Identity In Walt Whitmans A Song Of Myself - 869 Words

Identity: A Common Theme Walt Whitman (1819-1892) wrote a poem titles â€Å"A Song of Myself.† He wrote this piece in order to celebrate his identity, what makes him unique. Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) writes of a little boy struggling with identity in a quickly changing world. Jamaica Kincaid (1949-), writes of a young girl who is learning her identity as a mother, wife and daughter. By examining each piece of literature, one can trace the common theme of identity by comparing and contrasting the history of each piece, as well as the time period and the meaning of each story. It is also important to understand how self-identity is related to the message each author is giving. Walt Whitman is thought to be one of America’s best poets.†¦show more content†¦Further on in the story, Chike mentions that he likes English words, even if they don’t mean anything to him (Achebe). By being caught up in this mixture of cultures, Chike must learn from a young age what his identity is. Jamaica Kincaid, in her story titled â€Å"Girl†, writes of a mother who is worried about her girl. Seen through the girl’s perspective, the mother gives a long list of things the girl must learn in order to grow up successfully. By learning all of these things, the girl is confronted with who she wants to be, and who her mother, and society, says she is. Jamaica Kincaid wrote this story as a way to explain the culture she grew up in. She says that, after her mother gave birth to more children, their relationship was strained. She once said that â€Å"†¦it might have changed as I entered adolescence, but her attention went elsewhere †¦everything got sort of shortened not only material things but emotional things, the good emotional things I got a short end of that. But then I got more of things I didnt have, like a certain kind of cruelty and neglect†¦.† (BBC). Kincaid knew what the girl in the story was going through, and she wanted to bring awareness to it. In the story, the girl’s mother is condescending and critical of her daughter. She speaks in a harsh tone, and condemns her daughter’sShow MoreRelatedWalt Whitmans Influences1411 Words   |  6 PagesWalt Whitman’s influence to American Literary History After the Civil War, Walt Whitman realized that the American people were in need of their own identity. Therefore, he wrote the book â€Å"Leaves of Grass† with the goal of creating a literature piece that was authentic and organic to the United States in every sense. Whitman introduced to literature the idea of the â€Å"American Dream† and highlighted how important it was for the American people to develop their own identity. Consequently, he rejectedRead MoreWalt Whitman Poetry Essay1685 Words   |  7 PagesWhitman’s Contribution to American Identity Walt Whitman’s portfolio of poetry was a crucial staple in the American identity. Whitman used his poetry to contribute to the evolution of self-reliance, human freedom and concepts of democracy. These influences can be seen throughout all of his poems, but more relevantly in â€Å"Song of Myself†, â€Å"For You O Democracy† and in â€Å"Live Oak, with Moss†. After analyzing these works thoroughly, Whitman has undeniably aided in the development of American identityRead MoreUnity Of The American Culture Essay2018 Words   |  9 Pagesfound in coming together. American Poet, Walt Whitman captures the strength in the unity of the American people. Through Walt Whitman’s â€Å"Song of Myself,† he demonstrates the value of unity in the American culture. He celebrates the individuals who make up the United States, whether they are the common worker or the very rich. †Song of Myself† invites readers to see the hope and praise he had for all people in the American Culture. Walt Whitman’s â€Å"Song of Myself† shows the unity of people found in theRead MoreAmerican Romanticism As Portrayed By Walt Whitman s Song Of Myself979 Words   |  4 PagesJesha C. Lor Callis Modern Civ-LIT 3/21/16 Song of myself (1855) Narrative (1845) American Romanticism as portrayed by Walt Whitman’s â€Å"Song of Myself† and Fredrick Douglass’s Narrative American Romanticism focuses on the imagination, emotions and idealized perspectives of the world. Romanticism is in opposition to the forms and conventions of Neoclassical Literature and is a reaction to the Age of reason which preceded Romanticism. Reason was ruled out in this era in place of imagination, individualityRead MoreWalt Whitman And Allen Ginsbergs Poetry1332 Words   |  6 Pagesyour inner moonlight; don t hide the madness. You say what you want to say when you don t care who s listening.† Walt Whitman was a brilliant writer of his time, a writer that created a voice for the masses to no longer be a mass, but an individual. He was truly a pioneer of his generation, a revolutionary in thought, and this is not his quote. Due to his paralleled lifestyle to Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg learned and drew inspiration from such works as â€Å"Leaves of Grass† to apply towards his ownRead MoreEssay on Analysis of Women Rights in Leaves of Grass1591 Words   |   7 PagesWomen’s Convention had already taken place in Seneca Falls. According to Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass is a women’s book. In the epigraph of Sherry Ceniza’s Walt Whitman and 19th-century women reformers she quotes him having said â€Å"Leaves of Grass I essentially a woman’s book: the women do it know it, but every now and then a woman shows that she knows it† (Ceniza). The implication here combined with the text in Song of Myself suggest a phenomenon that is all too common. Whitman is seen as and seesRead MoreSong Of Myself By Walt Whitman1795 Words   |  8 Pagesthe brain structures that release dopamine, the pleasure chemical also released during sex and eating. In his gutsy poem to America, Song of Myself, Walt Whitman uses repetition to make music that will bring pleasure to his readers and also shape how they perceive the world. Whitman begins his poem by boldly stating that he celebrates himself. Like the chorus to a song he repeats the word â€Å"I† throughout the entirety of the poem. The meaning of the word transitions from â€Å"I† being Whitman himself, toRead MoreAn Inexplicable Nature of the American Identity Essay1242 Words   |  5 Pagesever-evolving American identity was adopted. It became apparent that the American identity could not concisely be defined because its description transformed into something greater than itself. Despite the notion of defining something so incredibly wide and vast, society has become increasingly pre-occupied with explaining exactly what the American identity means. Even when authors such as Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Emily Dickinson navigate the American identity, their ideas, althoughRead More An Annotation of Section 24 of Walt Whitmans Song of Myself1354 Words   |  6 PagesSection 24 of Walt Whitmans Song of Myself Walt Whitmans Song of Myself is a vision of the American spirit, a vision of Whitman himself. It is his cry for democracy, giving each of us a voice through his poetry. Each of us has a voice and desires, and this is Whitmans representation of our voices, the voice of America. America, the great melting pot, was founded for freedom and democracy, and this poem is his way of re-instilling these lost American ideals. In this passage from Song of MyselfRead More The Democratic Value of Whitmans Leaves of Grass Essay3334 Words   |  14 PagesEarly reviews of Walt Whitmans Leaves of Grass evince an incipient awareness of the unifying and acutely democratic aspects of the poetry. An article in the November 13th, 1856, issue of the New York Daily Times describes the modest, self-published book of twelve seemingly formless poems: As we read it again and again, and we will confess that we have returned to it often, a singular order seems to arise out of its chaotic verses (2). The Daily Tim ess identification of order out of chaos