Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” was a fascinating read. As I read the first 15 sections I felt that Whitman was creating poetic snapshots. Each small section paints a picture of Whitman’s views on humanity, and they all give an amazing glimpse into American life during the mid 19th century. Throughout the various poems Whitman touches on topics such as slavery, interracial marriage between Native American and white settlers, the human soul, and even the never-ending cycle of life.
The reading guide discusses the differences between Whitman and Emerson’s views on individuality versus group mentality. It also mentions that Emerson later praised Whitman for his poetic work. I can certainly understand this. I think Whitman was able to find a balance between being an individual and also being part of a bigger picture. He praised both equally, and made me feel as if being and individual and being part of a larger group were equally important. It seemed to me that Whitman had an “all men are created equal” point of view. I believe this really comes out in the 10th section, but is also prevalent throughout the work.
I also found the 10th section interesting because it allowed me to make a connection to an American Indian Studies class I took at UNC-Pembroke. In the class we learned that interracial marriages between fur trappers and Native American women were very common. In some cases trappers used these marriages to exploit native people, but other times they worked to the advantage of the Native American women. In some cases these women became very successful. Ozhaguscodaywayquay was one of these women. She even continued to manage her husband’s company after his death.
Section 15 was my favorite poem to read. Each line painted a different picture of some portion of America during Whitman’s time. It pulls all of the previous 14 sections into a neat conclusion as Whitman tells us that all of these things are what makes him who he is. In line 329 he states “And of these one and all I weave the song of myself.”
Serenity, i agree about section 15 is a really good part of the read. When i was first reading it i had a hard time with it like all of the other parts. but sitting in class today it really helped see everyone's point of view
ReplyDeleteThanks Keith. Class helped me a lot too. I think I got a lot of the deeper meaning out of it.
ReplyDeleteAfter Class-
ReplyDeleteIt really helped me to learn that poets often simply write what comes out of their minds. This helped me question less about the exact meaning behind Whitman's writing, and focus more on the beauty of his words. I did not realize before class what a bold statement Whitman was making by writing this poem. It is so interesting to me how things have changed. I read Whitman's work, and thought "wow I really enjoyed that" but people in the 1850's probably had a much different reaction.