The Ideal of Self in the Writing of Whitman

In most of, if not all of Walt Whitman’s poetry, he attempts to define “self,” or his spiritual connection with his body. This is especially prevalent in his poems in the work Leaves of Grass. Whitman displays his ideals on the topic of self as well as incorporating song into his poetry in such poems as Excelsior and One Song, America, Before I Go. Whitman’s main purpose of writing about this idea of self is to comprehend how death and his life share a link. His personal definition seems to be quite simple in his link between his physical life and spirituality with God, as Longabucco explains, in that if God is within everybody, and he, therefore, is God, and he is we, the readers, then we are God as well, and everything seems to be connected, yet it is not that simple as Whitman seems to convey in his Leaves of Grass poetry. It is because of these characteristics that Whitman is regarded as one of the most influential poets of all time. He challenges readers to think deeper into themselves as a whole, as a spirit, rather than just their physical being. He uses his ideals of self--aided by a quality of song to convey this message to his readers.

Whitman factors in the poetic device of song, similar to repetition, to give his poetry a stronger, more powerful effect. For instance, in his poem titled, One Song, America, Before I Go, he uses a quality of song to express his political views of the time (Whitman “One”) In his poem Excelsior, he begins each of his phrases with the words, “And who” so as to ask a question of competition with the world (Whitman “Excelsior”). Then, in this same poem, he goes on to say in each line that he has done better than all of these wonderful things to illustrate that he is some sort of perfect being (Whitman “Excelsior”). This begs the question raised by Longabucco that is Whitman, and the readers for that matter, God? Whitman certainly portrays his definition of self in this poem using song by saying he is some sort of perfect person. Some critics view this as arrogant or rude, but one must look at his reasoning. He uses hidden logic throughout Leaves of Grass that many readers may not notice initially. He seems to back up his statements transitively so to speak, meaning that there is a roundabout way of proving things (Longabucco).

As a whole, Whitman’s true definition of self in his own terms appears to be misconstrued at times. I believe this is due to the fact that Leaves of Grass itself was written during a period of great thought and growth for Whitman, and it represents sort of a spiritual journey to find this definition of self. However, it appears to me that not only does he speak of himself, but also his themes may be universal. In his poem O Captain! My Captain! He seems to be addressing one of his idols, Abraham Lincoln (Whitman “O Captain!”). However, this could be taken from really anybody’s point of view when finding his or her “self.” This poem may be viewed dealing with anybody’s death just as well as it pertains to Lincoln’s own assassination. This is one of the very broad things about Whitman’s definition of self; he searches for what is right in terms of his own spirituality and what links his body and soul, yet his ideals easily link to the entire population as well (Longabucco). To me, I feel as though Whitman’s true definition of self, according to his poetry, is really up in the air. Since his poems may be universal and open for interpretation, then so is his definition of self. This is sort of a comical paradox because one’s personal definition of them cannot be universal because we are all unique humans. If Whitman were to say personally what his description of self is, it would probably consist of Christianity as well as God in some way, and there would be death playing a part in it, but other than broad subjects, it is hard to say what he really thinks to himself rather than as a human in general.

Works Cited

Longabucco, Matt. "'The Proof of a Poet'—Walt Whitman and His Critics." In Bloom, Harold, ed. Walt Whitman, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=&iPin=BCWWh03&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 23, 2011).

Whitman, Walt. "Excelsior." CassComm. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .

Whitman, Walt. "O Captain! My Captain!." CassComm. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .

Whitman, Walt. "One Song, America, Before I Go." CassComm. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.