This video is about, artist, Allen Crawford making a illustrated edition of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” In his edition Allen Crawford creates a mood for each verse of the poem, transforming the reader to a dimension of artistic creation. Allen Crawford describes these artistic creations as moods, and not as illustrations of the topic within the verse, because while annotating the actual poem he felt these verses gave him an artistic sensation and thats what he wanted to display, feelings he experienced. All in all, Allen Crawford, in my opinion, really captured the essence of the aesthetic experience of “Song of Myself.”

My guesstimate is that the digital user found “Song of Myself” most appealing for the many themes, that inflicted an aesthetic experience. The artist, Allen Crawford, explained his appreciation towards the poem, saying that every time he reads it, he finds different meanings, different themes, and a new experience. He felt that the illustrations, as well as the words themselves, would help the readers/audience be able to distinguish the many themes. The digital user also felt that the poem was a timeless classic, one the could be read hundreds of times and still be able to relate to the life of the audience. The digital user found this appealing because a true great work not only reflects the time it was written, but society/generations to come.

I found the digital user’s work very interesting because it allowed you to interpret the verses in different ways. I enjoyed the colors, effects, and mood displayed in each page. I especially found his illustration for verse 51 interesting:

Section 51

The past and present wilt—I have fill’d them, emptied them.
And proceed to fill my next fold of the future.
Listener up there! what have you to confide to me?
Look in my face while I snuff the sidle of evening,
(Talk honestly, no one else hears you, and I stay only a minute longer.)
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
I concentrate toward them that are nigh, I wait on the door-slab.
Who has done his day’s work? who will soonest be through with his supper?
Who wishes to walk with me?
Will you speak before I am gone? will you prove already too late?
For this verse Allen Crawford illustrates a butterfly. A butterfly symbolizes transformation, and thats the mood I feel towards this verse. Walt Whitman wants to transform the minds of his readers and make them . question their analysis and thought processes.