Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Walt Whitman
Katja
ENGL 48B
Journal #1, Whitman
9 January, 2007
"Leaves of Grass [Song of Myself]"
(Walt Whitman)
Walt Whitman, champion of the intimate aspects of humanity, hints at the greater scope of his most famous poem in its title. Whitman combines some Emersonian pathos, some eastern-influenced navel-gazing and some American brawn to create a new form of poetry.
The title's subtitle, "Song of Myself," tells the reader to expect a celebration of the Self; indeed a very modern and American sentiment. The "myself" becomes the reader's Self (empty signifier, anyone?) as the poem unfolds its layers. Whitman's poem is on the whole positive and accepting; a merciful stance towards all that is human, whether pretty or not. "Leaves of Grass" allows the reader to indulge in some self-promotion, something one can never have enough of.
Whitman shows how Man and Nature are interwoven and interdependent; a beautiful example of the kind of symbiosis hailed by Emerson and other Transcendentalists. The "leaves of grass" that are instrumental to the poem can be thought of as parts of a greater whole, regardless of whether that whole refers to one single indiviual or all of Mankind. In nature, the repetition of leaf upon leaf creates a perfect grassy expanse time and time again, but in detail every blade is a unique individualist, crucial to the finished product. Man is similarly recreated time and time again, year after year, generation after generation in order to form a powerful race, but each one holds considerable individual value and beauty.
The poet calls upon each of us to not lose ourselves in our roles as cogs in the machine, but to look inward to reap rewards unique to Mankind. This, according to Whitman, unlocks the magic of the Human Experience.
ENGL 48B
Journal #1, Whitman
9 January, 2007
"Leaves of Grass [Song of Myself]"
(Walt Whitman)
Walt Whitman, champion of the intimate aspects of humanity, hints at the greater scope of his most famous poem in its title. Whitman combines some Emersonian pathos, some eastern-influenced navel-gazing and some American brawn to create a new form of poetry.
The title's subtitle, "Song of Myself," tells the reader to expect a celebration of the Self; indeed a very modern and American sentiment. The "myself" becomes the reader's Self (empty signifier, anyone?) as the poem unfolds its layers. Whitman's poem is on the whole positive and accepting; a merciful stance towards all that is human, whether pretty or not. "Leaves of Grass" allows the reader to indulge in some self-promotion, something one can never have enough of.
Whitman shows how Man and Nature are interwoven and interdependent; a beautiful example of the kind of symbiosis hailed by Emerson and other Transcendentalists. The "leaves of grass" that are instrumental to the poem can be thought of as parts of a greater whole, regardless of whether that whole refers to one single indiviual or all of Mankind. In nature, the repetition of leaf upon leaf creates a perfect grassy expanse time and time again, but in detail every blade is a unique individualist, crucial to the finished product. Man is similarly recreated time and time again, year after year, generation after generation in order to form a powerful race, but each one holds considerable individual value and beauty.
The poet calls upon each of us to not lose ourselves in our roles as cogs in the machine, but to look inward to reap rewards unique to Mankind. This, according to Whitman, unlocks the magic of the Human Experience.
# posted by Katja @ 1:37 PM 
