Walt Whitman Song Of Myself Essay

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Whitman’s Life Spirit in “Song of Myself”
I. Introduction
American Poet, essayist, journalist and humanist Walt Whitman (1819—1892) lived in a period of transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. His poetic writing combines lyric verse and prose fiction thus created a new form of literature on which modern poetry thrives—free verse.
His masterpiece Leaves of Grass is a collection of poems that are loosely connected, and each represents Whitman’s celebration of his philosophy of life and humanity. “Song of Myself” is one of them, which fully displayed the poet’s philosophy on the subjects of life and the universe. The poem is filled with life spirit, namely, the ontological essence of the whole universe, both material and spiritual, which is in motion permanently and can be comprehended only through first-hand experience, rather than metaphysical meditation or religious worship. This essay will analyze the life spirit in Whitman’s poems by interpreting the religious mysticism of “myself” and the reevaluation of the body, and how the all-powerful “I” who serves as a narrator is demonstrated as an embodiment of God.

II. The Religious Mysticism of “Myself”
Like the Romantics and the Transcendentalists in New England, Whitman was greatly influenced by the mysticism of the East, especially Hinduism, which insists that all the things are created by some kind of mysterious force. Whitman’s idea of God is largely influenced by this mysticism.
At the first glimpse, “Song of Myself ” seems arrogant for the poet is praising himself. But after a closer examination it is not difficult to find that what the poet is praising is the Higher Self, which is the embodiment of the God and the whole uni...

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...’s reevaluation and extolling of the flesh body, it is not difficult for us to conclude that the essence of “Song of Myself” is a passionate praise for life. The poem fully expressed Whitman’s celebration of the force of life, which drives the universe to move forward. The life spirit is the key concept to summarize and outline this American poet and his poems. To display the life spirit, each “myself” must experience and encounter the world and the nature from both the physical and spiritual level. Body and sexual love deserve as much as praising as the soul. “God” is also no longer the one in a strictly Christian sense, but the universe itself driven by life spirit, the full and complete realization of each “self” in the universe. Correspondingly, the way to discover and meet “God” is to return to “myself” through embracing human nature and every aspect of life.

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