“Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is Walt Whitman’s way of personifying the everyday experiences of living in society; specifically, Whitman’s firsthand account of his routine crossing on the Brooklyn Ferry. To achieve this is his poem Whitman utilizes the use of repetition to emphasize specific points throughout the works. This is particularly evident in stanza six, here Whitman begins each statement with the phrase “I too”; in doing so Whitman exploits the device of repetition to consolidate the striking commonalities each individual share. By relating to such familiar commonalities such as “I too walk’d the streets of Manhattan, and bathed in its waters.”, the author brings the reader onto level ground and utilizes the familiar experiences of common
Whitman wrote broad stanzas and focused on the whole of America as his inspiration. His lines covered a wide range of topics and generated multiple points of view for the reader. He called his life’s work “Leaves of Grass”; stressing the
On this verse, we can see how Whitman tries to connect to mind, body, spirit and nature. In “Song of Myself” Whitman attempted to change the meaning of American poetry. I described identity issues that pertain to him, but that the audience was able to identify with. Whitman, opened the door to
Walt Whitman explores individualism by looking through all of the diversity within America and identifying that people are different and have come from many different backgrounds. However, we are all one in the same due to the connection of being American. He does this because he wants to maintain his individual “self-hood” while finding a place within America, a happy medium. The role of the individual in this piece of work Whitman states is “one of the Nation of many Nations, the smallest the same and the largest the same,” which means everyone has a different background and have all come from many places far away, but are still apart of America nonetheless. This is what brings us together. In the opening section of Song of Myself Whitman starts by saying all human beings are the same, “And what I assume you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” I believe this is Whitman’s attempt at trying to merge his own self into society, while maintaining his “self-hood.”
The most conspicuous trend is Whitman’s application of repetition. The repetition of the beginning word "when" creates a monotonous, listing style also employed in the next three lines illustrating stylistically and
Sandburg was very candid and raw about the reality of Chicago and the cycle it has gone through despite grotesque circumstances pertaining to the inhabitants. The beauty of this poem lies within the fervent passion among the citizens of Chicago. Sandburg and Whitman not only share the commonality of writing in free-verse but shared the same purposes; both poets celebrated American accomplishments. Admitting, acknowledging, and embracing one’s faults can lead to future success, as long as the individual remains
Throughout American history, a ton of authors, journalists, and poets have been said to have "changed American society.” One of the most important and influential poets of the 19th century was Walt Whitman, author of the famous book of poetry, "Leaves of Grass.” Two of the poems associated with this book that I will be writing about are O Captain! My Captain!, and When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd. Whitman crossed new boundaries within the poetry world, displaying every inch of his mind in his works. He modernized the way Americans wrote poetry by covering controversial topics, continuing to write even though others were harshly criticizing his poems, and encouraging American people not to be ashamed of who they are and what they have to offer the world. Although O Captain! My Captain! and When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd are both based off of the same story and use the same dialogue there are many differences. I believe that When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd was the better out of the two ,because it presents detailed images to the reader, along with the speaker’s feelings toward those images.O Captain! My Captain! leaves out too much detail to be as effective.
The writer uses and addresses the commonality of experiences in his late poem titled “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”. This was used to bridge the gap between the writer and the reader. The poem uses imagery to describe the movement of life through nature, bringing a togetherness of spiritual unity beneath the surface. He moves the audience into a state of vulnerability allowing a chance of persuasiveness. The poem opens with a narration of the commute on the Brooklyn Ferry using many metaphors to support the awareness of the continuity which he personifies as the movement back and forth in time.
The American Dream establishes a journey to achieve a goal in order to start a new life. In “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” by Walt Whitman, Walt Whitman illustrates the arrival to endorse a connection with the American future. Therefore, Walt Whitman conveys the experience of arrival using images to highlight the steps to reach the American Dream. As a result, the experience of arrival introduces a similar goal people are trying to achieve, which connects one another. Nevertheless, the people arriving are individuals who seek and work to find the American Dream and settle to a new beginning. Thus, to represent the experience of arrival, Walt Whitman uses the symbols of the ferry, the natural surroundings and the city of Brooklyn to convey the celebration of the American Dream.
Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” was written before the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was originally published in 1856 and was titled “Sun Down Poem.” Whitman revised the poem and republished it in the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass and under its final title, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” Whitman’s final version of the poem was completed in 1881. The Brooklyn Bridge would be completed three years later. The Brooklyn Ferry was how commuters would get from Manhattan to Brooklyn or vice versa before the Brooklyn Bridge was built. This was also the time that the American Civil War was taking place, which was a time when America was deeply divided. Whitman wrote his poem as a message or encouragement of unity and how Americans could
Stemming from the core themes in Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself,” there is a reoccurring emphasis on the use of dilation. The idea of self, the self’s identification with others, and the poet’s relationship with elements of the universe and nature are considered the three key components of the poem. Whitman utilizes dilation in all of these themes to convey his central message in the process of expansion in each area. The idea of the self is perceived as a spiritual object, which remains relatively permanent throughout the poem.
Whitman juxtaposes the distinctions between the spiritual and the secular by referring to himself in the place of God. In "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry", he implies that he has the ability to see time. In stanza three, he compares himself to Jesus Christ stating "I am with you", paying homage from the Bible. Despite the tendency of Romantics to dismiss God completely, Whitman felt the need to address the broader issues of religion and God. His assertion that spirituality is in everyone, everything, and not found solely in higher power.
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself / and what I shall assume you shall assume” (Whitman 1-2). These lines not only open up the beginning of one the best poems of the American Romantic period, but they also represent a prominent theme of one of this period’s best poet, Walt Whitman. In Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself, Whitman deals with his time period’s most prominent theme of democracy. Whitman tells readers that they must not only observe the democratic life but they must become one with it. As Whitman states, “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (3). Democracy provides a connection with all people. It is as if Joseph Stella felt this connection and decided to depict it in his collection of paintings entitled “Americans in the Rough.” The individual is of no greater or lesser worth than anyone else. Beatrice Marovich states that, “It is a song for fellow Americans, about the American body politic” (349). An analysis of Song of Myself portrays that understanding and becoming one with democracy through political collectivity essentially sets the stage for the American democratic self. Joseph Stella does a great job of interpreting and depicting Whitman’s ideals of democracy through his illustrations representing every facet of an American democratic life.
Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is a vision of the American spirit, a vision of Whitman himself. It is his cry for democracy, giving each of us a voice through his poetry. Each of us has a voice and desires, and this is Whitman's representation of our voices, the voice of America. America, the great melting pot, was founded for freedom and democracy, and this poem is his way of re-instilling these lost American ideals. In this passage from "Song of Myself" Whitman speaks through his fellow man and speaks for his fellow man when his voice is not socially acceptable to be heard.
In his first anthology of poems entitled “Song of Myself”, Walt Whitman reveals some of his views on democracy through the use of symbolism and free verse poetry. His use of symbolism and free verse poetry creates indeterminacy, giving the reader hints rather than answers about the nature of the poem. In the sixth part of “Song of Myself”, a child asks the narrator of the poem, “What is the grass?” (Whitman). Instead of simply giving an answer, the narrator cannot make up his mind, and stumbles on how to explain the grass to the child. Through the use of specific symbolisms, Whitman, as the narrator, explicates his views while remaining under the façade of explaining grass to the child. The views Whitman conveys remain indeterminate and
As many may know “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is one of Walt Whitman's poems within the well known collection of “Leaves of Grass”. Throughout this poem Whitman imagines the travelers of the ferries and what they see, he feels as if they will see the same images as he does when looking out amongst the water. Especially in the “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” poem whitman speaks to the audience as if he is talking to them directly, though he has done this in others works within Leaves of Grass, the question with this is why does Whitman talk to the audience like he does? Is there a specific reason? What does it make the readers feel when they are reading his poems? Does it change their understanding and views? Whitman's intentions when talking directly