Blog Seven: Song of Myself - Whitman

     I was a little disappointed with Walt Whitman, truthfully. There were many things that he said that were pretty, and even some things that I thought were good worldviews, but on the whole I think he was a little full of it. 

     From reading the intro I learned that there were several instances where he pushed his writing to be publicly recognized. Fame. That is a direct contradiction to the impressions he gives about worldly success and notoriety in "Song of Myself". He claims that he is who he is (which he states is absolutely dreamy) and that he is also a part of everyone else and vice versa. He is satisfied with simply lying in the field and no one ever choosing to recognize him (he says).  His actions speak otherwise. 

When I read his works I kinda get this feeling that as he was lying somewhere, he would just let himself feel as if he was melting into his surroundings, and becoming one with everything. I wonder if that was his way of coping with an identity crisis. I can't figure out who I am, so I'l just be part of everyone and everyone will be part of me. That way life seems fair. ---- Maybe that was a source of his worldview. That is all speculation of course. 

     I wonder if he was kinda like a hippie...? I'm inclined to think so. Peace and love, dude.

     He writes well, I think. Even when I didn't agree with what he was saying I felt like I could feel what he wanted me to feel as I read.

There have been many times when I feel that I need to give props to someone for being bold enough to introduce a different, controversial way of thinking, even if I  don't like a lot of it. I think there were probably quite a few other people that must have felt this way about Whitman during his lifetime. Quite possibly that's one reason that he is considered a classic. Another reason, of course has to that some of his words and ideas are so lovely, that they flow like music. 

"A child said What is 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.... And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves.

Tenderly will I use you curling grass,

It may be you transpire from the breasts of young men,

It may be if I had known them I would have loved them,

It may be you are from old people, or from offspring taken soon          out of their mothers' laps,

And here you are the mothers' laps.

This grass is very dark to be from the white heads of old mothers,

Darker than the colorless beards of old men,

Dark to come from under the faint red roofs of mouths.

O I perceive after all so many uttering tongues,

And I perceive they do not come from the roofs of mouths for          nothing.

I wish I could translate the hints about the dead young men and
         women..." 

There's a reason he is classic.