Having finished the first edition of Leaves of Grass, I think I’ve fallen in love with Whitman even more. I found myself reading it aloud because, for me, it just sounds so beautiful. It’s so intriguing to me that a man who lived in his time would have these views of the world. It was like I would have to remind myself that he lived over a century ago and some of the things that he would talk about were not at all accepted in the world he lived in. My three favorites in the grouping of poems were “A Song for Occupations”, “To Think of Time” and “I Sing the Body Electric”. All of Whitman’s work seem to have strong messages of one’s worth in the world but these three particularly spoke to me.
In “Occupations” Whitman clearly demonstrates that he truly is the poet of democracy. He’s talking about how all men and women of every caste system are created equal. He even says,
“Is it you that thought the President greater than you? or the rich
better off than you? or the educated wiser than you?”
he goes on to say,
“Grown, half-grown, and babe- of this country and every country,
indoors and outdoors I see…..and all else is behind or
through them.”
Even though in this day and age money makes it difficult for everyone to be created equal, people are not treated the way they were back in Whitman’s day. This is why it’s so incredible that he not only felt this equality but he wrote about it and preached it. We now know that this was a time of change with the Civil War about to begin. With that in mind, it makes me think that many people felt this way at the same time Whitman did, but no one had the guts he had to put it out for the world to see.
It is clear to see throughout his writing that Whitman saw the beauty of virtually everything. In nature, men’s bodies, women’s bodies, the soul, himself and in the good of a person. In his poetry he makes it is job to show people this beauty even if it is blunt and crude. No matter what, everything has meaning and has a divine quality to it and he is the one who opens our eyes to all the simplistic beauty in the world.
I can alos agree with you with his amazing writing abilities! He does write way before his time!
I also have to keep reminding myself that he lived over a century ago. His poetry and ideas that he so eloquently describes throughout his poetry and prose are timeless. I feel Whitman tries to make a connection to the American people in the 19th century, but also as a way to connect to the future of the American nation. Down here in Fredericksburg Virginia at the University of Mary Washington, we just finished reading Whitman’s civil war poetry and prose, and it is evident that Whitman wanted his poetry to bind the nation together. So, I think that Whitman would be proud that his life and works are connecting students from New Jersey, New York, Serbia, and Virginia. Nice post!