ipl-logo

Comparing Emerson And Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

1011 Words5 Pages

Ralph Also Emerson was a trailblazer. His views on nature, existentialism, poetry, and human sexuality expressed within his poetry were unprecedented for his time. Many poets tried to follow in his footsteps, but none succeeded quite like Walt Whitman. Similar to a relay race, Whitman took Emerson’s thoughts and ran with them. While separately, these poets were powerful, together they created a movement unlike any other.
Scholars agree that Walt Whitman was inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s stated need for an American poet. He saw America as a large, unsung poem; just waiting to be written. Emerson beckoned the call, a call that would later greatly inspire Walt Whitman, in his essay “The Poet”: “Our log-rolling, our stumps and their politics, …show more content…

Whitman thought that sexuality should be embraced rather than ignored, we should celebrate all of our urges whether they be straight or gay. He wanted us to love our bodies and be fascinated by our anatomy and natural sex appeal. While Whitman’s writings can be very erotic and express sexual desires, but they rarely discuss specific acts of sex. His passages more so talk about the sensuality of the body and mind. In “Song of Myself” he wrote: The atmosphere is not a perfume . . . . it has no taste of the distillation . . . . it is odorless, It is for my mouth forever . . . . I am in love with it, I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked, I am mad for it to be in contact with me. The smoke of my own breath, echoes, ripples, and buzzed whispers . . . . love root, silk thread, crotch and vine.” Whitman has also written about his love for men as well, not necessarily sexually; but sensually. While there is no doubt that Emerson probably felt the same way (it has been rumored that he had quite a few “homo-erotic” feelings), he just did not vocalize his feelings in the same manner that Whitman

Show More
Related
692 Words | 3 Pages

Walt Whitman was an American poet and journalist born on May 31, 1819. Whitman was influenced by transcendentalism, which was an idea emphasizing that to understand nature, one must analyze the reasoning or process behind it. Whitman had done many writings throughout his life that had been inspirations for other poets. For example, in the spring of 1855, Whitman published “Leaves of Grass”, which was a collection of twelve unnamed poems. This writing was enticed by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who thought that the collection of poems were “the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom.”

Read More
222 Words | 1 Pages

I thought The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis was an outstanding book. It was very slow at first, just getting to know the characters. Even though it was slow, it really helped add to the emotion of the book. It showed how close they were as a family and what they were willing to do for eachother. However, it got exciting when Byron started getting in trouble.

Read More
270 Words | 2 Pages

Walt Whitman and Emily Dickerson are American poets, who wrote their poetry during the civil war. Whitman writings began when he was eleven years old; however, his poetry was different from others he addressed all “the facts of the animal economy, sex, nutriment, gestation, and birth” (1005). Furthermore, Whitman was an American democrat, former teacher, editor, community activist and journalists. His poems have been published in many papers and books. Whitman wrote on behalf of wounded soldiers, and America as a nation.

Read More
802 Words | 4 Pages

In the third stanza, Whitman is talking about how everyone is calmly judging people and putting them into categories. However, according to Whitman, “I am silent, and go bathe and admire myself” (Whitman 1332). This says to me that he did not care what other people were doing. He did not judge anyone

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

Whitman, in this outstanding piece experienced this cosmic realisation, and was ‘mythological’ and at the forefront steering it as a literature guru. His personal life spilled over to his poetry which enthused his readers more into his personality. Did other achievements of Walt Whitman’s influence his poetry? Such a man portrayed a philosophical or mystic mind, and may have given rise to themes breaking literary boundaries as with ‘A Noiseless, little

Read More
888 Words | 4 Pages

Walt Whitman’s poem Song of Myself is a poem where he celebrates the self. One can argue that his poem is quite arrogant especially if they only would focus on the title or the first verse “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, and what I assume you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (Whitman, 1892). Despite this, Whitman had a lot of interesting

Read More
2285 Words | 10 Pages

Poetry is an artwork with words. One man helped progress the changes made within the style of writing poems today. Walt Whitman, was a fascinating and transcendent poet. He lived a whole-hearted life without limitations, and many were against the lifestyles he chose. Nevertheless, no one could stop him from writing, and eventually, Walt Whitman revolutionized American poetry.

