Song of… Humanity.
October 8, 2010 by nc102092
Well, I thought that title would qualify as a valid title for Whitman’s poem. Despite the fact that he continually refers to himself throughout this poem, I feel like the reader, or any individual, can be placed in his shoes. In fact, the introduction suggests this very idea, where he says “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” I find this interesting because, judging from the title, I expected to read something more like an argument for, or celebration of his own uniqueness and personality. But it seems like he took a different turn by being more observant of life itself, and human nature in general.
In my opinion, the poem generally appeared as an account of experiences and observations, but it is towards the end that I began to take it on a more personal note. After the second read, instead of acknowledging the author as “myself” I tried to see it as something bigger, like humanity as a whole, or individuality in itself.
For instance, in the 52nd stanza, I believe the “I” could refer to one’s soul. I say this because the way that “I” was used, made it sound like something unique, valuable, irreplaceable, and difficult to reach or maintain. Therefore the last part can be seen as a battle for any and every individual who is fighting to find themselves. And as the last three lines encourage, it is best to keep searching until successful. Even if one fails at the first attempt, the soul will live on and always be present for an individual to find.
Also, what I found the most interesting about this poem was how he took a moment to admire the nature of animals in part 32. It’s almost as if he dreaded being human, because he had much more difficulties to face. He could never really enjoy that lazy and carefree lifestyle of animals, which don’t exhibit the negative qualities of humans, and don’t have to worry about suffering humanity. I’m pretty sure that, in today’s society, many humans really do feel this way when they see the carefree nature of animals, compared to what they have to go through.