Tsz Wai Wong AMS 1A (Spring 2015) Journal 12 What are the visions of “sexuality” and “American” that Whitman tries to present from the poem? The attempt to pin down Walt Whitman's most famous poem, “Song of Myself”, and isolate the elements of sexuality and what it means to be "American" does a great disservice to the transcendental and ambitious work. A key way to understand the work is reconciling a mix of Americanism and transcendentalism; the work is simultaneously universal and American. The poem is a piece of praise to Whitman's own identity, and the way he perceives the relationship of the individual self and the greater, unified self of the universe. These ideas resonate with other transcendentalists such as Margaret Fuller and Ralph Emerson. …show more content…
It can be described as a metaphor or hint for the mystical union of the individual self with the greater and almost "cosmic" of the poem. Although Whitman explicitly described organs, motions, and even body fluids in the context of sex, he often employed euphemisms. Ejaculation and semen has been replaced by words like "jetting" and "father-stuff". In a sense, the elements of homoeroticism and homosexuality in the poem convey a consistent sense of inclusivity. Whitman has long lamented the distorted relationship between the sexes in the morally restrictive era of the middle 19th century. Touching on the subject of sexuality serves two main purposes: it is an intended provocation of the prudish Victorian lifestyle of the time, and a relatable analogy for the masses in order to understand the deeper concept of
Many women from around the world live day to day under the shadow of gender roles. While their spouses are away at their jobs, the women are expected to cook, clean, and take care of their kids, all before the husband gets home from work. From A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Nana is a single housewife who birthed and raised her only daughter Mariam by herself, while doing daily house chores, taking care of her medical conditions, and battling depression. While Mariam was approaching her early preteens, Nana suddenly decided she had endured enough pressure and hung herself. On the whole, the events leading up to Nana’s death proves a desperate act of suicide.
Many banned books from the 19th century discussed sexuality or contained sexual content. Kimberly M. Radek, an English instructor at Illinois Valley Community College, has written articles on sexuality, specifically that of women’s, in the 1800s. “Marriage was seen as the only proper locale for moderate sex” (Radek). During this era, sexuality was generally viewed as scandalous. People did not commonly speak about sexual activities outside of their home. “… public discussion of sexual matters was characterised by absence of plain speaking, with consequent ignorance, embarrassment and fear” (Marsh). Those who spoke about sexual topics publicly were looked down upon. To have such things printed in literature was considered profane and indecent. The French novel Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, released in 1856, is an example of a commonly banned novel from the 19th century. The book was consi...
American poetry, unlike other nations’ poetry, is still in the nascent stage because of the absence of a history in comparison to other nations’ poetry humming with matured voices. Nevertheless, in the past century, American poetry has received the recognition it deserves from the creative poetic compositions of Walt Whitman, who has been called “the father of American poetry.” His dynamic style and uncommon content is well exhibited in his famous poem “Song of Myself,” giving a direction to the American writers of posterity. In addition, his distinct use of the line and breath has had a huge impression on the compositions of a number of poets, especially on the works of the present-day poet Allen Ginsberg, whose debatable poem “Howl” reverberates with the traits of Whitman’s poetry. Nevertheless, while the form and content of “Howl” may have been impressed by “Song of Myself,” Ginsberg’s poem expresses a change from Whitman’s use of the line, his first-person recital, and his vision of America. As Whitman’s seamless lines are open-ended, speaking the voice of a universal speaker presenting a positive outlook of America, Ginsberg’s poem, on the contrary, uses long lines that end inward to present the uneasiness and madness that feature the vision of America that Ginsberg exhibits through the voice of a prophetic speaker.
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.
