Song of Myself by Walt Whitman – A Commentary on Poem 1 and Poem 2

Résumé du document

Walt Whitman's Song of Myself is divided into 52 parts and we have here the first two, that is, the opening lines of the piece. It is evident from the beginning that, as far as structure is concerned, no apparent logic holds the body of the work together. All parts seem different in length and content. Some of them seem to exist on their own and if taken out, they still continue to make sense. The poem gives an overall impression of being made up of a large number of short individual poems, broken into lines without connection in between. Its structure appears to be assembled at random, in small fractals, just like a crystal would appear to the eye when turned against the light. But this is only true when the inspection of the poem is superficial. From the very beginning, we are presented with a poem of Chaos. Just as if obeying the theory of Chaos, it gives an impression of formlessness, when actually, there hides within it an "underlying order".

Extraits

[...] The conscious is represented by a small piece of Nature and is therefore, iteration in the same transcendental equation as the blade of grass though of a different kind, they are each other. This is where Whitman tries to settle on his conviction that all things transcend their existence to become other entities in the eternal natural world. It is interesting to note how Whitman represents the human being. The human body and soul make a whole only when in contact with Nature. Otherwise, we see parts of the whole only But he does not stop there. [...]

[...] Everyone is to be enlightened with a blissful perception of the universe. Everyone “shall listen to all sides and filter them from [him / her] self.” Bibliography Greenspan, Ezra. The Cambridge Companion to Walt Whitman, Cambridge University Press Whitman, Walt. Walt Whitman's Song of Myself: A Sourcebook and Critical Edition, ed. Ezra Greenspan, Routledge Whitman Walt. [...]

[...] Movements within the poem occur gradually and cautiously with the help of the numerous blanks Whitman creates. Each section, standing alone as an individual poem, represents in its entirety the whole Song of Myself and then makes a larger whole with the other poems. The sections are not disconnected they are poetically linked, whether by image, theme or a simple reiteration (for example, is replicated throughout the whole piece; we have it in the first part in spear of summer grass”, then further in part 6 starting with “What is the grass?” where the whole passage is dedicated to the image). [...]

[...] There is a kind of oneness by attempting to transcend contradictions. There are metaphors of bridges, ferries, etc. he goes beyond those binary oppositions, goes further and bridges cultural differences colour, gender, the me and not-me and the subject object gap. Whitman attempts to stress the complete identity with the other, a remake; it may be taken as a very possessive attitude and is even dictatorial. We then, have a breathing space and a pause to catch our breath and the audience to reflect on what is being stated. [...]

[...] We have the impression of fluidity. The theme introduced is then rendered more particular after the blank. There is another repetition of and sounds are repeated too. They seem to be like echoes. The physical aspect is linked to the soil as Adam had been created from the soil but here we have a link with America he says “this soil, this air”. This is the first attempt at establishing an identity, a fundamental American-ness. He is the American Adam. [...]