Whitman - Radical Departure

After reading "Song of Myself," I felt compelled to do a bit of research on Whitman. This poem was a very exciting departure from the British Romantics we have read so far. I will admit I hadn't read Whitman at any length before and was not aware of the, shall we say, "modern" themes he addressed. The only images I recall seeing of him were of a very much older-gentleman with a thick gray beard (yes, resembling Kris Kringle himself). But the Whitman I read in these poems almost reminded me --born in 1968 mind you -- of a 1960's radical hippie! So of course I did some googling and checked out the Whitman archive and read up on some history about this radical and influential poet.

After reading his biography it becomes very clear that he was ahead of his time. The influence of the British Romantics is there, as far as references to God and nature. But you don't need to be well-versed in Whitman's biography to see the "radical departure" he takes from the styles and content of the British. The poems speak for themselves. The sexual content is at once a sensual and in-your-face celebration of the human body and pleasures. He celebrates himself, not just the sun and moon and sky and stars. He "enjoys" himself, without apology. I think his "American-ness" is refreshing, although I'm sure it was quite shocking to readers, both American and abroad in his day. More than anything, his utter abandon allows the reader to appreciate all that it means to be human without shame and self-loathing.

After reading bits of his biography the hints of homosexuality become more obvious in his poems, but I don't think his intent was to be overly blatant on that front, if that was indeed his sexual orientation. I read the poems more of a "celebration of man" as something new and unique for humankind, not as some sort of homosexual manifesto.

He also addressed other themes that were crucial in history, such as race. I particularly loved verse 13 of "Song of Myself" in which he discusses the strength of the "Negro," almost foreshadowing his freedom and position in the world.

Besides radical content, Whitman's form almost thumbed its nose at his predecessors. He invented his own style, free from past traditions and molds. He didn't need rhyme or patterns or schemes to create poems. In this sense I'm sure he gained new "fans" of poetry - the everyman - who felt he could finally understand and appreciate the world of poetry. I found this refreshing and quite obvious in the short and simple poem, "When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer." He basically says, you don't need to know all of the science, graphs, formulas and diagrams to appreciate life and God's creation. Just go out and look into the sky for yourself. That's really all you need to know.