Song of Myself

Politics and War

Whitman's "Song of Myself" presents an egalitarian vision of American society, challenging traditional social hierarchies through its emphasis on the shared humanity of individuals. In the opening section, Whitman writes, "For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you", which establishes a connection between the speaker and the reader that suggests neither is inherently more valuable than the other, Literary scholar Corbett E. Upton argues that Whitman's democratic poetics avoid traditional hierarchies by presenting the speaker and reader as fundamentally alike, regardless of race, sex or social class. This approach reflects Whitman's attempt to create a democratic national identity in which ordinary individuals have equal significance.

Section 34 of "Song of Myself" recounts the Goliad Massacre of 1836, which took place during the Texas Revolution, rather than the American Civil War. At the time, Texas was part of Mexico, and Texan forces were fighting for independence. Following the Battle of Coleto, Texan soldiers under Colonel James W. Fannin Jr. surrendered to Mexican forces and were subsequently executed at Goliad on 27 March 1836. Whitman distinguishes this event from the better-known Battle of the Alamo, writing "I tell not the fall of Alamo", before recounting the deaths of the prisoners. His account presents the executions as a betrayal of the prisoners' surrender and emphasises the youth and humanity of those killed. The section introduces a complex relationship between the poem's treatment of war, its sympathy for individual suffering and its representation of American National Identity.

Whitman's portrayal of the Texan fighters in section 34 reflects his patriotism and his idealised vision of the American identity. By describing the Texan prisoners as "Large, turbulent, generous, handsome, proud and affectionate", Whitman emphasises qualities that align them with his vision of the America character. His focus on their youth and suffering presents their deaths as a tragedy, encouraging sympathy for the men and their cause. Although the prisoners fought for Texan independence from Mexico, Whitman's portrayal incorporates their sacrifice into a broader narrative of American national identity. Literary scholar Nathanael O'Reilly argues that Whitman's poetry constructs an idealised vision of America, suggesting that section 34 reflects not only his sympathy for the fallen soldiers but also his desire to define the qualities and values of the nation.

Additionally, O'Reilly states; "Whitman attempts to imagine an inclusive America that embraces all people and affords them equality and freedom; however, Whitman’s imagined America fails to provide equal rights for all people, excluding immigrants, Native Americans and African-Americans." This argument suggests, Whitman's patriotism presents an ideal of national unity that does not necessarily extend equally to all groups within American society.

Sex, Sexuality and Gender

Themes of sex and sexuality dominate Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and, in turn they are prevalent in "Song of Myself". These underlying concepts are present throughout the entire poem and have shaped the way the public viewed it and how it was received from the very beginning. Like many of Walt Whitman’s works, one of the main themes of "Song of Myself" is the exploration of sexuality through a non-heteronormative lens. Whitman writes about themes of ‘Manly Love’ and ‘Sexual Love’ throughout the stanzas, keeping an emphasis on the intensely passionate attraction and interaction.

Many critics and publications surrounding Whitman are able to come to the same conclusion, inferring his queerness from his writings, especially that of "Song of Myself". Such critics have made comments on Whitman himself "He had his neurotic side – covert, bisexual, quirky", and many viewed his poems and "Song of Myself" as a way to try and communicate his homosexuality to readers and the American public. While some critics who read "Song of Myself" tried to read in-between the lines to support their views of Whitman’s queerness, other critics, such as Michael Moon, and Byrne R.S. Fone, take Whitman at his word and assume that his sexuality is as it is directly presented through his form.

Whitman’s "Song of Myself" explores gender roles and the role of sexuality within the American woman throughout the verses. The way Whitman presents women within the stanza’s goes against traditional gender norms and this extends into his representation of female exploration and sexuality. Section 2 of the poem is the perfect example of Whitman’s portrayal of women’s sexual desire, following a woman watching as men bathe allowing her imagination to delve into the taboo.

The poet, Whitman, also speaks on gender inequality within the verse of "Song of Myself", he announces that he as a poet represents women as much as he does men, as well as speaking on how women and men should be equal;

I am the poet of the woman the same as the man,

And I say it is as great to be a woman as to be a man,
And I say there is nothing greater than the mother of men, (Section 21)

Another way that Whitman's sexuality is shown through the poem is through sensuality and the body:

Twenty-eight young men bathe by the shore,

An unseen hand also pass'd over their bodies,

It descended tremblingly from their temples and ribs

The young men float on their backs, their white bellies bulge to the sun (Section 11)

This section is an example of the sensual description that Whitman uses throughout his poem, maintaining the aesthetic of human nature and human body.

Class

Leaves of Grass as a book was aestheticised by Whitman to reach out to working class audiences. On the cover of the first edition of Leaves of Grass, his portrait, depicting him in casual attire with his head cocked, was opposite the title page.

This imagery would also be seen throughout the poem Song of Myself. Whitman divulges into not only what the wealthy classes do, but what their lifestyles are like in comparison to the proletariat:

Houses and rooms are full of perfumes, the shelves are

crowded with perfumes,

I breathe the fragrance myself and know it and like it,

The distillation would intoxicate me

I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised

and naked,

I am mad for it to be in contact with me. (Section 2)

Section 2 mentions the intoxicating and overly perfumed home in contrast to the natural air of the woods. It shows readers the experience of reality in nature as opposed to the rich man's house, which lacks substance and reality. This next section expresses class disparities in American Society that Whitman wanted to address, with this section being considered his strongest protest against the inequity of wealth among the working class.

To feed the greed of the belly the brains liberally spooning,

Tickets buying, taking, selling, but in the feast never once going,

Many sweating, ploughing, thrashing, and then the chaff for payment receiving, A few idly owning, and

they the wheat continually claiming. (Section 42)

Whitman uses this zombie-like language to paint a repulsive picture for readers that shows how greed and obsessive love of money is what causes such a disparity in wealth between classes.