"I am the poet of the Body and I am the poet of the Soul, The pleasures of heaven are with me and the pains of hell are with me,...I am he that walks the tender and growling night. I call to the earth and sea half-held by night." (44-45)
While Whitman's poems were indeed stepped in sexuality, one influence of his that cannot be ignored is the very strong biblical presence in much of his material. When he capitalizes certain words, "the Body,...the poet of Soul," it brings to mind the 'mind, body, and soul' description of the 'father, son, and holy ghost.' By calling attention to these key words, Whitman is using symbolism from the bible to describe the love he is feeling when he is writing this poem. God is love, essentially, and Whitman embraces the idea of God in a very modern way- as an entity who loves and adores his "children," not one who is carrying a big stick and looking to punish us for our sins. The overwhelmingly fluid and lovely prose Whitman uses shows that above all else, he was a man of acceptance and joy- a man who delights in all aspects of the senses- and who finds all things, (sexual and non sexual) to be gifts to be savored and enjoyed.
With the section on the "29th bather," Whitman seems to be writing this from a sexual point of view. However, if you look closer, you see that it could be interpreted as a love song from God to his children- the ones he watches over with love and admiration. Sparknotes comments on this section, saying: "The lavish eroticism of this section reinforces this idea: sexual contact allows two people to become one yet not one--it offers a moment of transcendence." Transcendence is a very spiritual thing- and Whitman shows that sometimes the line between spirituality and sexuality can sometimes be blurred. Whitman was incredibly adept at showing many different interpretations on subjects that, during his time, were never questioned. One would never speak about sexuality being compared to anything in the spiritual sense...it simply was not done. Whitman broke down barriers with his poetic, free, language, and because of him, we see things we might not have seen for ourselves.
As a sort of tour guide through the sense, Whitman has us feel, taste, smell, and hear his poetry with a renewed appreciation. Going beyond the normal walls of literature, his work is ultimately an..experience. One that cannot be forgotten, and one that is renewed each and every time we join in on his "Song Of Myself."
20/20 Wow, who knew Sparknotes ever got that good??? "Sparknotes comments on this section, saying: 'The lavish eroticism of this section reinforces this idea: sexual contact allows two people to become one yet not one--it offers a moment of transcendence.'"
ReplyDeleteReminder: it's important to mark the end of poetic lines (always) with a "/" mark. Your future English profs will grade you down -- and look down on you -- if you forget!
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