Walt Whitman

“A mass of stupid filth,” “a horrible sin,” “gross obscenity:” a few of the selective phrases used to describe Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Whitman’s collection of poetry evoked strong reactions from contemporary critics; he incites this uproar by delineating controversial subjects and dismantling poetic traditions of the 19th century. Amidst the overwhelmingly negative responses, there were critics who reviewed the poems objectively and even praised Whitman’s distinctive style. One of those critics includes Charles Eliot Norton, an American scholar and liberal activist. Norton chimed in the discussion by attempting to reason and decipher the meaning behind Whitman’s unconventional style in poetry. His assumptions align with several of my

Though his assumption holds a level of truth, it can also be said that Whitman’s indifference is in fact a reflection of how he views his audiences. From the moment “Song of Myself” begins, Whitman immediately exudes arrogance as he establishes himself as this sagacious figure that has the authority to command readers to share his thoughts; the poem boldly begins with “I celebrate myself, And what I assume you shall assume.” This tone carries into the preface where he calls for readers to “stand by my [Whitman] side to look in the mirror with me.” Are we the readers treated merely as a medium for Whitman’s voice to be heard? Or are we students of his art; the ones expected to understand the workings of his mind? As the poem progresses, it becomes apparent that Whitman is trying to prove to readers that he encompasses the voices of many. And through him we shall see our thoughts reflected in the poems. This idea is bolstered by Whitman’s depiction of the “self,” in which it is represented as “me, myself, and I” in “Song of Myself.” Whitman repeatedly portrays the “self” as everything and everyone, which I believe is his intent to strengthen his claim that the world is interconnected. If this is the case, then we can say that Whitman does care very much the effect his words have on readers, especially since he is trying to do the mighty task of building his image as a poet of the new age. Here it seems Norton very much has the expectations of any reader in the nineteenth century. He clearly fathoms and shares their general reactions. He does credit Whitman as “the writer of a new light of poetry,” however. In doing so, Norton seems receptive towards deciphering Whitman’s eccentric style of