Walt Whitman's poetry contains many fundamental elements that come together to characterize his own position in 19th-century social and political thought. An analysis of Whitman's "Song of Myself" and "I Sing the Body Electric" specifically highlights Whitman's preoccupation with the human body. Throughout these poems, the human body is continually glorified and eroticized by Whitman. However, Whitman's interest in the body goes deeper than a physical infatuation, as these poems also establish the connection between the body and the soul. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Another major characteristic of Whitman's interest in the human body in these poems is his ability to universalize the human image, bringing reader and poet into a single entity. This article seeks to demonstrate how Whitman's union of these highly connected representations of the human body allows readers to understand Whitman's own response to the social and political separatism that characterized 19th-century thought. Writing in a time of radical inequality, Whitman's characterization of the body in these poems serves to promote a broader message of social and racial equality in a period that did much to suppress both. After an initial analysis of Whitman's emphasis on the human body in "Song of Myself" and "I Sing the Body Electric" are explicit descriptions of eroticism that are prevalent. These poems largely emphasize the juxtaposition of sensual yet sacred descriptions of human anatomy and sexual unions. I argue, however, that these striking images serve a larger purpose in Whitman's message of human unity and the community his poetry represents. For example, Whitman establishes a deep love and respect for the human body in "I Sing the Body Electric," stating, "Man's [body] is perfect, and woman's is perfect" (I Sing the Body Electrical 10). ). This feeling is also expressed in "Song of Myself", as Whitman again uses sensual terms to describe a feeling of perfection found in every human body. For example, he describes a slave in one scene, stating: "His blue shirt exposes his ample neck and chest and relaxes on his hip band, / His gaze is calm and imposing... / The sun falls on his hair and his crisp mustache, falls on the black of his / polished and perfect limbs” (“Song of Myself 224-229). Such descriptions fill Whitman's poems and it is clear that he has a deep respect and admiration for the human form, regardless of gender or race. William White's critical essay, "Walt Whitman's Erotic Poetry: New as Foam and Old as Rock" agrees with this argument since it refers to "Whitman's cosmic vision of love." as a force that permeates all living beings, that bestows dignity and glory on living beings.” the human body, and which unabashedly proclaims sex and procreation as the true spring of the life cycle” (White 654). Another example of Whitman's continued emphasis on the glorified image of the human body occurs in "I Sing the Body Electric" in the lines The body of man is sacred and the body of woman is sacred; /No matter who it is, it is sacred; /Is he a slave? Is it one of those dull-faced immigrants who just landed on the platform? /Everyone has their place here or anywhere, just as much as the rich – just as much as you; /Everyone has their place in the procession. /(Everything is a procession; /The universe is a procession, witha measured and magnificent movement) / (“I Sing the Body Electric” 83-89). Through Whitman's emphasis on the body forming what he frequently describes as a sacred entity, he again draws attention to a commonality that he believes is shared by all humanity by forcing readers to see a “bigger picture”: a universe that goes beyond physical distinctions. “Don't you see that these [bodies] are exactly the same for everyone, in all nations and in all times, everywhere on Earth? / If anything is sacred, the human body is sacred” (“I Sing the Body Electric 123-125”), Whitman later adds. This focus on an identical sacredness found within each individual supports an analysis that shows that a universality of all human beings exists outside of temporary physical restrictions, which are essentially meaningless in Whitman's view of the universe . Additionally, Whitman's erotic undertones in his poems focus on a wide range of male and female manifestations of love. In "I Sing the Body Electric," for example, readers can find an explicit description of a man and a woman involved in a sexual act, as the speaker states: Reflux stung by flow, and flow stung by reflux - swelling of the flesh of love. and deliciously painful; / Limpid jets of love without limits, hot and enormous, quivering jelly of love, white breath and / delirious juice; /Night of love of the bridegroom, working surely and gently until the prostrate dawn;/………………………………..This is the core: after the child is born from a woman, man is born from a woman; /It is the bath of birth – it is the fusion of the small and the large, and again the outlet /(“I Sing the Body Electric” lines 58-65). Lines like these leave readers with few questions as to the substance the speaker is describing, but they also operate on a deeper level than physical infatuation. It is Whitman's emphasis on the necessity of sexual unions for the continuity of life that gives his erotic descriptions depth and greater cause. "It is in reality a particular form of eroticism which begins with the miracle of all life, in particular the human body, and which conceives all forms of love as existing and developing as the primordial life force and as an indicator of the infinite potential of love. the democratic ideal and the harmonious evolution of the universe towards ever increasing greatness” (White 651) adds White. Thus, a careful examination of Whitman's writings demonstrates that the insertion of erotic scenes and descriptions was not simply for their own sake, but a mere element of a broader definition of "love." that his writings sought to establish. By interpreting Whitman's physical depiction of sexual acts as promoting a higher ideal, readers can also understand the significance of the many homosexual descriptions found in his poetry. In “I Sing the Body Electric,” for example, readers are exposed to a scene in which “two lusty apprentices” engage in an act of homosexuality. The speaker declares, Coats and caps discarded, the embrace of love and resistance, / The upper grip and the lower grip, the hair disheveled and blinding the eyes / The march of the firemen in their own suits, male muscle play through clean/fit pants and belts, / (“I Sing the Body Electric” lines 25-30). Intense descriptive scenes of homosexuality like this prompted many critics to label Whitman himself as homosexual. However, to analyze the text in terms of Whitman's promotion of human equality and "love" defined asmaterialization of all human interaction, it seems appropriate to offer scenes like