Walt Whitman’s "Song of Myself" as a Reflection of the History of Man
The poem "Song of Myself", which is one of the most famous of Whitman’s works, is considered to have the most egotistical characteristics that a piece of writing could ever contain. I used to analyzed any poem according to the historical moments that the writer was exposed to experience, and thus reflect through the process of creation of his masterpiece. Considering the Walt Whitman’s poem, it left such a lasting impression on me that I could not ignore the author’s own personality yet taking into account the period of great change happening on the background.
From my point of view, there is more to "Song of Myself" than simply the celebration of the writer’s own being. I would rather describe it as a genius combination of common symbols and biographical details to express the general idea of unity and identity between all men. Right from the beginning of the poem Whitman stated that "what I assume, you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you" clarifying the presence of specific peculiarities described that could be related to any person experiencing the same living conditions of the epoch.
Moreover, I would like to highlight the strong connection between the author and the reader, which are expressed by the following lines "I stop somewhere waiting for you". Therefore there is an insight hidden between these lines that no matter which road you take towards the understanding, you will either fail or win, yet achieve your goal, since "missing me one place search another". By doing this, Whitman encourages the recipient to continue the attempts nevermind the unsuccessful outcome of the previous try, because each way is supposed to take the reader into the author’s universe sooner or later.
To sum up, I have looked through some of the features of the Walt Whitman’s experimental poetry while describing my own perception of the "Song of Myself". Nevertheless, the impression that I described could not omit such significant phenomena as the horror of the Civil War or the rise of the cities because of industrialization that the writers experience himself. That is why I believe that the reflection on the poem has rather a complex structure that cannot be left …
