Chants Democratic

 Top Row: Whitman, You, Me, Whitman, Whitman, You, You, Me, Me,
Whitman, Whitman
Middle Row:  You, Me, Whitman, Whitman, Me, Me, Whitman, You, Whitman, Me, You, Me, Whitman, Whitman, You, You, Me, Whitman, Whitman 
Front Row: You, Me, Whitman, Whitman, You, You, Me, Me,
Whitman, Whitman, Me, You, Whitman
Left Most: Whitman, You

The loafer empowers the working man! The working man is the loafer? Or is the working man the working man? 
Whitman says "it's all good, I'm not gonna judge you, don't judge me, we are all in this together, you my friend are what makes the world go around."


I think this poem is another look at how dynamic Whitman was.
"Come closer to me..." has a different name for it in every edition of Leaves of Grass. The poems location in the poem also vary.




1856 "Poem of the daily workmen and work women of the United States"  2nd poem in Leaves of Grass.
1860 "Chants Democratic "  appears near beginning.
1867 "To workingmen." appears middle closer to end.
1872  "Carol of Occupations" midway through the edition.
 1881- 1882 "A song for Occupations" middle of the edition
1891-1892  "A song for Occupations" middle of the edition.






 As the poem shifts further into the reading, it can be argued that it's importance becomes less significant. I say this because of the way our memory works, people are more likely to remember the beginning and end of a sequence rather than the middle. So if someone happened to read the book cover to cover the poems in the middle would probably resonate less with the reader. 


On the other hand, Whitman constantly changed the name of this poem so it must  have some special significance to him. Maybe it was because he as, the loafer, found a special balance in this poem by addressing
the working man and woman.

 This poem goes through some serious changes between 1855 and 1882. Many lines are added which add a significantly stronger address to the worker.


for example:
"If you stand at work in a shop I stand as nigh as the nighest in
         the same shop"

Perhaps, as Whitman got older he became more interested in his community rather than himself and nature.
 Or maybe since he wasn't a laborer he felt more grateful and passionate about the work of others. Historicaly, after the Civil War workers rights became one of the central concerns in cities. In the 1870's strikes and riots began to occur in major cities like Boston, New York and Chicago. The 1880's and 1890's saw several massacres due to workers striking, including the 1887 strike in Chicago of more than 50,000 workers. 300,000 workers assembled to strike across America on May Day ( May 1st. 1886) for the 8- hour work day.

The Haymarket massacre of 1886 fallowing a strike in Haymarket Square, Chicago:

(Looks like Whitman was on top that day)



This poem shows how unconditionally patriotic and passionate Whitman was in the affairs of American people. I feel that this poem would have worked best in the end of the book because it would have been the perfect inspiring and patriotic ode to the average American woarker. 


"We consider the bibles and religions divine . . . . I do not say they are not divine,

I say they have all grown out of you and may grow out of you still,

It is not they who give the life . . . . it is you who give the life;

Leaves are not more shed from the trees or trees from the earth than they are shed          out of you. "