But this experience does allow him to make the case that all men should at least seek themselves, however the shape of their respective lives allow this. This is the universality that permeates the transcendental movement and touches on the romanticism of poet Walt Whitman. Like Emerson, his work would reflect a distinctly American mode of individualism. It would be from this spirit that he would draw on his own experiences as having some meaning beyond his own identity. We find immediately that Whitman's work as deeply progressive for its time. From a literary and philosophical perspective, its willingness to reflect on the soul with abstraction and metaphor would show Whitman's work to be bold in its expressive liberties. A 'problem' to be construed by the individual reader emerges from this liberty with respect to traditional definitions of the 'soul' in western literature and Whitman's more elaborate understanding of the concept. In 'Song of Myself' it may not be that Whitman regards his soul as his own, but rather as something in a shared American experience. Where Whitman indicates, "I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself / and what I assume you shall assume / for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you," it is made almost immediately apparent what...
There is a real sense that Whitman intends to extend a warmth to his fellow man with a pointed reference to what might be seen as nationalist pride. So are we led to believe when he remarks "My tongue, every atom of my blood, form'd from this soil, this air / Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same / I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin, / Hoping to cease not till death." (Whitman, 1) This strikes us as a wish that begins within him and extends outward to his countrymen, urging peace and brotherhood in the face of mounting industrialization and cultural discord.
Dickinson, however, approaches art and nature in a much different way. She does not attempt to assert herself or set herself up as "Amerian Poet" the way that Whitman does. Instead she wrote her poetry without ever once doing so for fame or fortune. She meditated on her relationship to her surroundings, her understanding of beauty, her admiration for truth, her appreciation of the essence of things. "The Sailor cannot
Like Emerson, Whitman found beauty symbols of American future progress, even in industrial America and standardized and homogenized modern progress like the "Locomotive in Winter": "For once come serve the Muse and merge in verse, even as here I see thee," cries Whitman, celebrating the terrible, beautiful, awesome power of the moving train cars. Whitman finds inspiration in the man-made device, as well as terror. He optimistic, like Emerson, in
In "Song of Myself," the longest and most complex of the three poems from Leaves of Grass, Whitman celebrates not only the self, but also the self with, and among others. This poem has 52 separate sections, each of them uniquely rich in imagery; theme; setting; sensory impressions, and sensuality. Section 1 of the poem, for example, freely celebrates Whitman's "Self": his essence, health, body, individuality, and joy of living,
Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson project, in their poetry, an individual identity that achieves its power from within, thus placing a premium on the individual self. Ironically, this premium on the individual self was very much in vogue in America at the time; from Emerson to the early pioneers of 19th century industrialism. As a result, their projections of individual power were greatly influenced by the culture in which
This lack of tradition is what makes Whitman seem slightly worried towards the middle of the poem. He seems adamant to remind the audience that, though this technology is amazing and beautiful in its own way, we should not allow it to eclipse the wonders of the past. Much of this poem can serve as a warning to make sure that we also bring along our poetic sensibilities as we
Walt Whitman, American Author & Poet About his Life: Walt Whitman, an American poet was born on May 31, 1819 and a son of Long Island and the second son of Walter Whitman, a house builder, and Louisa Van Velsor. It was at the age of twelve Whitman began to learn the printer's trade, and become acquainted with the works of Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, and the Bible. Then at the age of 17,
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