Walt Whitman and Self

Whitman was one of the most influential poets in American history. Throughout the course of his lifetime Whitman wrote several poems and was acclaimed for his poetry. He is regarded as the great American poet and has been compared to Shakespeare in his writing ability. His most iconic use of symbolism and representation in poetry was his use of "self." Through several of his poems Whitman explored the use of "self" and coined a new use of the term.

In his poem "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" Whitman writes of his identity crisis and his difficulty in discovering who he is in lines like "As I stood on the rising ground in the breeze in the cool transparent night, as I watch'd where you pass'd and was lost in the netherward black of the night, as my soul in its trouble dissatisfied sank, as where you sad orb, Concluded, dropt in the night, and was gone." This line aptly describes the trouble Whitman is going through at this point in time at discovering who he was. Something in his life was confusing him and he could not straighten it out and thus he went outside and looked into space when the night sky was filled with stars. He had lost a lover and was confused in his life and thought he had no direction and no motivation in his life or as a person.

Yet another famous poem of Whitman's "Excelsior" explores the concept of "self" and reveals much about the author through Whitman's exploration of his own being. With lines like "And who benevolent? For I would show more benevolence the rest; And who has projected beautiful words through the longest time? By God! I will outive him! I will say such words, they shall stretch through longer time!" In this poem Whitman reveals his confidence and his finding of self. He is confident and capable and knows his abilities well. He shows some signs of arrogance and vows to reach for the stars for he will outdo all humans who came before him.

Through poems such as these Whitman reveals much about himself and mainly his state of mind when he wrote these poems. Obviously at the time of writing "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" it shows that he was getting out of a relationship or was struggling with his identity trying to discover who he was. With "Excelsior" we see that Whitman has overcome this crisis and has affirmed his identity showcasing his confidence in his self and his identity. Through his poems Whitman was able to convey his "self" to his readers and allow them to discover themselves through his own identity.

Whitman, Walt. "WHEN LILACS LAST IN THE DOORYARD BLOOM'D. (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .

Whitman, Walt. "EXCELSIOR. (Leaves of Grass [1867])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .