FINAL PROJECT: Whitman Blackout Poetry

Walt was an active metaphysical soldier in the Civil War.  But why was he so obsessed with America and the unity of the nation?  If only he could see what it has now become.  Has the freedom he seemed to emotionally fight for, become nothing more than our meager attempt to separate ourselves from one another?  Seems quite paradoxical to say the least, that one’s individual liberation should cause a rift between himself and all of mankind.  But I suppose one cannot view the individual pursuit of intellectual power as a means of societal degradation.  Society is as society does, and Walt is the spawn of positive societal unification.  Perhaps in this sense, Lincoln quite literally becomes Whitman’s father or at least a “father-like” figure not only to Whitman, but to all of embryonic America as well.  Or maybe that’s just me making a ridiculous reach for meaning where there is none.  If this project has taught me one thing, it is that you cannot force poetry or creativity, and you cannot force insight or an innate acceptance of the inadequate fallen state of man.  By picking out the simplistic and often divergent themes found within the nooks and crannies of his journal entries, I feel as though I have captured some unique yet equally monumental characteristics that are crucial when attempting to define the essence of Walt.

This blackout poem was created from the Specimen Day’s entry titled “The Stupor Passes -- Something Else Begins.”  

the night

Lincoln 

endured a crucifixion

leader

of

defiance.  magnificent

humiliation

and

the days of war,

the day of Lincoln’s death.

Little was said

silently to each other.

Talking about the importance of Lincoln feels like beating the crap out of a dead horse, but Lincoln was incredibly influential in Whitman’s life.  What I tried to highlight in this section reminds me slightly of what Walt talks about in “When Lilac’s Last...” because I’m highlighting both the beautiful and ugly aspects of war and death.  The Lilac’s poem is clearly a poem of mourning and the paradoxical intricacies of loss, and in this Specimen Days entry I find that Walt is saying Lincoln’s “crucifixion” can be seen as a catalyst for ending the days of war.  Lincoln attempted to unite the nation in his living years, but Whitman is pointing out that it’s quite possible for the significant impact of his death to ignite the beginning of the country’s subliminal 

desire to merge.

This blackout poem was created from the Specimen Day’s entry titled, “A Cavalry Camp.”

watching

through

my window     dismounted; freed

with drooping heads and wet sides;

I see

strong

men

on the hill

dripping, steaming,

half quench’d.

perhaps

to-day

I sit long in my window and look on--

connected without much

words.

This one could not have turned out any better.  As soon as I finished this one I couldn’t help but think of the 29th bather and the way he or she (as Whitman or the reader or whoever) is looking out the window, longing to be free and in a sense sexually emancipated.  Although the entry is originally about his observations of the men at work in the camp, I found a lot of imagery regarding water and wetness which has possible sexual connotations.  Fitting, seeing as Walt is often driven by the sensual aspect of both poetry and ultimately life itself.  Walt Whitman in my humble opinion encompasses the 29th bather, always striving to breech the walls of societal and mental captivation.

This blackout poem was created from the Specimen Day’s entry titled, “Some Sad Cases Yet.”

a strong man

brought low as I have ever seen

pulse pounding

in a partial sleep,     sleep

feels

silent,

the 

beautiful

hot parade of 

yesterday.    the lives of men

are quite full

of despair

hope left them    

in a dying

condition

This entry is all about injured and dying soldiers, but I wanted to draw a perhaps more universal theme from it.  In my blackout poem I chose to highlight the finality of death in correlation with the loss of hope.  This entry (similar to the first one) reminds me somewhat of “When Lilacs Last...” because there is a certain cosmic quality to it representative of the “kosmic” Walt.  Death may not simply refer to the physical act of passing, but rather may refer to an internal death or loss of blissful reverie.  War is haunting for those who see it and those who are physically in it, but for Whitman the concept of war itself is indicative of the seemingly despairing state of man when he finds himself approaching the end.

Now, Some Feedback:

Don’t want to sound like a suck up or anything, but I can’t think of anything I found to be problematic in this class.  The only thing that sucked was that it was only one day a week.  I’m probably the only one who would complain about something like that, and this is probably because I’m a nerd.  But this class is the only one that I genuinely enjoyed going to.  I’ve read Leaves of Grass before, but I’d be lying if I said I initially understood any of it.  Because of your class I will never look at much of life in the same way I did before, and it may be because I’m still young and incredibly impressionable, but I also think it’s because you taught us how to embrace and accept not only a poem but a poet into our lives as well.  I remember the very first day of class you said reading Whitman was like an acid trip only ten times better, and I never thought I’d say this but I couldn’t agree more.  So I guess I’d like to thank you for showing me the monumental world of Walt, and thank you for teaching me how to mentally embrace the intimate quality of true poetry.  You can bet on seeing me in one of your classes when I return from the land of hockey and bacon, that I guess is actually ham.

-Meghan

Directing the Westward Wind

I dare someone to undermine the work of the Coen brothers.  If Whitman is an autodidactic god, then the Coen brothers are his autodidactic minions whose Americanized movies mimic the self-subsistent qualities of an “All-American” emblem.   While Walt is undoubtedly the pioneer of Western American literature, the Coen brothers seem to take on the responsibility of pioneering the field of Western American movies (seeing as culturally speaking, new-age America is far more concerned with visible intellectual advancements, rather than monochromatic emotionally charged pieces of paper).  Although some would argue that the brothers focus simply on murder cases with dramatic twists that take place in America, Whitman himself would argue that “The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem” and therefore focusing on certain trials and tribulations that occur within the states, is poetry in itself.  In a lot of ways the Coen’s highlight certain thematic structural qualities found in some of Whitman’s poems.  By emphasizing (as you have already mentioned in your blog) the Lebowski Loafer as well as the Insignificant Man, the Brady Bunch of Arizona and the Woman Warrior pregnant with the capitulating heroes and heroines of tomorrows America, the brothers are emphasizing the indicative nature of the American melting pot.

However, I find it important to note that their styles differ significantly, and this may be simply due to each writer’s choice of expression.  It is difficult to adequately compare movies and literature, because in my opinion there is something slightly more timeless in a poetic work of art.  Yet Whitman would undoubtedly be proud of the fact that the Coen brothers are attempting to carry on the fundamental legacy of Western American culture, and if any director/producer would be capable of capturing the essence of Walt on the big screen, it would surely be these guys.

A Kosmic Grain of Sand: Levine v. Walt

I find it natural that a man with any kind of philosophical tendencies should contemplate the finality of death.  I think what can be most fascinating about poetry in general, is its ability to show the stylistic differences poets have when attempting to broach the same subject.  So when considering the possible thematic similarities of “Song of Myself” and “My Grave” one must note the incredible difference in tone that leads to each poet’s ultimately contrasting perception of mortality.  To put it simply, Levine strikes me as the no bullshit kind of poet, who essentially tells it like it is but in a metaphorical and aesthetically pleasing way.  Based on the straightforward and somewhat hopeless tone present in both of his poems, the reader can assume that death ultimately conquers the speaker, whereas in any of Walt’s poems that deal with the unknown he presents for the reader a more hopeful and “kosmic” point of view.

Whitman writes with a subtle hint of acceptance with whatever subject he is addressing, and when analyzing in particular “My Grave” I get a feeling of insignificance in regards to my life and its worth, rather than that connected feeling Walt often attempts to portray.  I guess to sum it up so as not to take up too much of your time, both poets adequately express their fears and longings, moral complications and egotistical issues, and it is truly difficult to say whether or not Levine’s existential defeats are as emotionally intoxicating as Whitman’s kosmic victories, and vice versa.

Honest Death

The crippling concept of being trapped in a moment of horror, perpetual mourning.  As Walt so eloquently states in When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d, “I mourn’d—and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring” or in other words the mourning shall not end when the moment of crises has passed.  Traumatic moments are often less traumatizing than the memories of those moments, because memories fade when we wish they wouldn’t, and persist when we wish they’d cease to exist.  Whitman seems to be acknowledging that we live in a world in constant flux where death is the only constant, and therefore he almost pities death as the “sad orb” whose diffidence he accepts as well as its definitive terror.

One should confidently be able to say that Whitman’s poem is all encompassing and could easily suffice for the suffering portrayed in the 9/11 poems.  What gives Walt’s a universal quality that the others do not necessarily possess, is the ambiguity that troubles the reader when the poem ends.  In the 9/11 poems one can fairly easily pinpoint the focal point or theme being presented, whereas in Whitman’s poem we get no concrete sense of what he’s talking about other than the fact that he is troubled by the haunting presence of death and its many complications.  However, this is not to say that one poem is more or less effective than the other when attempting to grapple with situations that we may be emotionally incapable of grasping.  One poem in particular that struck me as possessing some qualities of Walt, was “Hum” by Ann Lauterbach.  Structurally speaking the poem is nothing like that of Walt’s, but in content it embodies the notion of combing both the beautiful with the bitter, and embraces death in the way that Walt walks with the thought and knowledge of death’s sadly beautiful existence.

Whitman Blackout

So to further elaborate upon my desire to explore Specimen Days, I must clarify what it is I actually propose to do.  As I have previously stated in some of my earlier blogs, the key to understanding the essence of Walt most likely lies within his ‘journal’ for lack of a better way to describe it, which is why I intend to understand the entries to the best of my ability.  Anyway to get to the point, I think it would be interesting to create a blackout poem from two of Whitman’s writings.  For instance I will take “A Cavalry Camp” and “Some Sad Cases Yet” and from each of these I will black out certain sentences and/or words in order to create a new poem using Whitman’s words.  Essentially I will be recycling certain phrases or compelling words from his entries in an attempt to find new meanings within them.  In doing this I may be able to subliminally pick out key terms that otherwise would have been left die amongst the countless meanings and terms found within each entry.  Thus, I am hoping to extract the essence of these two writings in order to shine a new and hopefully more progressive light upon the inner workings of Whitman.

Spring Fever

Peter Doyle was Whitman’s most intimate companion, and undoubtedly his most influential personal muse.  I fear I do not even know where to begin when exploring the complexities of Walt’s love life, but it is certainly important (to say the least) to attempt to understand as best we can the ever-changing state of Walt’s more romantic disposition.

Not to say that Whitman has no ‘romantic voice‘ in  “Song of Myself” but the romance he expresses is one of an intimate self-connection, or a connection regarding the universal ‘you’ rather than any particular individual.  Yet when he begins to embrace the relationship between himself and Peter Doyle, the renditions of his poems such as “Calamus” take a more positive and personal turn.  Although some critics would argue against this notion and would attribute Walt’s less pessimistic outlook to that of his immediate group of friends, I personally would have to disagree.  It seems quite obvious that Whitman (although 45 or so when meeting 21 year old Pete) fell “smitten” for the first time which drastically altered his outlook on life.  I noticed that in the beginning of “Calamus” Whitman spoke insistently of love and death, and the ramifications of knowing neither on an intimate level.  However, the introduction of Doyle into his life must have impacted him beyond artificial means, for it seems as though he finds an acceptance with death, life, and longing in knowing that he has experienced something that supersedes the superficial world in which we reside.

It is true that Walt and Doyle connected on a multitude of levels, despite their significantly contrasting political views (Doyle serving for the Confederates and what not) but most importantly I believe Doyle gave Whitman a kind of hope he never believed to exist before.  I hate to sound cliche and I really hate to sound overly sentimental, but Whitman’s blossoming relationship with this young man seemed to rejuvenate his often downtrodden spirits, and provided him with the means necessary to continue to expand along with his work as an integral artist of the spoken word.

The Walt Whitman Experience

To truly know Whitman is to delve into the depths of his very being in a feeble attempt to  understand things that cannot be taught, but rather felt.  When I think of Walt and the essence of his works (and thus the essence of his very being) I am often reminded of the Jimi Hendrix song “Are You Experienced?” in which Jimi seems to ask for the listener to grab hold of him in this ruthless journey called life as they sink into a realm deeper than that of the material world, a realm no doubt filled with touch, understanding, and most of all, experience...


If you can just get your mind together
Then come on across to me
We'll hold hands and then we'll watch the sunrise
From the bottom of the sea

But first, are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Well, I have

I know, I know you probably scream and cry
That your little world won't let you go
But who in your measly little world
Are you trying to prove that
You're made out of gold and, eh, can't be sold

So, are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Well, I have

Let me prove you...

Trumpets and violins I can hear in distance
I think they're calling our names
Maybe now you can't hear them, but you will
If you just take hold of my hand

Oh, but are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?
Not necessarily stoned, but beautiful...

Anyway to get to the point of this tangent, I feel as though analyzing Specimen Days is crucial when it comes to understanding Walt.  However, instead of blogging about a different one each week or so, I would enjoy focusing specifically on one that I have already chosen so I can tear it apart and analyze it to the nth degree.

I may never be able to fully comprehend the complicated maze that is Walt Whitman, but I shall nonetheless strive to take the journey with Jimi and him into the enlightened world of the experienced.

Nature’s Quorum

Nature, democracy, and morality.  Three seemingly disconnected meanings, yet in the eyes of Walt one cannot exist in harmony without the other.  In his Specimen Days entry titled “Nature, Democracy -- Morality” he seems to be making somewhat of a closing statement in an attempt to conclude his stream of meandering thoughts.  I believe Whitman is connecting the idea of democracy as a form of equality, that presents itself in the original hierarchy and structure of nature.  In part he is saying that nature is the underlying factor of all things harmonious and beautiful (for lack of a better word) and without its solid foundation, the trials of everyday American life would border on the boundary of supreme insignificance.  It may very well be that we all amount to nothing in our current state of being, but is it not then death that gives meaning to our existence?  Whitman then goes one step further and brings in the element of morality as the adhesive factor in the ultimate conflict that is life itself.  Nature and natural elements may be driving factors in regards to how we regulate a democratic existence, but morality and the concept of “virtue” is what gives purpose in general to man kinds otherwise pointless existence.  He says it possesses the ability to “bring people back from their persistent strayings and sickly abstractions” or in other words, morality is the force that allows nature and the concept of democracy to exist without consuming the unbeknownst.

It reminds me vaguely of a particular poem I came across:

Mother Nature

Jane heads to the field

where the river runs deep

and hearts get lost 

in Bradbury’s dandelion delights.

Her dress plays softly on her hips

and the cool of the morning  

hangs on her shoulders 

like a gentle reminder

of nature’s quorum.

Mama always told Jane

that rivers are like restless men;

quick to lure in soothing tones

while you drift far, far away

from the quiet haven 

of home.

Mama always told Jane 

that if she listened hard enough

she could hear the soft coos 

of a woman’s heart

echoing in the belly 

of a beast that rests at noon.

She said that down by the river

babies are left

to be raised by wolves

and die in the arms of Mowgli

because curiosity killed the cat,

but when it didn’t

the cat had nothing 

left to live for.

She said that nature was conceived

by Lucifer and Beezlebub

to swallow up the hopes of man 

when he loses himself 

in the jungles of greed

and desolation.

So Jane lost herself

in the bottom of the river.

In other words, one can easily get swallowed up in the everyday trials and tribulations that man must endure, but Whitman has discovered a recipe that blends nature, freedom and virtue, as a way of creating order among human entropy and our inevitable end.

Keep Your Enemies Close

To write an adequately formed argumentative work of literature, one must incorporate the complexities of both addressing and obliterating the opposing argument.  It may be precarious to propose that “Leaves of Grass” subliminally embodies the essence of an argumentative poem, but when comparing it to the work of Martin F. Tupper one should perceive the subtle contrasting elements it denotes in regards to “Proverbial Philosophy.”  One article I found that highlights multiple similarities within the works, also points out how in “Leaves of Grass” the similarities exist in an attempt to combat (though not entirely) the Tory/Evangelical Protestant view that Tupper presents.

Take a look at this passage:

“Whitman's consideration of Tupper on the whole, though, cannot be reduced to simple ideological rejection. As Kenneth Price points out, Whitman employed the tactics and themes of many poets whose work he considered unacceptable on the whole. Whitman once commented that "all kinds of light reading, novels, newspapers, gossip etc., serve as manure for the few great productions, and are indispensable or perhaps are premises to something better." Price notes that "this observation is telling, for it accurately describes Whitman's ability to use what he does not necessarily accept."ll Tupper's Proverbial Philosophy and some of his other poems may well have served as premises (Tupper's critics would have preferred "manure") for Whitman's Leaves of Grass.”

Martin Tupper, Walt Whitman, and the Early Reviews of Leaves of Grass
-Matt Cohen

I couldn’t have said it better myself, and if I tried I most likely would have been bordering on the delicate line of plagiarism.  But getting back to analyzing the two mens work, I must point out that “Whitman employed the tactics and themes of many poets whose work he considered unacceptable on the whole” which mimics the concept of strengthening one’s work through adding a concessional statement of sorts.  Whitman understands that in order to appropriately address an opposing opinion he must not simply disregard it, but rather he must immerse himself in its convoluted waters and embrace its inadequacies (to a certain extent of course).

An example (also from Cohen):

“Whitman directly attacks the commonplace poetic evocation of the "dumb, driven cattle," overturning popular pith in extremely conversational terms. In Section 13 of "Song of Myself," Whitman parries Tupper's ox with:

Oxen that rattle the yoke and chain or halt in the leafy shade, what is that you express in your eyes?
It seems to me more than all the print I have read in my life.”

Fascinating how even Whitman’s self-liberating poem incorporates a direct oppositional inquiry to Tupper’s “dull grazing ox” perhaps indicating his beef with Tupper’s opinion of the literary status quo.  Whitman seemed to know even before he published his work that it would not be widely accepted in the literary world (and perhaps even among the commoners as well) yet he, in his rebel like ways, arguably presents “Leaves of Grass” as being an overall argumentative poem against a politically driven world of literary Milton-esk braggarts.

The Ultimate Extra

So it seems to be that Whitman makes multiple appearances in twenty-first century media, whether it be in a romanticized movie or dramatic television show, he manages to get cast in small yet influential digressions.

Purposeful Digression #1:  Breaking Bad

Now I know this isn't from "Song of Myself" but it is an influential poem of Whitman's that helps drive home the point Gale (the man reciting) is attempting to make.  For those of you who don't watch Breaking Bad (which is blasphemy you're missing out) Gale is reciting "The Learned Astronomer" in order to explain that he needs to be physically enveloped in what he is interested in, and is not satisfied with being a simple bystander.  Although this is not part of Song of Myself as I said earlier, it directly relates to Whitman's need to touch everything and take everything in in order to truly understand and be a part of it.


Purposeful Digression #2:  Leaves of Grass (the movie)

Now obviously this movie is going to reference Whitman seeing as they stole the title from him, but what's interesting is how they tie in the themes of the movie to the poem "To You" which is being recited by the lovely Keri Russell in this scene.  In this part of the poem Whitman seems to be saying one must toss all preconceived notions of what they think they know to the wind, and embrace the beauty and freedom of decisive irrationalism.  However, in the movie Norton's character takes issue with this concept, and essentially says that he does not buy into the whole free verse thing Whitman stood for because poetry has rules, and if everyone goes around making their own, how do you know what’s true?  Yet this notion is the catalyst that drives the unbridled passion in Whitman's verses!  The fact that this kind of thinking makes it so there is no solid ground to rely on, opens up countless possibilities in the realm of untouched thought.  Whitman is the aboriginal advocate of equality by means of unrestricted mental expansion and expression, because he understood that once one believes they have it all figured out, in actuality there is nothing left.


Purposeful Digression #3:  The Notebook

Now unfortunately I must step into the realm of ultimate popular culture by referencing The Notebook.  I'm sure you all know that this movie is undeniably a love story in every cliche sense of the term "love story" but what's interesting is the fact that it takes place in a southern rural setting, and even more intriguing is the fact that the father finds it pertinent to mention that he is a fan of Tennyson more so than Whitman.  Tennyson and Whitman were in fact contemporaries with completely different stylistic tendencies.  Whitman incorporated the careless free flowing savage style (compatible with that of Goslin's character) whereas Tennyson took on a much more reformed approach to literature (much like that of the other dude she dates, whose name I cannot remember).  Anyway, in the end McAdams chooses the free-flowing savage over the man in the suit thus embracing, to the best of her ability, the rugged path that Whitman would have paved.

Anonymous Assholes

After reading multiple criticisms I found myself sufficiently stunned by the audacity of certain “critically acclaimed critics” and what they had to say about Whitman’s work.  Some, (actually many) critics chose to simply let the work speak for itself by inserting lengthy parts of the text with little to no analysis.  Not only do they provide microscopic insight, but in two out of the three criticisms I analyzed, the critic felt it necessary to throw in before the text “Of course we do not select those which are the most transcendental or the most bold” as if that somehow throws them into the pile of innocent bystanders.  First of all, if you’re going to be a literary critic then learn how to take an adequately established stance, rather than bandwagoning off of your contemporary critics’ chauvinistic opinions (Mr. Anonymous in the Saturday Review 1856), or better yet providing none at all (George Eliot, April 1856).  Now of course I’m being hypocritical by slandering the qualifications of anonymous criticism and being entirely biased myself, but I find it difficult to respect any critic who denounces a work of art because it differs from Tennyson or is potentially “irreligious” (Mr. Anonymous working for The Crayon 3).

If you ask me, the critics whom disregard Leaves of Grass as being “haughty” or “unromantic” pseudo-superior, or “obscene” are not delving deep enough into the depths of Whitman’s prophetic womb.  How is it possible that they were allowed to provide such surface level reviews?  Sure Whitman calls himself the “Kosmos” and may metaphorically imply that he encompasses all, but this in itself is a humbling act.  How naive is the critic whom professes Whitman “never knew what it was to feel that he stood in the presence of a superior” (Mr Anonymous, Saturday Review) when chapter after obsequious chapter, Walt proclaims he shall never be superior because he will join in an unbreakable bond with those that are both high AND low on the American totem pole, no matter how low that low may be.

However, some critics do view Whitman’s work in the prestigious light in which it radiates, and understand the multifaceted structure of it’s meandering relativity, but unfortunately these critics are not the majority.  So if studying these so called “contemporary critics” of Whitman is supposed to show one anything, it only shows that in 1855 the American literary critics were pompous assholes.  They were too blinded by Shakespeare, too enraptured with Milton, to see the complexity, insight, and beauty of Whitman’s “spiritual structure.”  It seems as though Whitman was just too ahead of the poetic batch of his time, and was therefore tossed aside in the literary spectrum, left to be ridiculed not only by the content of his work, but also by the picture on the cover page.  So to conclude this angry rant of sorts, I must say that I probably did not adequately analyze the criticism of the critics, but in a sense I am doing to them what they did to Whitman by simply not giving their opinions a meager chance.

Savage Wright

At first, when given the assignment to relate Frances Wright to Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass, I thought to myself, dear lord how am I going to relate this historical figure to a man of such modern intellectual capability?  However I wrongly jumped to conclusions, and now I must redeem my previous statement by saying that Frances Wright believed in and acted upon many of the same issues as Whitman.  In fact, Whitman was incredibly influenced by her writings, teaching and preachings, and according to one source, “Wright's novel about a young disciple of Epicurus would later be called by Walt Whitman his "daily food."  

Frances (or Fanny) Wright praised America’s experiments in democracy, (as did Whitman) supported the abolition of slavery, (as did Whitman) promoted her own dress code (as did Whitman) and last but not least she encouraged sexual freedom, needless to say, as did Whitman.  She stood for the primordial notions of personal freedom, and although she was not as successful or well known as Walt she none the less played an instrumental role in paving the way for his mental, political and surely personal expansion.  

The fact that she was a woman who embraced democracy, supported a more “provocative” dress code (showing ankles and even knees!) and advocated sexual freedom makes her a truly pivotal feminine character during her time period, and also makes her umpteen times more fascinating.  When knowing what she stood for, it is easy to see her direct influence upon Whitman’s work, for her “Views of Society and Manners in America” is noticeable in “Chants Democratic” in Leaves of Grass and so on.  So although I could go on for a while and bore you about her similarities to Whitman, I rather leave you with the notion that through the combination of her political insight and strife for personal emancipation, Fanny Wright may be the original “Free, fresh, savage.”

A Song for the Little Man

The first thing that truly grabs my attention when reading “A Song for Occupations” is Whitman’s attempt to relieve the aggrandized ‘little man.’  In other words, Whitman essentially proclaims in this section of the poem that “Hey man, if you think you amount to nothing, then I’m right there amounting to nothing with you.”  He manages to bring everyone to equal grounds, and essentially says that whatever your “occupation” or niche may be in life, it is no greater or worse than any other to him.  I feel as though Whitman is once again taking on that “kosmic” role by attempting to place himself in a universal light in which he encompasses all.  Not to say that he doesn’t (mentally speaking) but this section of Leaves of Grass further emphasizes concepts brought forth in “Song of Myself” and reintroduces pivotal motifs in reference to light and dark, the sun, children, nature (of course) and most importantly the idea of touch proceeding sight.

In regards to how this particular poem changes over the course of Whitman’s multiple versions, it seems to be that what alters most is the title.  In the 1856 version it becomes “Poem of The Daily Work of The Workmen and Workwomen of These States”  but in the rest of the editions, I simply could not find it!  Granted, I could have looked a lot harder but Whitman SIGNIFICANTLY expands (substance wise) in his later versions, and it is hard to note where this particular poem drifted off to.  Although it doesn’t seem to necessarily directly correspond to another section from his later works, unless one is willing to abstractly view Walt’s “O this” “O that” rampage in the chants to “Song of Occupation” seeing as he similarly mentions men and women of all ages and backgrounds, and even so kindly includes inanimate objects.  Or maybe I’m reaching too far to draw this conclusion on the basis that I could not find the poem... damn your brilliance Whitman, as if I wasn’t lost in translation already.

A Flittering Nation

I mainly chose “The Capitol by Gas-Light” because of its precarious title.  As you may or may not have noticed from my other ramblings in this blog, I must admit that I am at times guilty of judging books by their covers.  I only selected this particular piece in Specimen Days because I had no idea what the passage would entail simply because of the title.  The more ambiguous Whitman gets, the more intrigued I find myself and the more invested I become in attempting to unravel his more than complicated mind and soul.

Now that I have justified my pickings as best as possible, it is necessary that I address the subtle intricacies of the passage.  The fact that Whitman is so intrigued by the government slightly bewilders me.  It shows up in Leaves of Grass multiple times, and even gets referenced in titles such as “Chants Democratic and Native American” which is an odd juxtaposition of a title in the first place because he is placing the notion of a ‘democracy’ next to ‘Native Americans’ who were stripped of their land and had no say in anything when we built ours.  None the less, Whitman is perceptive of this notion and I believe that “flitting figure in the distance” could very well be representative of a Native American.  This may be a huge stretch, but the “flitting figure” at the end of the passage is undoubtedly a significant occurrence, because whether or not it represents a Native American, it resembles the ever fluctuant state of the American government.

The Original Hipsters

Bowery Street in Manhattan is equivalent to that of Beale Street in Memphis, and Basin Street in New Orleans when it comes to its socially influential significance in the eighteen and nineteen hundreds, but was not entirely as well known.  However, the street holds additional historical pertinence in that “It was the city’s first entertainment district, where P.T. Barnum, Yiddish theater, the cancan, minstrel shows and the vaudeville hook were all introduced... and most recently punk rock.”  The way of life this “movement” of sorts encouraged, was one that embraced individuality and difference as being the “norm.”  Individual’s who associated themselves with this avant-garde lifestyle began both dressing and speaking differently, and this is where Whitman mainly comes into relevance for associating with this underground socially innovative group.


The Bowery B’hoys in particular were known for being somewhat flamboyant, and Whitman seemed to feed off of their use of “colorful slang” by incorporating it into his poetry.  By introducing words that his contemporaries may look down upon as being subpar or literarily inadequate, Whitman is continuing along his rebel path of breaking literary boundaries and/or restrictions.  Whitman sufficiently proves that barbaric “yawps” and the concept of “going on a bender” have both poetical and authentic value that musn’t be overlooked by the hypercritical literary snobs and critics.


I also find it of importance to note (as I mentioned earlier) that the Bowery B’hoys dressed flamboyantly and how they pleased.  Relating back to the picture Whitman chooses to portray himself in Leaves of Grass, I find this notion to be of great significance.  In an attempt to distinguish themselves from the “crowd” the Bowery B’hoys would wear stovepipe hats, and as for Whitman, his rebellion began in the form of an unbuttoned shirt.

Editing the Infinite

It seems to be that one of the most obvious differences between the 1855 and 1860 editions is the brevity, or certainly lack there of in regards to Whitman’s prolific expansion.  For one reason or another he seems to expand significantly so upon his original concepts, and thus creates a “bonus track” if you will, that consummates his beliefs.  The way in which he organizes the 1860 Leaves of Grass resembles an abstract kind of timeline that begins with the birth of the American nation and his undying love for democracy, transforms into a more personal relationship with Americans themselves and his journey’s/experiences and knowledge acquired on the road, and then ends with an autobiographical-eulogy (or to be more precise a “So Long!”) in which he proclaims the immortality of his soul while acknowledging the death of his body.  The transitional stages found in this copy are more in depth and appear to encompass an ultimatum like quality that isn’t necessarily presented in the 1855 version.


But Whitman doesn’t stop in 1860.  If one is to then compare the 1860 rendition to that of the 1867 Leaves of Grass, at first glance they appear to be of the same structure and content.  However, upon further inspecting the different sections (in particular “So Long!”) one can see that he has compressed the material and has even further molded, reconstructed, and re-evaluated his previous intentional meanderings into more adequately condensed sentences.  Or in other words, Whitman’s 1867 edition represents his seven year editing process of a long and meticulously constructed work of art, in which his renditions and alterations should be anything be disregarded.

Let's Have An Orgy

So I must admit that I received a fair amount of my information from reading Iona’s blog.  However, I didn’t want to copy her so I also found an article in the New York Times that helped me formulate my own opinion regarding the Oneida Community and how it relates to Leaves of Grass.  I could be interpreting the situation incorrectly, but it seems to me that the Oneida Community was one giant orgy of sorts that implemented such concepts regarding... well, communal everything so to speak.  They were attempting to creating their own “Garden of Eden” where the only rule seemed to be that you are not above anyone else, and no one else is above you.  They practiced “complex marriage” which essentially meant that everyone in the community was married to everyone else, therefore eliminating concepts such as jealousy and greed because if you wanted someone you were more than entitled to have them for a night or two.

I believe that Whitman would be able to get behind the whole “Hey I’m a free spirit” let’s have a giant orgy kind of thing, but overall I do not believe his philosophies adequately coincide with Oneidas.  One thing in particular Whitman would have difficulty accepting, would be the notion of a communal “leader” who assigns the rest of the community work and gives them “purpose” in the newfound Garden of Eden they have created.  This is the opposite of placing precedence upon a lifestyle that embraces loafing, and in a way contradicts their free-spirited sexual way of life which is the only thing a free and flowing savage such as Whitman, would possibly support.

This is my unfortunately boring reading... sorry, if only I sounded like David Attenborough.

Yoda Speak


“The Greatest Unrest of Which We Are Part” is my favorite Specimen Days entry yet!  Although short in stature, the few sentences he does write are saturated with intuitive content regarding the compelling forces of “man and the universe” and “creation's incessant unrest.”  He describes them as being part of an ultimate “never-achieved poem” for there seems to be no answer or conclusion for the universal topics he speaks of.  It seems to share some relatable qualities with that of “Song of Myself” seeing as he discusses themes regarding human entropy and cosmic conflicts or “pulls” yet never seems to reach a finite conclusion, thus making it somewhat of an unfinished poem.  All of this he addresses within the first two sentences, and then quite beautifully ends it with the rhetorical question of “what is humanity... but emotion?”  One may view this as though we are all just meandering bodies of condensed emotions, that we know not how to maneuver.


In regards to how this relates to the picture of Yoda and the meaning of my title, I am simply referring to the title of his entry and the wisdom he manages to disperse in such a short amount of time.  My comparison (quite obviously far fetched) none the less shows that Whitman possesses a vast amount of knowledge, and if anyone would be able to distinguish the meaning of some kind of universal “force” it would certainly be him.

Crises Among Conduct

If I’m going to be honest with both myself and whoever decides to read this, in my opinion “The Village Blacksmith” is not an impressionable poem.  Don’t get me wrong I’m a huge fan of Wadsworth, (in poems such as “My Lost Youth” “The Rainy Day” and “A Psalm of Life”) but this poem about the blacksmith never really struck a chord.  I can appreciate his meter, his manipulation and juxtaposition of words, but when I look upon the poem as a whole, I find it somewhat easy to consign to oblivion. 

However, when I look upon Whitman’s work as a whole he strikes not just one but multiple chords within me that I cannot dismiss even if I so wish to.  I find it difficult to compare his work to the work of his contemporaries, because there is a certain stability (and somewhat similar style) in much of their work, that makes it negatively incomparable with that of Whitman’s.  Yet if I had to choose, the two poems I enjoyed the most were “I vex me not with brooding on the years” by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, and “The Hunters of Men” by John Greenleaf Whittier.  Both poems (although riddled with rhythmic meter and defined metaphors) bring forth thought provoking concepts that stretch beyond the means of the possible surface level interpretations one may draw.  This is the same thing Whitman does in making the reader connect on a deeper level, yet I feel as though he is substantially more successful in doing so by delving into the chaotic yet categorical realm of free verse.

