Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Challenges in understanding Whitman's song
What literary techniques does whitman uses in song of myself
Concept of self in whitman's song of myself
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Challenges in understanding Whitman's song
During the Republican State Convention on June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered an acceptance speech that would be known as both preeminent and prophetic—the House Divided speech. While this speech stands as one of Lincoln’s most famous speeches and a force that propelled his launch to presidency in 1860, the House Divided speech also serves as a historical document that is in direct dialogue with Walt Whitman’s poem, “Song of Myself” of 1855. Lincoln’s main objective in the speech is to show how the country can not continue to be half slave and half free but rather a nation where slavery is either extinct or fully accepted by all states and territories. In Lincoln’s words the nation “will become all one thing, or all the other” (Lincoln 1).The fluidity of Whitman’s “Song of Myself” connects with Lincoln’s ideology by showing through the speaker’s three personalities—Walt Whitman, Me Myself, and the Soul—that a metaphorical “house”(country) divided will fall. Whitman uses the three different personalities to show that all men are equal in a society and also that everyone has a distinct role that must be followed in order for the “house” to stand. The House Divided speech illuminates the notion of superiority necessitating a house’s standing in “Song of Myself” by showing that there must be a hierarchical system of roles in the country while the “Song of Myself” also penetrates the House Divided by showing the importance of diversity in a “house.”
Lincoln indirectly shows in the House Divided that superiority is necessary for the flourishing of a country by showing folly of a “sacred right of self-government” (2). Stephen A. Douglas, leading advocate for ‘Squatter Sovereignty,’ followed the doctrine of the Nebraska bill that s...
... middle of paper ...
...ers, ever regardful of others, Maternal as well as paternal, a child as well as a man, Stuffed with the stuff tat is coarse, and stuffed with the stuff that is fine, One of the great nation, the nation of many nations—the smallest the same and the largest the same, A southerner soon as a northerner, a panted nonchalant and hospitable. (2106.326-31)
Through the evident contradictions listed in this excerpt, Whiman displays the diversity of the country. He shows that a great nation is filled with a multitude of races and ethnicities, not just one. Whitman brings the southerners and the northerners together and briefly shows his prophetic gifts. The southerner soon becoming the northerner is Whitman saying that soon the south will take on the values of the north in abolishing slavery. He sees slavery ceasing thus leading to a “house” that stands because of no division.
The American Civil War not only proved to be the country’s deadliest war but also precipitated one of the greatest constitutional crises in the history of the United States. President Lincoln is revered by many Americans today as a man of great moral principle who was responsible for both preventing the Union’s dissolution as well as helping to trigger the movement to abolish slavery. In retrospect, modern historians find it difficult to question the legitimacy of Lincoln’s actions as President. A more precise review of President Lincoln’s actions during the Civil War, however, reveals that many, if not the majority, of his actions were far from legitimate on constitutional and legal grounds. Moreover, his true political motives reveal his
Abraham Lincoln’s original views on slavery were formed through the way he was raised and the American customs of the period. Throughout Lincoln’s influential years, slavery was a recognized and a legal institution in the United States of America. Even though Lincoln began his career by declaring that he was “anti-slavery,” he was not likely to agree to instant emancipation. However, although Lincoln did not begin as a radical anti-slavery Republican, he eventually issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves and in his last speech, even recommended extending voting to blacks. Although Lincoln’s feeling about blacks and slavery was quite constant over time, the evidence found between his debate with Stephen A. Douglas and his Gettysburg Address, proves that his political position and actions towards slavery have changed profoundly.
The late 1800’s was a watershed moment for the United States, during which time the Industrial Revolution and the desire for expansion brought about through Manifest Destiny, began to run parallel. Following the end of the Spanish-American war, the United States found itself with a wealth of new territory ceded to it from the dying Spanish empire. The issue of what to do with these new lands became a source of debate all the way up to the U.S. Congress. Men like Albert J. Beveridge, a Senator from Indiana, advocated the annexation, but not necessarily the incorporation of these new l...
James Oakes’ The Radical and the Republican narrated the relationship between two of America’s greatest leaders: Frederick Douglass, the “radical” abolitionist, and Abraham Lincoln, the “Republican” politician. He did an astonishing job of demonstrating the commonalities between the views of Douglass and Lincoln, but also their differences on their stance of anti-slavery politics and abolitionism. Despite being on the same side of the argument of slavery, Douglass and Lincoln went about their opinions separately. Lincoln held a more patient and orthodox stance on anti-slavery, while Douglass was proven to be obstinate and direct with
If one is to look at Lincoln’s speech, “A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand”, one would find Lincoln’s younger, more brash self. To start, he boldly goes to declare that, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave an...
