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Song of Myself (1881) Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman & Song of Individualism
«All truth wait in all things» (30)«I take part, I see and hear the whole» (33)«Not words of routine this song of mine, But abrubtly to question, to leap beyond yet nearer bring» (42)«There is that in me - I do not know what it is - but I know it is in me» (50)
I will look at verse 42 to 46, and examine how Whitman views
the individual
and the
cycle of life
. In these passages he speaks of the mystery of humankind and life itself, and he is gettingcloser to a «conclusion» of his song. There is a sense of a cyclic view of life, where recreation anda positive belief in progress. Furthermore there is this collective solidarity, unity among humankindMoreover Whitman seem to suggest that we all are culmination of history.
Outline of verse:
42Gathering his listeners, readers and express a communion with the common man, since it is thecore of everyday life, and thus the most important. He underlines the importance of the commonman`s right as constitutional. Furthermore Whitman utters an collective feeling with his fellow-humans before he in the last passage in the verse starts to justify his song of himself as it is part of the larger search for the answers to the greater meaning of life`s mystery and its elementaryquestions of reason, love and life.43In this verse Whitman ventures into religious faith and the belief of a metaphysical recreation of man and moreover a deep belief in religious unity, or acceptance of all religious beliefs. Hecontinues with speaking of the culmination of man, that we are being pushed by the past and thatwe are part of the culmination of generations succeeding us. In this philosophy there lies a hope,where nobody that lives a life should feel that they have lived in vain.44
 
In the next verse the poet reveals that he will explain himself in a ceremonious manner. Again thereis this sense of collectivity, as we all stand together in the search of the meaning in the greatUnknown. He brings up the mystery of time, the flow of time, which to us mortals seem eternal, but he does also stress the fact that everyone and everything is equally important within its periodand place. The thought that we are embodied history, or an acme of things accomplished in the past are next presented, in the same manner as we are encloser as things to come. In the latter partof the verse Whitman focuses on individuality and egocentric view of our existence and how weare culimination of our history`s past generations, and this is why he, as individual, stands in themoment, on this spot, with his robust soul.45Here Whitman speaks of life force and how death is just a lucky continuance of life, and again weare back at the flow of time and how life springs out of death. This optimistic progressionismcontinues until the end of the verse and the glorious limitless possibilities ahead. This evolutionarythought seem to accumulate into a celestial goal, where the Lord will wait for man as he ascendsinto a higher understanding of the universe and divinity.46Whitman opens this verse by proclaiming how free he is a human and how he never has been judged, or measured by time or space in his existence as human. Then he commences a passagewhere he portrays life as a journey, which the listener, or reader, should join. Here the «I» appearsto be a mentor, a teacher, a tutor, whose duty is to lead the way for the listener. The mentor encourages the individual to trust himself if he desire a higher meaning of existence and life`smystery. At the end of the verse Whitman expresses his unconditional love for humanity and hisevolutionary belief in humankind`s positive dispositions, by portraying the individual as a being of incredible opportunities and potential in allegories of dreams and water.
1. Solidarity and unity
Throughout Song of Myself Whitman emphasizes the feeling of unity between people and nature, between people and animals and among people themselves.
 
«I acknowledge the duplicates of myself, the weakest and shallowest is deathless with me,What I do and say the same waits for them, Every thought that flounders in me the same floundersin them.» (42)This collective feeling that binds people together are centered on the ego, and relies uponan incredible belief in the individual. Self-awareness is essential for us as humans if we desire tounderstand the mystery of humankind and the great questions of life.
2. Search for understanding of humankind and its mystery
Whitman writes on this self-awareness;
«I know perfectly well my own egotism, Know my omnivorous lines and must not write any less, And would fetch you whoever you are flush with myself. Not words of routine this song of mine, But abruptly to question, to leap beyond yet nearer bring;This printed and bound book - but the printer and the printing-office boy?The well-taken photographs - but your wife or friend close and solid in your arms?The black ship mail`d with iron, her mighty guns in her turrets - but the pluck of the captain and engineers? In the houses the dishes and fare and furniture - but the host and hostess,and the look out of their eyes?The sky up there - yet here or next door, or across the way?The saints and sages in history - but you yourself? Sermons, creeds, theology - but the fathomless human brain, And what is reason? and what is love? and what is life?» (42)
It is in the smaller, trivial things of everyday life, we see the miracle of life. But we need to see«beyond» the surface of things, see the reality of it, see the people behind the words of books, thehuman relationships in photographs or the working men of a ship. That is where we must searchfor answers to the questions of life`s mystery. That is where the magic is, the magic of life, where
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