Man's Final Lesson

One thing in particular that attracts me to Specimen Days, is the personal journalese quality with which Whitman writes.  It is true that in Leaves of Grass Whitman asks the reader to get to know him on an intimate level, but at times I feel as though  I am able to more naturally connect with Whitman through reading his journals.

For instance, the entry that struck me deeply this week was “Death of a Hero” for a multitude of reasons.  Whitman speaks of a young soldier who risks his life for another only to get shot in the knee cap, and is consequently sentenced to face amputation and eventual death.  He writes about the soldier using language easy to articulate, yet manages to place the dying soldier in a brilliant and heroic light.  However, what is most interesting about this entry is the line he includes at the very end from the soldier himself who says, “to-day the doctor says I must die -- all is over with me -- ah, so young to die...dear brother Thomas, I have been brave but wicked -- pray for me.”   Quite fascinating, the contradiction the soldier himself proclaims, wicked yet heroic, and forced to face the end before his life has even truly began.

Death is a terrifying inevitability that sooner or later we all must come to accept, but acceptance does not equate with comprehension.  Whitman undoubtedly understands that he knows not what the prospect of death implies, but somehow he has acquired a certain level of acceptance like the soldier has in acknowledging his end.

I might be straying away from the cardinal theme of this entry, yet I cannot help but mention a certain song this all reminds me of.  The song is titled “Nothing Less” by Living Legends, and in one of the last verses an artist says, “One last breath and everything could be pleasant, life through death, man’s final lesson.”  Personally, I feel as though this relates directly to both the soldier and Whitman, and appropriately sums up the meaning of this particular journal.  For both Whitman in his existence, and the soldier in his demise, seem to realize that death is the ultimate lesson of man, and as an inexorable consequence it is the redeeming trial that mankind must face in a dignified light.

Whitman's Womb

Birth & Origin

-Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems (pg. 2).

-Always the procreant urge of the world (pg. 2).

-And that all the men ever born are also my brothers...and the women my sisters and lovers (pg. 4).

-Or I guess the grass is itself a child...the produced babe of the vegetation (pg. 4).

-It may be you are from old people and from women, and from offspring taken soon out of their mothers’ laps (pg. 4).

-Has any one supposed it lucky to be born (pg. 5).

-I pass death with the dying, and birth with the new-washed babe...and am not contained between my hat and boots (pg. 5).

-For me children and the begetters of children (pg. 5).

-What exclamations of women taken suddenly, who hurry home and give birth to babes (pg. 6).

-The one-year wife is recovering and happy, a week ago she bore her first child (pg. 10).

-The nine months’ gone is in the parturition chamber, her faintness and pains are advancing (pg. 10).

-Did you fear some scrofula out of the unflagging pregnancy (pg. 16).

-And of the threads that connect the stars -- and of wombs (pg. 17).

-Carrying the crescent child that carries its own full mother in its belly (pg. 26).

-Putting myself here and now to the ambushed womb of the shadows (pg. 34).

-Births have brought us richness and variety,

And other births will bring us richness and variety (pg. 37).

-Before I was born out of my mother generations guided me,

My embryo has never been torpid...nothing could overlay it (pg. 38).

Out of these many motifs regarding the concept of birth and origin, I shall be focusing on the following four:

1. Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems (pg. 2).

This appears in the text in the very beginning of the poem when he is asking the reader to join him in his growth.  Before saying this, he asks if the reader has “reckoned a thousand acres much” or “reckoned the earth much.” Whitman is in a sense asking the reader to thus “reckon” or take his poem into deep consideration because, in doing so the reader shall have an understanding of all poems.

2. Or I guess the grass is itself a child...the produced babe of the vegetation (pg. 4).

This one is sort of self-explanatory.  In the poem Whitman has just had the discussion with the child about the grass, and this is one of his seven interpretations of what the grass could possibly be.  By saying the grass is a child itself, he is using a kind of circular reasoning; the grass knows nothing yet is all, the child knows nothing yet in his absence of knowledge there is a discrete layer of wisdom to be found.

3. Carrying the crescent child that carries its own full mother in its belly (pg. 26).

Leading up to this particular sentence in the poem, Whitman is speaking of his travels and describes multiple (real or possibly unreal) instances, and towards the end of his purposefully meandering this line arrives.  I believe it touches upon the same type of circular reasoning I mentioned above, the child and the mother are one, and the crescent child (just like the crescent moon) is growing literally while the mother grows metaphorically as they carry each other along in the world.

4. Before I was born out of my mother generations guided me,

My embryo has never been torpid...nothing could overlay it (pg. 38).

In this part of the poem it seems like Whitman is talking about his own creation, and how it came to be that he views the world in such a fluid manner.  The lines themselves imply that he was a part of life before he was able to breathe, and even in the womb his embryo was in constant motion and never fell pray to stagnation or consumption.

By using motifs that revolve around birth, growth and the origin of things, Whitman is able to more than adequately articulate and fluidly combine his themes regarding nature, the poet and the self.  Birth is the beginning of life, and quite frankly it is the uniting factor in all of nature and mankind.  Consciousness or the lack there of, is what often separates man from nature, but through his metaphors concerning comprehension prior to consciousness, one may draw the parallel he is making between life and death, stagnation and elasticity.  Whitman seems to be feeding off the idea that there is a kind of life before birth, and in an even larger context he may be implying that quite often there are times in which the origin of something may be a secondary happening, and therefore may represent an insufficient understanding of an ultimate beginning.  

