Specimen Days: Two Brothers, One South, One North

        In this entry, Whitman writes briefly of his visits with a wounded soldier. The soldier is 19 years old, missing his right leg, and dying. He says they loved each other very much, the wounded soldier being lonely and hurt, and Whitman being his only companion during that painful last chapter of his life. The soldier reveals himself to be a rebel soldier fighting for the Confederates, as if it might change the way Whitman would look upon the wounded soldier, but Whitman tells him that his allegiance makes no difference to him. Whitman continues his visits, and ends up finding his brother, also wounded and dying, in another ward of the hospital. This brother, though, died fighting for the Union.
        This entry puts in very literal terms an idea of equality which Whitman emphasizes in "Song of Myself." While he tries to convey in his poetry that we are all one, regardless of our birthplace or skin color, he shows these two soldiers, brother, cut from the same cloth, and both dying over differences. The humanity shared between two brothers would seem to be strong, but here Whitman shows us an example of that humanity being overlooked because of differences, and the results of allowing those differences turn into violence. Whitman, though, does not compromise his shared humanity with the wounded soldier, letting him know that no matter what side the young man was fighting for, he would stay by his side.

Cold War Kids - Hospital Beds

"I got one friend, layin across from me. I did not choose him, he did not choose me. 

We got no chance of recovery, sharin hospital joy and misery."

Whitman's entry reminded me of this song. Good song. I linked the song rather than the music video, cuz the music video is weak.