Chase for September 15th
Walt Whitman, as an author has a distingushed manner in which he transfers his thoughts and messages into his work. In reading his work, one realizes that Whitman’s challenge as a writer was consistency. It was as if he simply had so much information to offer and so many ideas he wanted to share with the world that he made sure to include it all in his poem. However, despite his inconsistencies, he always managed to return to or relate the idea of nature to whatever is being discussed in his poem(s).
He opens his poem, “Song Of Myself”, with the idea of there being an “I” and a “you”. These two are connected together as Whitman attempts to make us realize an important fact. He wants us to know that no matter what our viewpoints on man kind may be, we as a nation are all connected and are one in the same. It’s ironic but factual how a lot of issues discussed in his poem are still issues present in our world today. Some of the things that have lead to this huge connection we share today are our history, the trials and tribulations our ancestors have faced, everything that happened in the past – good or bad – that have contributed to our present day existence. It is what makes us all who we are and it’s also what makes us all one human race, despite differences in ethical race/background. This is one of the ways in which I can see Whitman in Brooklyn today. Brooklyn, one of the most diverse cities, has a very large group of residents who always exemplify unity when it comes to being loud and proud to represent the city/town that you come from.
Whitman appears to be a person who is quite in tuned with hi s human sexuality. He describes the human flesh in a manner in which exemplifies appreciation for both the female and the male anatomy. Quite often, it appears as though he may be a bit homosexual yet hesitant to expose himself. Therefore, he not only speaks about the attributes of a man but also that of a woman. This is understandable as I am very sure that homosexuality was not as accepted back then as it is today.
“The beard of the young men glistened with wet, it ran from their long hair,
Little streams passed all over their bodies.
An unseen hand passed over their bodies,
It descended trembling from their temple and ribs.”