Walt Whitman will forever live in the minds of individuals as one of America’s greatest poets. People in America and all over the world continue to read and treasure his poetry. He was an original thinker, contributing new modern styles to poetry. He was unafraid of controversy and uninhibited by what others may think of him. He created his own path in poetry, as he describes himself in an anonymous review of his poetry: "But there exists no book or fragment of a book which can have given the hint to them" (Whitman). His poetry was not inspired or affected by those who wrote before him; according to him, his poetry came entirely from "beautiful blood and a beautiful brain" (Whitman). His emphasis on originality, paradoxically, displays how Emerson, a fellow nonconformist, influenced him by stressing the importance of originality and the ability to think without being aided by other people’s words of wisdom. However, while Emerson influenced Whitman, Whitman also affected Emerson’s thoughts, as the two were friends who respected each other’s minds. Another member of this group of nonconformist friends is Thoreau, a fellow transcendentalist (Baym 2078).
The homosexual themes displayed in Walt Whitman’s works, especially in his most famous collection of poems Leaves of Grass, raise the question of his own sexuality. Many of his poems depicted affection and sexuality in a simple, personal manner, causing nineteenth century Americans to view them as pornographic and obscene. Based on this poetry, Whitman is usually assumed to be homosexual, or at least bisexual. However, this assumption does not account for major influences of his writing such as the shift from transcendentalism to realism and the American Civil War. After considering these factors, it can be concluded that Whitman’s poems were not intended to set apart a few homosexual men, but to bring all men and women together. Walt Whitman’s poems of spiritual love and physical togetherness of both genders emphasized exalted friendships and are indicative of his omnisexuality, or lack of a complete sexual preference, rather than his alleged homosexuality.
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.
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.
In section 13 of the poem, Song of Myself, Walt Whitman seeks to form an equal relationship between two races that, at the time, were considered very different, African Americans and Caucasians. By removing binary distinctions and moving from concrete particulars to universal ideas, he elevates African Americans and allows them to stand on the same, equal, ground as Caucasians. This allow him to further the notion of himself as an equalizer. In the first stanza of section 13, Whitman describes an African American man with descriptors that wouldn’t usually be associated with someone of his race.
I Contain Multitudes: The Life and Work of Walt Whitman After its first publication in 1855, a notable friend of author Ralph Waldo Emerson described Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass as being “trashy, profane & obscene,” and derided the volume’s author as “a pretentious ass, without decency” (Kaplan 211). Equally harsh criticism came en masse from other platforms, as well, with The Saturday Press reportedly encouraging Whitman to take his life (Loving). Such pointed and vicious criticism beggars belief when one considers the high regard “The Good Gray Poet” is held in today -- however, in his time, his frank exploration of life, the body, sex, nature, and more was highly controversial and divisive.
Walking The Fine Line of “disgracefull” Throughout his writing of “Song of Myself”, Walt Whitman focuses on creating a new standard for social progression. Going against the flow instead of with it, this is Whitman’s belief throughout his life. During his writing career, Walt Whitman focuses on creating a new standard for writing while pushing the limits with what is socially acceptable. In “Song of Myself”, he brings up obscene subjects such as sex and democracy to challenge other writers to write about the same topics. The belief of many people is that writers and poets are people that are proper, writing only about nature and non-debatable topics.
In his passages from “Song of Myself,” Whitman shows his romantic tendencies, with his writing focusing mostly on his love of nature, life, and death. An example of this is in passage six from “Song of Myself.” Whitman writes: “They are alive and well somewhere, / The smallest sprout shows there is really no death, / And if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait at the end to arrest it, / And ceased the moment life appeared.
As the poem progresses, it becomes apparent that Whitman is trying to prove to readers that he encompasses the voices of many. And through him we shall see our thoughts reflected in the poems. This idea is bolstered by Whitman’s depiction of the “self,” in which it is represented as “me, myself, and I” in “Song of Myself.” Whitman repeatedly portrays the “self” as everything and everyone, which I believe is his intent to strengthen his claim that the world is interconnected. If this is the case, then we can say that Whitman does care very much the effect his words have on readers, especially since he is trying to do the mighty task of building his image as a poet of the new age.