Alex Barrett

Introduction to Literature

Short Essay #1

Gender Equality in Song of Myself and Precious

Gender equality is a major idea that has had a lot of views and critics over the years. It

has been all over the news for years. The wage gap, discrimination, and many other things

associated with gender have been in the eyes of the public for a very long time. That is also true

in literature. Both Song of Myself by Walt Whitman and Precious by Nalo Hopkinson show a

theme of gender and a theme of equality. The two works of literature also have some similarities

and differences with the way they approach the subjects.

Walt Whitman does not really make an argument about whether men and women are

equal or not, but he does state that he sees men and women as being equal. We can see that in

many of the quotes that he gives in his poem named Song of Myself. According to Whitman, he

says “it is as great to be women as to be a man” (NVE 450). In the quote, he is making the

argument that more people should see men and women to be equal because it is just as great to

be one as the other. Another quote that shows Whitman’s stance on the gender equality issue is

when he states, “Every kind for itself and its own, for me mine male and female” (NVE 449).

This statement is also important when looking at Whitman’s stance on gender and the equality of

the two genders. Whitman shows that he sees men and women as equals. With both of these

quotes, Whitman not only shows his feelings towards the equality between male and female, but

he also shows his feelings towards how other people percept male and female. He believes

everybody should see them as equal.

 Nalo Hopkinson uses her story Precious to make the argument that females are not

treated equal to their male counterparts. Hopkinson uses the main character Precious, whose real

name is Isabel, as being used by her husband. Precious was given a so-called gift that made her

produce jewelry by showing emotions by actions such as crying, laughing, and more. Her

husband uses her by making her show those actions by tickling her so that she laughs and creates

jewelry that he can make riches from. This shows that Hopkinson believes that not all men treat

women fairly or equally. Hopkinson also makes another argument about how women are

supposed to act. When Precious was a little girl, her father told her “That a soft answer would

turn away wrath” (248). This quote from Precious’s father shows that people believe that women

should always be nice to others and especially obey men.

The two stories have some similarities and differences. Both Whitman’s Song of Myself

and Hopkinson’s Precious make arguments about the equality or inequality between males and

females. The two stories are also similar since they both give one person’s feelings toward the

subject and not a group of people. The stories are also very different in the ways they approach

the subject. In Song of Myself, Whitman uses a poem where he can show and tell his own

feelings and thoughts towards the subject more clearly as he is the narrator or main character. In

Precious, Hopkinson uses a short story to show the audience her own feelings towards the

subject through the main character Precious. Whitman’s take and argument is also more that he

sees males and females as being equally great and that everybody else should see them in the

same way as he does. Hopkinson’s take and argument is more about how males will sometimes

use females for personal gain. She also makes an argument about how many people view the

way females should act.

 In literature, there has been many different stories and works that have made attempts to

speak about the gender equality subject. Song of Myself by Walt Whitman and Precious by Nalo

Hopkinson are two examples of this. Both stories have a theme of gender and a theme of

equality. These two themes work together as the authors make their views clear about the idea of

gender equality. The two stories have some similarities as well as differences with each author’s

approach to speaking about the topic.