Read More
1633 Words | 7 Pages

Throughout his poem, he constantly talks about the importance of coming together and merging. Whitman says, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (Whitman 1). On the surface, this quote may appear to illustrate that Whitman thinks highly of himself, but it is more than this. The last part of this quote emphasizes that we are all connected and even though we are all individuals, we should not forget that we are connected to one another. Whitman also says, “Urge and urge and urge, Always the procreant urge of the world.

Read More
1083 Words | 5 Pages

Whitman was born in New York and spent his last years in Camden, but he was very close to this movement. He recognised himself that he always go back to Emerson . He shaped his poetry according to Emerson and Transcendentalism. Such poets and philosophers of the 19th century were strongly opposing rigid nationalism, empiricism, social conformity and materialism. In this movement self-realization and self-reliance are important tools to seek the Truth.

Read More
1496 Words | 6 Pages

An iconic figure in the history of American literature, Walt Whitman was born on the 31st May 1819. Today his contribution and works in the poetic world have come to define sentimentalism, ambitions and some key experiences that Americans underwent in the 19th century. Even though he may have been politically inactive, his work had the will to display political views. Having survived through the civil war, he grew much affectionate perception on the nature and complexity of American polity. Whitman’s view of America was that of a culturally diverse society that we currently witness as such this vision was mainly expressed in his poetic works.

Read More
141 Words | 1 Pages

Who was Walt Whitman Walt Whitman was a American poet, eassayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of a transition transcendentalism and realism, and incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the America canon, often called the father of free verse. His work was a very controversial in its time. What is happening in the poem

Read More
973 Words | 4 Pages

To begin with, Whitman throughout the poem shows a lot about what he believes and what he's opposed to as the states that he is both the body and the soul. By providing the lines he provides, it reflects his individualism as well as gives ideas about the topic of his poem as the title says it clear that it is about himself. Whithmand in the poem relates to the Romantic era as he mentions nature a lot making it obvious of his love for it. Romanticism era shown by Whitman is expressed in the poem as he says ïn the beginning, second stanza ¨I loafe and invite my soul, I learn and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer

Read More
646 Words | 3 Pages

Whitman highlights the significance of each individual varied souls from all walks of life and their collective importance, “tend inward to me, and I tend outward to them… And of these one and all I weave the song of myself.” Besides this line providing the entire collections name (what does that mean), this rather brief statement buried under a mountain of personal experiences is essential to understanding the message of individuality. After encouraging his readers to have ultimate faith in their own souls and reach into the euphoric atmosphere of their individual passions, Whitman doubles back to emphasize the importance of connectedness to your fellow man. Just as individually, all of the people and stories listed earlier in this poem end

Read More
1125 Words | 5 Pages

In this grand poem, Whitman glorifies the unity of all people and life. He embraces the geographical diversity as well as the diversity of culture, work, as well as sexuality or beliefs. Whitman’s influence sets American dreams of freedom, independence, and self-fulfillment, and changes them for larger spiritual meaning. Whitman appreciates hard work as well as being simple and non-egotistical. His major ideas are things such as soul, good health, as well as the love of nature.

Read More
938 Words | 4 Pages

Secondly, Whitman’s use of imagery shows the power of his imagination and the extent of his sensory impressions. Line twenty-two for example brings forth the energy coming from nature and its spiritual affect on the self. In addition, Whitman uses the senses to draw a picture for the reader. Touch for example, is used in “a few light kisses, a few embraces…”(1150). Hearing is used in “the sound of the belch’d words of my voice…”(1150).

Read More

More about Comparing Emerson And Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

Related Topics

Open Document