Abraham Lincoln is a man held in high regard by most present day Americans. He 's a prominent historical figure, and always seems to be depicted as a gleaming example of a truly wonderful person. I grew up thinking of him as an extremely admirable person for his time, a savior bravely facing down the southern Democrats and Confederates while he single-handedly brought about the end of slavery. What I appreciated so much about Slavery, Race, and Conquest in the Tropics was that it easily disproved previous notions I 've had about the topic of Abraham Lincoln and the Manifest Destiny. My knowledge of these subjects before reading May 's work was vastly different than my knowledge of them now, and this response paper is about comparing and contrasting
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an 1845 autobiography by the eponymous author, is rife with conflict and contradiction. The wealth and cruelty of slave owners is contrasted with the poverty and helplessness of slaves; the ideal of freedom is set against the looming dread of its consequences; but some of the most polarizing and intense conflicts are internal and paradoxical in nature. Among these is the idea of hope, to which the slaves cling and the masters try to crush. Hope almost always carries a positive connotation, but Frederick Douglass’ narrative exposes its paradox in relation to slavery and freedom, how it was used as a tool to both help and harm.
Organization of Nebraska would require the removal of the territory's Native Americans, for Douglas regarded the Indians as savages, and saw their reservations as "barriers of barbarism." In his view, Manifest Destiny required the removal of those who stood in the way of American, Christian progress, and the Native American presen...
There are certain historical facts, which have been lost in the public memory, as certain legends have taken the place of reality. In order to fully understand what happened, it is necessary to comprehend that the Northern states were far from being uniformly the champions of equal rights that is generally indicated by popular belief. By this understanding, that is that the abandonment of African-Americans did not constitute a drastic change of moral position for many people in the North, it is easier to understand their subsequent actions in ignoring the plight of African-Americans in the South after the Reconstruction era. An example of one of these overlooked historical facts would be that there were still slaves in the nation’s capital in 1860; and, at that time, the President-elect, Abraham Lincoln, offered, “to support a constitutional amendment to insulate the institution of slavery in the slave states from federal interference. ”6....
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave details the progression of a slave to a man, and thus, the formation of his identity. The narrative functions as a persuasive essay, written in the hopes that it would successfully lead to “hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of [his] brethren in bonds” (Douglass 331). As an institution, slavery endeavored to reduce the men, women, and children “in bonds” to a state less than human. The slave identity, according to the institution of slavery, was not to be that of a rational, self forming, equal human being, but rather, a human animal whose purpose is to work and obey the whims of their “master.” For these reasons, Douglass articulates a distinction between the terms ‘man’ and ‘slaves’ under the institution of slavery. In his narrative, Douglass describes the situations and conditions that portray the differences between the two terms. Douglass also depicts the progression he makes from internalizing the slaveholder viewpoints about what his identity should be to creating an identity of his own making. Thus, Douglass’ narrative depicts not simply a search for freedom, but also a search for himself through the abandonment of the slave/animal identity forced upon him by the institution of slavery.
Roark, J.L., Johnson, M.P., Cohen, P.C., Stage, S., Lawson, A., Hartmann, S.M. (2009). The american promise: A history of the united states (4th ed.), The New West and Free North 1840-1860, The slave south, 1820-1860, The house divided 1846-1861 (Vol. 1, pp. 279-354).
(A critique of Walt Whitman’s themes and ideas in Song of Myself 6, 46, 47)
When Abraham Lincoln spoke at his inauguration on March 1861, the nation’s mood was grim. It was a frigid day and the sky was grey. Even worse, nobody knew how the newly-elected President, a novice lawyer, would handle the nation’s biggest problem since its inception: Southern secession. The U.S., and its grandeur and resplendence were at stake and were now reduced to nothing more than the preposterous “Disunited States of America.” Americans were in a state of perplexity, and one question remained etched in the minds of Americans: “Did the South have a legal right to secede from the Union?” No, the South did not have a legal right to secede from the Union, due to the longevity of the Union, the solidarity between the states, and the menacing implications secession entails.
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.
Whitman states, “The past and present wilt—I have fill'd them, emptied them. /And proceed to fill my next fold of the future” (51.1309-1310) The lines are quite personal, he provides a reason for humoring himself and other people in general political correctness, tolerance, how the diversity and experiences mark you. Whitman further states, “Do I contradict myself? / Very well then I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes)” (51.1314-1316). He re-emphasizes the idea of the reader continuing the story, hoping it is not too late to heal and embrace the diversity surrounding you to touch it and be touched by it. He eludes to finding the balance between two ideas, this compromise and the pursuit of understanding happiness is made up of not only your dreams but all that have come before you. The last stanza section 52 just as he began the novel he starts with the character Its persona Me and the all-inclusive, yet elusive you. You referring to intimate friends, strangers, sometimes single other times plural