Emerson And Transcendentalism

Ralph Waldo Emerson is a prominent figure of the 19th century Transcendentalist movement whose writing has influenced numerous American writers, including Walt Whitman.

In his poem “Song of Myself,” Walt Whitman emulates the quintessential American literary voice that Ralph Waldo Emerson appeals for by emphasizing the importance of the original self, glorifying Nature as a muse, and calling for a unique brand of American poetry rather than relying on past models. “Song of Myself” first answers Emerson’s call for an American voice by accentuating the need for self-reliance. In “The Poet,” Emerson draws from Transcendentalist tenets and introduces the idea of a single individual who is representative of the masses. The ideal poet “stands among

Emerson advocates for the necessity of independence by claiming that it leads to poetic genius. In “Self-Reliance,” Emerson explains that “to believe [one’s] own thought, to believe that what is true...in [one’s] private heart, is true for all men—is genius” (549). The poet exhibits a certain intellect in trusting himself; by doing so, “he will have a whole new experience to unfold, [and] all men will be richer in his fortune” (569). Emerson furthers that the works of men who break convention and are “inflamed and carried away by [their] thought, to the degree that [they forget] the authors and the public,” are worthy to be read. Walt Whitman responds to Emerson’s glorification of individualism in “Song of Myself” in several ways. He first uses anaphora of “I” at the beginning of each line to emphasize the focus on the self. In the first line, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself” (1), he uses parallelism and repetition of “myself” to glorify the individual. Whitman also implies the speaker’s retreat from society through the usage of the verbs, as well as his breach from the norm. Celebrations and songs

Emerson explains in that age “is retrospective[,] it builds the sepulchres of the fathers [and] writes biographies, histories, and criticism” (508). Society is more focused on preserving the past than advancing the present. Consequently, there lacks a “genius in America” (579), an original mode of expression that “will not wait long for metres” (579). Emerson minimizes the importance of poetic structure, insisting that “it is not metres...that makes a poem...the thought is prior to the form” (569). Whitman answers Emerson’s request for a unique American style in “Song of Myself.” He first declares the antiquity of “creeds and schools” (10), claiming that although they are “never forgotten” (10), they are nevertheless “retiring back a while” (10). This is in reply to Emerson’s worry; that humanity is progressively focusing less attention to the past. Whitman also dramatizes the American influence on his writing by stating that “[his] tongue,” or voice, is “form’d from [America’s] soil [and] air” (6). By proclaiming himself to be a uniquely American voice, Whitman fulfills Emerson’s vision of an ideal American poet. Lastly, “Song of Myself” lacks both uniform meter and rhythm, thus deviating from historical poetic methods. Rather, the stanzas and line breaks are stylistic decisions driven more by content than tradition. Whitman’s usage of free-verse echoes Emerson’s view that