In "Song of Myself" Whitman repeatedly talks about the nature of people and things and how we are all the same. The thought of it all is very peaceful, romantic and comforting; it paints a harmonious image in our minds. However, as soon as we step out of our niche and are confronted with a disorderly bum on the street who is foaming from the mouth and smells of urine the image fades away and we are face to face with truth. In this situation I think most people would turn away and run back to safety; but a true believer would look into the pair of bloodshot yellow eyes facing him or her and see truth, and maybe say hello.
Whitman spent his Sunday in a mental institution, he didn't see anything frightening or ugly. He merely saw a group of his brothers and sisters listening to prayers and congregating in a fashion no different than that of a church down the street or a mosque an ocean away. All people are people, I believe that some are worst than others but Whitman would we are all made of the same thing and therefore the same. Whitman's ideas of oneness and equality make me question whether he truely believes that there aren't ANY differences between people and that virtue and vice embody everyone the same.
Yes . . . it seems as if W. is always oscillating back and forth between same and different . . . identity and difference . sometimes even he has to remind himself that difference is important.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting point. Distinctions can be useful, such as when someone is a danger to others, or when someone has achieved something outstanding. I tend to think that Whitman's vision of equality is true at the idealistic level of people's potential, and that it's an important perspective to cultivate in order to check our natural tendency to judge others quickly and harshly. I must agree that we face the necessity of distinctions in daily life, though.
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