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Analysis of Whitman's Poem Song of Myself The passage I am not the poet of goodness only, I do not decline to be the poet of wickedness also, which can be found in Whitman's poem Song of Myself illustrates Whitman's disagreement with customs and norms of his age. Whitman did not support existing morals of his time. Moreover, he attempted to jump at the chance, and wallowed in vice and crime at every single opportunity. The friends of the poet tell us that Whitman's life was correct and that only in his verse he is a libertine.
This also suggests that Walt Whitman can be a poet in spite of his immorality. Whitman is asking readers to accept him in the way he is without making him some kind of special person, even though this passage is some egoistic. For Whitman poetry was the reason for existence. With the help of poetry, Whitman was able to express his own ideas without being cautious on what the reaction of readers can be. However, Whitman fully understood the importance of his works. This passage has some of elements of uncertainty.
It brings an impression that Whitman at the same time argues on being whether good or bad. Nevertheless, I rather have an opinion that Whitman with such a statement tried to shift more to wickedness. Such a criticism, in my opinion, actually made Whitman to look more positive than negative. Humans have an innate fear of the unknown, and what they do not understand is often misconstrued as evil.
Song of Myself is the poem that shows the special Whitman's attitude towards God that is covered with mystic. In Song of Myself, just as in Hawthorns The Ministers Black Veil, elements of uncertainty, secrets, mystic and sin are expressed through allegorical figures. Whitman's passage, My gait is no fault-finders or rejecter's gait, I moisten the roots of all that has grown, illustrates that Whitman is not seeking the outcome, but rather accentuates on reasons and causes. In the same way, Hawthorne explores the human psyche in one of its most raw coming to terms with peoples most intimate fears. Whitman was concerned with human attitude towards nature, life and death, and especially on causes of such attitude, which certainly are quite intimate thoughts for each individual. Melville's Bartleby the Scriveners plot is based on the character Bartleby, an office worker who decides to stop doing his work.
Bartleby is thrown in prison because he does not adapt to society's expectations. It is in prison where he dies a lonely man. The Story of Bartleby the Scrivener can be interpreted from a social, psychological and moral standpoint. Whitman in the passage doubted that the expectations of the society should be certain according to him.
Actually, Whitman also decided not to adapt to the expectations of the society by stating that he is not the poet of goodness only. If Song of Myself and Bartleby the Scrivener can be looked at from a moral point of view, it will be possible to find that there are few similarities. Melville pushed a Calvinistic work mindset, which says that it is a persons duty to work diligently for ones boss. An employee is given a certain amount of work to do in a certain amount of time and it is the workers obligation to get the work done. Bartleby goes against these views, which is society lives by when he stops working.
He is looked down upon by his community because of his neglect of these morals. I would not say that Whitman is trying completely to neglect all the morals; however, I would rather suggest that Whitman does not want to follow the mainstream. He wants to be special, which is mainly due to his egoism. However, Song of Myself is not the statement of egoism; it is the statement of friendship and unity.
Whitman shows that all people are similar in one way or another and that we should not see only black and white inside us and around us.
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