This research paper is going to deal with the poem “Song of Myself“ by Walt
Whitman, which was published in the collection of poetry Leaves of Grass in
1855
and holds a central place in American literature.
Whitman himself is said to be one of the most revolutionary poets in America and
besides the most radical transcendentalist. He was a fighter for democracy and
especially stood up for the rights of oppressed and disadvantaged people.
His poems were an outlet of their suppressed feelings and drives.
By using free verse he also broke the conventional meter and introduced a new -
more natural - verse form.
Therefore I feel a personal interest in this fascinating man and his works.
A common subject of many of Whitman’s poems is sexuality. You can find a huge
variety of several images and symbols of sexuality in numerous poems like e.g.
the famous ‘Calamus-poems’ (“When I heard at the Close of the Day“ or “Trickle
Drops“) and also in the so-called ‘Enfans d’Adam (Children of Adam)-poems’
(Poem of the Body: “I Sing the Body Electric“ ; Poem of Procreation: “A Woman
waits for Me“; or the most bizarre one Bunch Poem: “Spontaneous Me“).
I have selected “Song of Myself“ as it is widely considered to be Whitman's
single most important and most personal poem. In “Song of Myself“ you can find
elements of three kinds of sexuality that often appears in Whitman’s poems:
heterosexuality as the ‘normal’ sexuality of this time, homosexuality as Whitman
is considered to be homosexual and autosexuality which was strictly considered as
something abominable and despicable at this time.
Due to the huge variety of sexual elements in “Song of Myself“ and the lenght of
the poem it is unavoidable to give only some selected examples acting for the
others.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Main part:
2.1. The dealing with sexuality in 19th century
2.2. Whitman’s conflict concerning sexual topics
2.3. Song of Myself
2.3.1. Heterosexual elements
2.3.2. Homosexual elements
2.3.3. Autosexual elements
3. Conclusion
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper examines the complex and multifaceted representations of sexuality in Walt Whitman's seminal poem "Song of Myself." The primary research aim is to analyze how Whitman integrates diverse sexual expressions—specifically heterosexual, homosexual, and autosexual elements—into his work, while navigating the restrictive social and cultural norms of 19th-century America.
- The historical context of sexuality and societal taboos in 19th-century America.
- Whitman's internal struggle and his role as a "sexual rebel" against Victorian norms.
- Analysis of heterosexual, homosexual, and autosexual imagery within "Song of Myself."
- The relationship between nature, body, and soul in Whitman’s poetic philosophy.
- The interpretation of Whitman's "fluidity of gender" and "omnisexuality."
Excerpt from the Book
2.3.1. Heterosexual elements
Talking about sexuality Whitman often relates sexuality to nature. In section 24 he uses a lot of different organic metaphors for sexuality, male sperm and an even greater number of phallic images which are taken from nature:
Firm masculine colter [...] Root of wash’d sweet-flag! timorous pond snipe! nest of guarded duplicate eggs! [..] Broad muscular fields, branches of live oak [...] Winds whose soft-tickling genitals rub against me [...] your milky stream pale strippings of my life [...] Trickling sap of maple
This way of paraphrasing parts of the body or sexuality by nature is typical of transcendentalists who demand “a turn away from modern society, with its getting and spending, to the scenes and objects of the natural world, which were regarded both as physical facts and as correspondences to the human spirit“. Nevertheless nobody has ever put it into words in such an extreme way as Whitman did it.
However, his descriptions of sexuality are always a sensitive and harmonic fusion of feelings; a unit of nature, body and soul - which is indicated in the following lines: “Breast that presses against other breasts it shall be you! My brain it shall be your occult convolutions! [...] Mix’d tussled hay of head, beard, brawn“.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the poem "Song of Myself" and situates it within the context of Walt Whitman's broader literary contributions and his reputation as a radical transcendentalist.
2. Main part:: This section serves as the analytical foundation of the paper, exploring the historical constraints and the specific manifestations of sexuality in Whitman's poetry.
2.1. The dealing with sexuality in 19th century: This chapter explores the social taboos and prevailing attitudes towards sexuality in 19th-century America, highlighting the resistance Whitman faced.
2.2. Whitman’s conflict concerning sexual topics: This chapter discusses Whitman's personal stance on sexuality, his challenge to Victorian propriety, and his vision for redefined gender relations.
2.3. Song of Myself: This section focuses on the specific imagery in Whitman's most personal poem, treating it as the primary case study for his complex relationship with his own "I."
2.3.1. Heterosexual elements: This chapter analyzes how Whitman utilizes organic and natural metaphors to represent heterosexual desire and physical intimacy.
2.3.2. Homosexual elements: This chapter investigates the veiled and explicit depictions of same-sex attraction, comradeship, and physical beauty in the poem.
2.3.3. Autosexual elements: This chapter examines the controversial portrayal of masturbation, discussing how the poet frames it as both a bodily experience and a source of internal conflict.
3. Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the findings, confirming Whitman's role as a pioneer in the acceptance of the human body and clarifying the proper critical approach to his homoerotic works.
Keywords
Walt Whitman, Song of Myself, Sexuality, Leaves of Grass, 19th-century literature, Heterosexuality, Homosexuality, Autosexuality, Transcendentalism, Gender fluidity, Victorian era, Literary criticism, Body and soul, Nature, Masturbation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
This paper examines how Walt Whitman depicts sexuality in his iconic poem "Song of Myself," analyzing his revolutionary approach to natural and human bodily expression.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The work covers historical attitudes toward sex in the 19th century, the interplay between nature and sexual imagery, and the diverse manifestations of sexuality including heterosexual, homosexual, and autosexual elements.
What is the author's main research goal?
The goal is to understand how Whitman navigated his personal sexual identity within a prudish society and how he expressed this through his poetry without adhering to rigid sexual categories.
Which scientific method is utilized?
The paper employs a literary analysis method, interpreting textual evidence from the poem through the lens of historical context and existing scholarly criticism.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the text?
The main body breaks down the poem's sexual elements into distinct categories: heterosexual, homosexual, and autosexual, while also providing a historical overview of 19th-century morality.
Which keywords define this paper?
Key terms include Walt Whitman, sexuality, gender fluidity, nature metaphors, and Victorian morality.
How does the author interpret the "unseen hand" in the bathers' scene?
The author discusses how this imagery can be interpreted either as the presence of a voyeuristic woman or as the poet’s own personal desire for physical intimacy with male bodies.
Why does the author argue against labeling Whitman as strictly homosexual?
The paper argues that Whitman embodied a "fluidity of gender" and was flexibly omnisexual rather than uniformly categorized, preferring the term "homoerotic" over "homosexual" to avoid modern pederastic implications.
- Citar trabajo
- Dirk Lepping (Autor), 1999, Images of sexuality in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/16002
