Here I sing---Views on "Leaves of grass" from Whitman

It is usually hard to figure out what is the motive of a poet to compose poetry. He does not have the awareness of writing it in purpose. Every poem is the claim of the heart, why do we claim for reason? Expression of emotion does not need any reason. Here stands the man singing. If there was a reason for Whitman to write “Leaves of Grass”, it could be nothing but singing---pull out the every single marrow of your mind and thoughts. Why consider reason? Go ahead and do what you like, take out your pen and write what you want! Do not care about the so-called rules. “But it is based on experience.”Here comes Emerson with his transcendentalism,” Surpass the experience!” Whitman draws a parallel with Emerson with his unrestricted delivery of mood.

Just as the argument on motivation, neither can we easily find out what was Whitman trying to accomplish. In my opinion, the achievement is a conversation between him and himself. He had been asking himself for times in the poem. They discussed Air, God, women and various topics. It is such a particular way of man thinking, which is talking to your mind. “Clear and sweet is my soul, and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul.” As we reach here, what he is trying to achieve is clarified---the universal agreement which leads to self-determination. Question, answer, review, and determine. “I have said that the soul is not more than the body, and I have said that the body is not more than the soul.” The quote indicated his view of comprehensive unification from in and out of oneself, and the insuperable resolution of recognition, which were his goal.

Similar to Thoreau, Whitman is also an individualist. Does he have something to do with his community? Individual does not mean isolated, everyone plays a role in his community. Even though Whitman was in a status of self-consideration, his voice jumped out of the book. He contributed to his community in the way that Thoreau did. As I already stated in my passage “grey contribution”, the contribution was unconscious. However, the difference is that they emitted their own colors. On the contrast of Thoreau’s articles, Whitman’s lines were full of passion. He abandoned the unnecessary disguise, standing beside the lake, embracing the pure air, speaking for himself.