalism, Whitman have written some of his works portraying himself as everyone in America. In one of his Poem, Song of Myself, whitman stated that he is not different than everyone else, and everyone else is just like him as well. “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” (Whitman). Whitman stated in this line that each and everyone are the same, that everybody in this country should be classified with the same identity and nothing more. By providing nationalism in his works,
Walt Whitman proved his worth to society over time. He“rejected traditions of poetic scansion and elevated diction”, while using what we now call today free verse (Franklin et al. 1005). He strived to show the true potential of the individual by disregarding the normal rules of poetry, implementing his own vocabulary and writing about the true, natural beauty of objects in the world. Whitman transformed the poetry world by incorporating the idea of the “living, breathing, and sexual body” into his work (1005). Many critics believed