tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-956269524626095673.post2376525438131993262..comments2023-10-26T04:42:08.356-07:00Comments on Survey of American Literature, Beginnings to 1865: Whitman and 19th century American Poetryevelevjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06412797589175990830noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-956269524626095673.post-77032121831898025212011-04-12T22:49:20.751-07:002011-04-12T22:49:20.751-07:00Whitman's "Song of Myself" completel...Whitman's "Song of Myself" completely embodies his prefaced idea of the American nation and people as "the greatest poem".<br />In the poem,Whitman alludes to the cultural diversity of America and, considering the high marks beauty and visual sensory experience is given in poetry, this is a vital part of why he can consider the nation and people parts of the greatest poem ever. The diverse backgrounds of the nation's people is not singular to the theme; since poetry is often tragic, so too must part of the nation, clearly expressed when Whitman acknowledges the underbelly of society: for example the listless opium-eater, "with rigid head and just open'd lips," (Whitman 303) or the dangers associated with quartering runaway slaves during a period of intense debate and legal contradiction concerning the matter of slavery (Whitman 198).<br /><br />The poet also cleverly quilts stories about scores of Americans, their occupations and dreams, in a poetic way that coincides with the preface.In all of these different ways does Whitman allude to America containing the components of a great poem.Mike P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03112604957648428964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-956269524626095673.post-81959186588319441352011-04-12T22:45:38.336-07:002011-04-12T22:45:38.336-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Mike P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03112604957648428964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-956269524626095673.post-67706022373971687842011-04-12T17:22:04.244-07:002011-04-12T17:22:04.244-07:00“Song of Myself” is really interesting in terms of...“Song of Myself” is really interesting in terms of order and structuring. I have a pretty limited knowledge of poetry but while reading this poem, I felt structure in Whitman’s words through their meaning. The entire order of the poem seemed to be a progression of life, life’s connection to the growing and progressing actual body, and how these two things fit into and progress with nature. He starts off with pretty vague descriptions of things like, “the smoke of my own breath,” “my respiration and inspiration,” etc. He then gets more specific describing people such as “butcher-boys” and “blacksmiths” giving more identity to who he is describing. Then on page 2227, he describes himself with his name reaching the kind of epitome of what we would classify as something representing identity. His topics along with aspects of identity get ever more specific. He starts the poem with simple yet complex descriptions of nature and things around him and by page 2233, he is discussing space and time. With this intensity of topic, identity and description Whitman seems to be questioning the importance of the specificity of everything and might be suggesting we have made things all to complex. The simplicity of the image he presents on the cover and lack of his name and titles also plays to this thought.Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05716716699051740455noreply@blogger.com