Song of Myself
Encyclopedia
"Song of Myself" is a poem by Walt Whitman
that is included in his work Leaves of Grass
. It has been credited as “representing the core of Whitman’s poetic vision.”
. The first edition was published by Whitman at his own expense.
In the second (1856) edition, Whitman used the title "Poem of Walt Whitman, an American,” which was shortened to “Walt Whitman” for the third (1860) edition.
The poem was divided into fifty-two numbered sections for the fourth (1867) edition and finally took on the title “Song of Myself” in the last edition (1881-2)
In 1855, the Christian Spiritualist gave a long, glowing review of “Song of Myself,” praising Whitman for representing “a new poetic mediumship,” which through active imagination sensed the “influx of spirit and the divine breath.”Ralph Waldo Emerson
also wrote a letter to Whitman, praising his work for its "wit and wisdom."
Public acceptance was slow in coming, however. Social conservatives denounced the poem as flouting accepted norms of morality due to its blatant depictions of human sexuality
. In 1882, Boston
district attorney threatened action against Leaves of Grass for violating the state’s obscenity laws and demanded that changes be made to several passages from “Song of Myself.”
patterns in favor of a simple, legible style that can appeal to a mass audience.
Critics have noted a strong Transcendentalist
influence on the poem. In section 32, for instance, Whitman expresses a desire to “live amongst the animals” and to find divinity in the insects.
In addition to this romanticism
, the poem seems to anticipate a kind of realism
that would only become important in United States
literature after the Civil War
. In the following 1855 passage, for example, we can see Whitman's inclusion of the gritty details of everyday life:
. The persona
described has transcended the conventional boundaries of self: "I pass death with the dying, and birth with the new-washed babe .... and am not contained between my hat and boots" (section 7).
There are several other quotes from the poem that make it apparent that Whitman does not consider the narrator to represent a single individual. Rather, he seems to be narrating for all:
Literary critics Alice L. Cook and John B. Mason give interpretations as to the meaning of the “self” as well as its importance in the poem. Cook writes that the key to understanding the poem lies in the “concept of self” (typified by Whitman) as “both individual and universal,” while Mason discusses “the reader’s involvement in the poet’s movement from the singular to the cosmic" The "self" serves as an ideal, yet, in contrast to traditional epic poetry
, this identity is one of the common people rather than a hero.
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
that is included in his work Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
. It has been credited as “representing the core of Whitman’s poetic vision.”
Publication history
The poem was first published without sections as the first of twelve untitled poems in the first (1855) edition of Leaves of GrassLeaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
. The first edition was published by Whitman at his own expense.
In the second (1856) edition, Whitman used the title "Poem of Walt Whitman, an American,” which was shortened to “Walt Whitman” for the third (1860) edition.
The poem was divided into fifty-two numbered sections for the fourth (1867) edition and finally took on the title “Song of Myself” in the last edition (1881-2)
Reception
Following its 1855 publication, “Song of Myself” was immediately singled out by critics and readers for particular attention, and today, remains among the most acclaimed and influential poems written by an American.In 1855, the Christian Spiritualist gave a long, glowing review of “Song of Myself,” praising Whitman for representing “a new poetic mediumship,” which through active imagination sensed the “influx of spirit and the divine breath.”Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
also wrote a letter to Whitman, praising his work for its "wit and wisdom."
Public acceptance was slow in coming, however. Social conservatives denounced the poem as flouting accepted norms of morality due to its blatant depictions of human sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
. In 1882, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
district attorney threatened action against Leaves of Grass for violating the state’s obscenity laws and demanded that changes be made to several passages from “Song of Myself.”
Literary style
The poem is written in Whitman’s signature free verse style. Whitman, who praises words “as simple as grass” (section 39) forgoes standard verse and stanzaStanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
patterns in favor of a simple, legible style that can appeal to a mass audience.
Critics have noted a strong Transcendentalist
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...
influence on the poem. In section 32, for instance, Whitman expresses a desire to “live amongst the animals” and to find divinity in the insects.
In addition to this romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
, the poem seems to anticipate a kind of realism
Realism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
that would only become important in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
literature after the Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
. In the following 1855 passage, for example, we can see Whitman's inclusion of the gritty details of everyday life:
The lunatic is carried at last to the asylum a confirmed case,
He will never sleep any more as he did it in the cot in his mother's bedroom;
The dour printer with gray head and gaunt jaws works at his case,
He turns his quid of tobacco, his eyes get blurred with the manuscript;
The malformed limbs are tied to the anatomist's table,
What is removed drops horribly in a pail;
The quadroonQuadroonQuadroon, and the associated words octoroon and quintroon are terms that, historically, were applied to define the ancestry of people of mixed-race, generally of African and Caucasian ancestry, but also, within Australia, to those of Aboriginal and Caucasian ancestry...
girl is sold at the stand . . . . the drunkard nods by the barroom stove ... (section 15)
"Self"
In the poem, Whitman emphasizes an all-powerful "I" which serves as narrator, who should not be limited to or confused with the person of the historical Walt WhitmanWalt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
. The persona
Persona
A persona, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask. The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον...
described has transcended the conventional boundaries of self: "I pass death with the dying, and birth with the new-washed babe .... and am not contained between my hat and boots" (section 7).
There are several other quotes from the poem that make it apparent that Whitman does not consider the narrator to represent a single individual. Rather, he seems to be narrating for all:
- “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” (Section 1)
- “In all people I see myself, none more and not one a barleycorn less/and the good or bad I say of myself I say of them” (Section 20)
- “It is you talking just as much as myself…I act as the tongue of you” (Section 47)
- “I am large, I contain multitudes.” (Section 51)
Literary critics Alice L. Cook and John B. Mason give interpretations as to the meaning of the “self” as well as its importance in the poem. Cook writes that the key to understanding the poem lies in the “concept of self” (typified by Whitman) as “both individual and universal,” while Mason discusses “the reader’s involvement in the poet’s movement from the singular to the cosmic" The "self" serves as an ideal, yet, in contrast to traditional epic poetry
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
, this identity is one of the common people rather than a hero.
Political context of "self"
Literary historian Betsey Erkkila writes that “the drama of identity” in the poem is “rooted in the political drama of a nation in crisis,”referring to tensions over slavery, women’s rights, religious revival and free love that were sweeping across America when Whitman wrote “A Song of Myself.”External links
- The University of Toronto's full text, with line numbers
- The Walt Whitman Archives
- Emerson's letter To Whitman
- Alice L. Cook's "A Note on Whitman's Symbolism in 'Song of Myself'"
- John B. Mason's "Walt Whitman's Catalogues: Rhetorical Means for Two Journeys in "Song of Myself"
- American Transcendentalism Web Study Text of "Song of Myself"
- Quaker influence in Song of Myself
- Audio: Robert Pinsky reads from "Song of Myself"