Essay On Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself
In Walt Whitman’s poem , “Song of Myself”, he discusses his vision of America. From Whitman’s perspective, all people and the work they do are equally important to America’s prosperity. Whitman visioned a peaceful and cooperative type of America. The poem not only puts an emphasis on the diversity of the nation but also stresses the cooperation between the nation’s diverse groups. In this poem he praises and criticizes certain aspects of his society. Walt Whitman praises the fact that he is able to trust his neighbor, even if his neighbor is a runaway slave. Although “[t]he runaway slave came to [his] house and stopt outside [and Whitman] heard his motions crackling the twigs of the woodpile”, Whitman still “went where he sat
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He mentions these aspects various times throughout the poem. His poem shows that he is an advocate of equal rights for people even if they are born with African descent; Whitman doesn’t necessarily directly criticize the establishment of slavery. He nurses the injuries to a slave in former times. He also trusts the slave enough to allow him into his own home without hiding his rifle. He becomes the “hounded slave. . . Hell and despair are upon [him], crack and again crack the marksmen,/ [he] clutch[ed] the rails” (33). Whitman puts himself in the position as a slave; he acknowledges the cruelty and harshness slaves go through. He tries to understand how he is “thinn’d with the ooze of [his] skin” and how they “taunt [his] dizzy ears and beat [him] violently over the head with whip-stocks” (33). Whitman also mentions that a “prostitute draggles her shawl, her bonnet bobs on her tipsy and pimpled neck,/ [t]he crowd laugh[s] at her blackguard oaths, the men jeer and wink to each”, however, he is disgusted by their actions. (15) Whitman expresses disgust toward the crowd as he says “[m]iserable! I do not laugh at your oaths nor jeer you” (15). He doesn’t provoke any type of frustration toward anyone because of their race, oath, or actions unless it harms another person. Whitman dismisses their discrimination
He mentions these aspects various times throughout the poem. His poem shows that he is an advocate of equal rights for people even if they are born with African descent; Whitman doesn’t necessarily directly criticize the establishment of slavery. He nurses the injuries to a slave in former times. He also trusts the slave enough to allow him into his own home without hiding his rifle. He becomes the “hounded slave. . . Hell and despair are upon [him], crack and again crack the marksmen,/ [he] clutch[ed] the rails” (33). Whitman puts himself in the position as a slave; he acknowledges the cruelty and harshness slaves go through. He tries to understand how he is “thinn’d with the ooze of [his] skin” and how they “taunt [his] dizzy ears and beat [him] violently over the head with whip-stocks” (33). Whitman also mentions that a “prostitute draggles her shawl, her bonnet bobs on her tipsy and pimpled neck,/ [t]he crowd laugh[s] at her blackguard oaths, the men jeer and wink to each”, however, he is disgusted by their actions. (15) Whitman expresses disgust toward the crowd as he says “[m]iserable! I do not laugh at your oaths nor jeer you” (15). He doesn’t provoke any type of frustration toward anyone because of their race, oath, or actions unless it harms another person. Whitman dismisses their discrimination