“I know I am august,
I do not trouble my spirt to vindicate itself or be understood,
I see that the elementary laws never apologize,
I reckon I behave no prouder than the level I plant my house by
after all.
I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
and if each and all be aware I sit content.
Thank-you Professor Gold for opening up the world of Walt Whitman to us. It was different, and made you think about life not just from my own perspective but from that of another. Research is hard work and dedication, I did not know how much it took to accomplish a task such as this. Until now, I thought a few books could tell you quite a bit. The books do tell, but researching further put the pieces together much more efficiently. I think I see Walt Whitman everywhere now, especially in Brooklyn. Thanks again Professor, the class was well worth the effort and beneifical to students moving on to higher degrees. And Thank-you to Clair Fontaine for all her technical support and advice on blogging, it was very helpful. I look forward to blogs in the future. Keep your eyes open!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sincerely, WHITNICK
“I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
And if each and all be aware I sit content.
Leaves of Grass, “Song of Myself” (48) Barnes and Noble Classics 2004
“And I know that the hand of God is the elderhand of my own,
And I know that the spirt of God is the eldest brother of my own,
And that all the men ever born are also my brothers….and the women my sisters and lovers,
And that a kelson of the creation is love;
leaves of Grass, “Song of Myself” (33) Barnes and Noble Classics 2004
Walt Whitmans biggest supporter Ralph Waldo Emerson was not directly a Quaker but his ideals and the circumstances of that time, Emerson saw himself seeing eye to eye with the Quakers beliefs and ideas. Emerson was the head of the transendentalist movement as well as a philosoper and poet. In that sense Emerson could have seen Walt Whitman as his brother, shareing the same cause, fighting the same fight, when many people didn’t want to hear the truth about themselves. That still exist today and you can see that people still don’t like to hear about themselves. And history proves that people will go to extremes to quite you.
Refer to “The Quaker influence in American Literature” by Howard W. Hintz 1965 (49-75)
Form beginning to end Walt’s roots stayed with him. Through his ups and downs, even his dark side, if you want to call it that, Walt Whitman still held on to his roots and love of people.
Speech is a very powerful tool. When used it can provoke change, good and bad. That choice is not only up to the speaker though. It’s also up to the listener. We tend to hear what we want to hear and not always what is being said.
Else it were time lost listening to me.
Walt Whitman has referred to men and women interchangeably in the poem, Leaves of Grass, so it seemed natural to assume that when he said, “What is man anyhow?” that he was also referring to women as well. He followed this simple question with another, “What am I?”, as if you should want to know, and proceeded to question us, the readers, in lowercase letters, “what are you?”, not because he wanted to know us, his readers. He wants us to question ourselves and answer in our own words, otherwise, his words would have no meaning if they don’t invoke you, me, we to find out about us. About who we are as individuals and as people.
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