this. Again, White's essay shares this sentiment. He states: "[Whitman's] intention seems to be to raise love to a new level and to regard it as the symbol of democratic egalitarianism. Certainly, many poems emphasize the body, sex, and physical love as part of nature and a celebration of lifestyle. They depict more than just passion…almost all of Whitman's poetry is a 'love' poem in the broadest sense of the word” (White 652-653). According to this translation, readers can therefore make sense of Whitman's various descriptions of homosexuality to reinforce his theme of human equality. In a world where the spiritual and the physical almost merge, sexual unions take on a new definition; sexual barriers are no longer relevant. Building on Whitman's use of sexuality to unfold his personal message, Whitman also works in expressing the unity between body and soul and the enormous personal power this connection grants individuals. This message of unity is particularly significant because it allows readers to discard traditional 19th-century views of the physical distinction between races and sexes that served to place one individual above another and instead turn towards a radical response that “leveled” the playing field for all human beings. "I Sing the Body Electric" and "Song of Myself" both focus on how people are inextricably one and the same, posing a message that while our bodies may be different, this is the inherent connection between the human soul that creates equality. Declaring: “Do not be ashamed, women: your privilege locks out the rest and is the way out of the rest; /You are the doors of the body and you are the doors of the soul/ “(I Sing the Body Electric 66-67), Whitman uses women as an example of the connectivity between body and soul to foster unity and equality. of humanity, thus helping to break down the sexual barriers that so defined 19th century thought and practice. Adding to this concept, "Song of Myself" also aims to elucidate Whitman's combination of body and soul to create the sacred vision of humanity as it is directly stated in the lines "I said that the soul is no more than the body, / And I said that the body is no more than the soul, / And nothing, not God, is greater than itself . » (“Song of myself 1269-1271). Through Whitman's constant focus on the connection between the human body and soul, readers can gain a sense of unity that Whitman exemplifies in every aspect of his poetry. “Not only are body and soul completely equal,” adds critic Arthur Wrobel in his essay “Whitman and the Phrenologists: The Divine Body and the Sensual Soul,” but “there is no essential distinction between both” (Wrobel 20). Accordingly, it is this deliberate “non-distinction” that works to promote universal equality that Whitman sees in every individual. In addition to the already inextricable connection he established between body and soul, I argue that Whitman's idea of ​​poetry also universalizes the poet himself among readers and, by implication, readers share and are receptive to his message. This universality of the poet again provides a message of commonalities between the poet and the masses, reinforcing the theme of a "shared" human spirit. As a result, this message of “one unity” across the multitude diminishes the importance of the racial, social, or political divisions that dominated this era. For example, Whitman immediately affirms this universal theme of identificationpoet-reader by declaring: “I celebrate myself, and what I suppose, you should suppose. For every atom in me, as much good is yours” (“Song of Myself” 1-4) to alert readers that his thoughts are essentially their own. By extending his words and ideas to invite readers to share this feeling directly, Whitman's message about the universal human body can take root. He later shows this notion in the lines: "These are truly the thoughts of all men of all ages and countries, / They are not original to me, / If they are not yours as well as theirs for me, they are nothing, or almost nothing, / (“Song of myself 354-356). By assigning readers a shared responsibility in his words, Whitman does not simply strive to express his theory of a physical and spiritual human unity, but assures readers that through this unity, they too are part of this claim . According to Wrobel's article, “Whitman's own view of the universe…emphasizes its underlying unity, a unity characterized by the exquisite adaptation of all its parts to form an ordered whole” (Wrobel 18 ). In this sense, just as Whitman imagined and described a harmony in the physical anatomy between all human beings, this equality also extends to encompass his view of the universe as a whole. Whitman's decision in "I Sing the Body Electric" and "Song of Myself" to add lines that simply list parts of the human anatomy fit into the concept that these parts, while unique in appearance, are universal. Insert one of these anatomical lists in "I Sing the Body Electric," the speaker describes the "sets of strong thighs, carrying the trunk well above, / Fibers of the legs, knee, knee cap, upper leg, under the leg, / Ankles, instep, football, toes, toe joints, heel; /” (“I Sing the Body Electric lines 146-150). In the next line, Whitman adds his theme directly, stating: "All the attitudes, all the forms, all the possessions of my body or your body, or that of anyone / body, male or female / . . . I say that these are not only the parts and poems of the Body, but of the Soul, / I have seen now that these are the Soul! » (“I sing the electric body 147 – 165). Whitman's crucial decision to end his poem on a sensational note of the universality of the physical body and connectivity with souls speaks to his radical 19th-century worldview; it demonstrates unity in the face of what originally appeared to be individual differences. Whitman's writings reaffirm the image of a universalized poet through his many direct statements that place himself not only alongside the reader, but within the reader himself. Claiming to be "the poet of woman as well as man", and later declaring: "I know each of you, I know the sea of ​​torment, of doubt, of despair and / of disbelief /… I take my place among you as much as among anyone / The past is the thrust of you, me, all, exactly the same / " ("Song of Myself" 1113-1118), again Whitman emphasizes the universal element of himself and his message. Through these lines, Whitman asserts a commonality not only between the poet and the reader, but also between the reader and the rest of society. Although Whitman's poetry does not seem to send shockwaves to the modern reader, this idea of ​​a "plurality in a "type of society in which human beings are essentially equal elements in a larger and functional whole" was a radical thought in the disjointed society of the 19th century. According to Peter Simonson's essay, "A Rhetoric for Polytheistic Democracy: Walt Whitman's 'Poem of Many »..