In regards to Whitman’s aspirations, it becomes clear that he is concerned with the beginning of things just as much as their end, and he believes that to truly understand anything one must understand where the creation of their thoughts began.  That is to say, Whitman became conscious of his thoughts in the womb, because his subconscious was too powerful to fall victim to submission.  However, in reality Whitman is simply implying that stagnation can mark your destination if you so allow it to, but continuous growth and the pursuit of knowing may grant you the ability to be reborn and rediscovered each and every day.

Translucent America

Just as leaves may constitute a metaphorical connective element in Whitman’s poem, Barnum creates a physical connective concept such as the “American Museum” that essentially “epitomizes its era.”  The museum was an institution built to present a large scale interpretation of American culture during times of civil unrest, and succeeded in “[foundering] on the social tensions [that arose] from gender, ethnic, class, and racial difference” which relates quite similarly to the core of some of Whitman’s themes.  Both Barnum and Whitman seem to be playing upon the notion of what really constitutes or “makes up” American life, or in Whitman’s case, life in general.

In comparing Whitman’s creation to that of Barnum’s, there is a crucial element one must note if they wish to understand the purpose in constructing an image of man or, “The American Man.”  It all relates back to an abstract interpretation of the title Leaves of Grass.  One may view it in a cliche manner in which the leaves are essentially components of the  “Tree of Life.”  Initially this concept fascinates me, so upon further research I found that, “The crude sap which is taken up from the ground is converted by the leaves into a substance which goes to build up every part of the tree and causes it to grow larger from year to year; so that instead of the tree making the leaves... the leaves really make the tree.”  How perfectly this plays into Whitman’s implications of leaves and grass, in an almost quasi-literal sense.  Not only do the leaves (which represent man and his actions or in Barnum’s case represent interpretations of man we can physically see etc.) cause the tree to flourish, but when they die they fall upon the grass which symbolizes reality, or the common underlying factor we may all reach if not in life, then surely in our demise.

A Dream of Nature

I initially chose the entry “Thoughts Under an Oak --A Dream” because in “Song of Myself” Whitman expresses his infatuation with nature and its purities.  But upon reading it I found that it connects to Whitman on a multitude of other levels as well.  Whitman speaks of nature in an eloquent manner, as if he only feels whole when he is completely emerged in it’s elements.  He speaks of the wind as being “Nature’s mighty whisper” that flows over everything and takes on the quality of being a connective element.  This concept in a sense parallels that of his own thoughts and contemplations, seeing as under the oak tree he “muses” over his life “connecting events, dates, as links of a chain” etc.  Whitman’s thoughts are like that of the wind, yet while he reflects upon his life and himself, he still finds time to stop and take note of the beauty in the nature around him.

There is an intimate quality to this journal entry that only further deepens my understanding of Leaves of Grass as a whole.  In the book Whitman yearns for that sensual and connected feeling between the reader and the poem, and in this entry it is as if he is the reader, and the nature around him is the poem that he must unite with.  The entry demonstrates his sensual connection with nature, and through that connection we learn that he is able to adequately analyze his own life, without forgetting the importance of the life that surrounds him.

The Importance of Grass

“A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands;
How could I answer the child?....I do not know what it is any more than he”  (pg. 4).

Finding two lines to entitle as being my “favorite” is incredibly hard when it comes to this poem, because every line seems to be saturated with profound concepts and striking mental images.  However, out of the multitude of sentences I could have chosen, the one listed above remains to be (for me personally) the most memorable and thought provoking, for countless different reasons.

For starters, these two lines seem to touch upon the meaning of the work in its totality.  Whitman almost seems to rejoice in knowing that he does not know all, and by not answering the child he is showing the reader that one should at times accept their ignorance, rather than attempt to babble in subjects of which they have no knowledge.  It reminds me of an encounter that occurs later on in the book when he and a young girl are looking into a coffin and he says to her, “You don’t understand this, do you, my child?” “No,” she answers, to which he kindly responds, “Neither do I.”   This concept follows a similar path as the lines I chose above, because both touch upon the notion that there are some things that will forever remain beyond man’s comprehension.  Leaves and death, knowledge and naivety, extraneous in the literal sense, and yet somehow Whitman shows that from their literal contradiction stems a universal connectivity that can only be understood through its absence.

Nature Actualized

The Wilmot Proviso was attached to a bill in 1846 during the Mexican War as an amendment that provided President Polk with two million dollars.  This bill (with the stipulations of the Wilmot Proviso attached) proposed that “None of the territory acquired in the Mexican War should be open to slavery” (Infoplease.com).  Although the bill was denied by the Senate, it nonetheless brought forth the crucial issue of slavery  and presented America with its countless complications.

Whitman, who was a strong advocate of unity and tolerance, was plausibly aware not only of the amendment, but of the many complexities that arose with it as well.  In The Leaves of Grass Whitman harbors a runaway slave for a week, in which he cleans his wounds and says, “I had him sit next to me at table” thus demonstrating his desire to bridge the gap between black and white, between acceptance and dissent.

In the core of Whitman’s philosophy according to “Song of Myself” he expresses an innate desire to embrace what is natural and raw, as an attempt to further himself from indulging in a dependent relationship with society.  He notes the importance of being able to “[Grow] among black folks as among white” and gives no preference to either, seeing as they are equal in the eyes of nature and therefore in the eyes of himself.  To deny an individual a natural right such as equality, is to deny them the right to smell their own perfumes and rejoice in the beauty of their own existence.

Whitman understood what most Americans took hundreds of years to even begin to fathom.  He understood that freedom and the right to simply ‘be’ is an organic quality no man may give to another, but is a conundrum that man must actualize and conquer within himself.