“Song of Myself,” by Walt Whitman

In Song of Myself, Walt Whitman transforms the poetic image of beauty, art and exhibition into a sanctuary of self exposure, transparency, and transcendence.

Whitman’s audience – or listeners – don’t just comprise the reader of the poem, but is composed of every possible creature or thing on Earth.  At the very beginning of the poem Whitman forcefully draws his human readers into his oration by declaring, “And what I assume you shall assume.”  The reader is left with no choice but to engage in the conversation as not only as an interested onlooker, but as an active participant whereby he or she is trying to visualize and be a part of the transcendence that Whitman is describing.  Also, by assuming what Whitman assumes, the reader is guided in the process of the transformation and enlightenment – even though Whitman later disavows his influence.

Whitman not only brings the reader’s mind into the poem but becomes one with him.  He writes, “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”  He is becoming one with the reader as they possess the very same atoms together.  I don’t think that Whitman just necessarily means the atoms of the physical makeup, but can mean the actual mental thought processes, which will be needed to take this journey together or at least understand it.  And by understanding it is not just a mental process either, it is a process of transcendence (which has its beginnings in the mind).

Throughout the poem Whitman strips himself of his identity and associates himself with every manner of human, creature and creation.  He becomes nothing and at the same time is everything.  That is what makes this poem so difficult because if he is all of these things than what is he really?  You are who you are because of the uniqueness of your being, not your commonality.  But in that sense he touches all different types of readers and he tells them that they are no different, that their existence means our existence means my existence.

Whitman goes to challenge the reader, “Listener up there! What have you to confide to me?”  He is saying to the listener to oppose the oration if he is able to and/or to share with him a piece of knowledge about oneself, which will be some knowledge about himself.  And what the listener, now speaker says will be in private, so as to not break their bond.

In stanza 46, Whitman admonishes the reader to seek the road and travel it for himself because no one can travel it for him. But Whitman is the guide to that road and turns out to be the soil that one has to step on, and which will be supported by.