I do not ask the wounded person how he feels....I myself become the wounded person,
My hurt turns livid upon me as I lean on a cane and observe.
pg.27
The first line in this selection grabs me right away. Throughout "Song of Myself," Whitman either describes things that aren't himself or changes perspectives in his writing about 1,763,014 times, and this line gives us an idea of what that process of changing perspectives is like for him. From these lines, I gather that, for Whitman, shifting his viewpoint from person to person to inanimate object to animal is... easy. At least, it is easy in terms of getting in the mode for writing from different perspectives. He compares it to how one might change their clothes, which is... easy. The part which requires work and concentration though is in the observation of life of those whose shoes he is occupying at any given moment. In this part of the poem, he is speaking on the pain and suffering certain people go through, and telling their story. He mentions Agony at this point because he just finished telling the story of a runaway slave who is caught by his 'owners.' He lets the painful anger that he himself has endured enter his heart, which he channels as he enters the mindset of another individual, remains patient ("as I lean on a cane"...) and "observes" the life of another in his empathetic imagination.
Whitman displays empathy for those who suffer many times in his poem, and in the same way, he can even give us a picture of those whose life warrants no complaints. He can go on describing what lives may be like for unfortunate soldiers, farmers, politicians, prostitutes, musicians, and even personify the sea. The reason why I chose to write about this line is because for me, empathy is of utmost importance in my own personal life. I feel that empathy is what causes me to be curious instead of judgmental whenever I deal with people or read/hear about someone's life. I also feel that being empathetic would lead to much more peace and understanding between individuals, groups, and nations. Some say there's two sides to every story, but often, there are much more than two. Sometimes, I think we could take some advice from Walt by putting ourselves in someone else's shoes, being patient, and taking some time to observe.
Walt Whitman, leaning on his cane, as depicted in the comic-book The Amazing Spider-Man.
jk it's actually a character named Kingpin from said comic.
I like how you choose a jerk to depict Whitman. WHAT WOULD HE SAY IF HE SAY THAT!?!?!
ReplyDeleteProbably "right on."
Anywho, I like your commentary on Walt's personally disorder/ability to slip into the skin of so many different perspectives. I think you called it...easy? I would agree; in fact, it's almost tempting for us to do the same.
The whole poem is very 1 on 1 time. And yet he takes us with him to other people and other places. This is not much different from other writers, but it can be more personal. He isn't so much taking us on a journey so much as transfusing us with every other person that reads a poem. There is a sense of "legion" here, and I'm glad you mentioned the empathy of it.
Let me quote you for a moment, and then go on to comment on said quote:
ReplyDelete"I also feel that being empathetic would lead to much more peace and understanding between individuals, groups, and nations."
I believe this is what Whitman aims to communicate in "Song of Myself". The ease with which Whitman claims to change between perspectives of various humans and non-humans is comparable to the third line in the poem: "For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you". It is easy for him to adopt the perspective of literally everything on the planet because he has already come to the realization that everything is the same (we are all connected, if you will). If everyone were to come to this realization, perhaps we could see from each other's perspective more easily (and more willingly). Whitman apparently has the ability to feel empathy for everything he comes in contact with, and he seems to be at relative peace and happy with his existence. I think he's trying to tell the rest of the world that they need to do the same.
I believe that one of the most noble intentions of "Song of Myself" is it's cry for empathy. Not only compassion or sympathy, but empathy, which is a step further; it requires one to put themselves completely in the shoes of another person. We should all be able to do this as we are all one and the same, made up of the "same atoms" as Whitman writes. "Agonies are one of my changes of garments" is such an eloquent way of putting this. If we were to accept this perspective we would be able to feel the grief of another and perhaps we would stop looking at everything outside of ourself as "other." If we accepted the interconnectedness of all and looked at others as part of ourselves it would be much more difficult to inflict agony and suffering on each other. I think that is what he is trying to get to. Thanks Miguel for your post!
ReplyDeleteI love these lines as well - - maybe for how biblical they sound, how they carry so much authority. Empathy is one thing - - and a very important thing - -but W. almost seems to be saying that he is going to erase the difference between himself and the wounded person. I wonder if this is possible? or only possible in poetry? And if so, what would it take to "translate" this poetic moment into lived experience?
ReplyDeleteYour questions just blew my mind, Hanley.
DeleteAnd to "translate" this poetic moment into a lived experience?... I'd say it'd take lots of drugs.
DeleteThe ego is a powerful thing. You're talking about cracking that eggshell that is the ego, having everyone else break their shells down as well, and having our gooey yolks and eggwhites get all up on each other, making one big harmonious mess of beautiful nasty.
It'd take a lot.
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