¶ … Song of Myself" response
I think your insight that Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is not about egotism is very apt. In fact, Whitman's poem is the very opposite of egotism. You write: "Song of Myself" seems "to focus specifically on himself, as Whitman begins by declaring, 'I celebrate myself, and sing myself' but America for Whitman is about more than simply the glorification of the individual. He also understands the significance of the nation's history as he explains, 'My tongue, every atom of my blood, formed from this soil, this air, Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same.'" Whitman believes that America is a nation which frees individuals to express themselves, and celebrating himself is, by extension, celebrating America.
Whitman also seems to celebrate the universal 'Self' (with a large S), rather than the personalized, isolated self....
The poem is not a list of his accomplishments or even his personal deficits. By celebrating himself he celebrates the multiplicity of people, ideas and concepts that make up America. Whitman's idea of 'the self' is very different from modern notions of self-esteem which focuses on the unique accomplishments of the individual. Although the self-esteem movement is certainly laudable, Whitman's project in his poem is not to 'build himself up' or to encourage either himself or even the reader to think well of him or herself. Instead, the intention of the poem is to motivate the reader to see how within himself a larger whole is reflected, in this case, the larger whole of America.
By celebrating the self, the reader and the writer celebrates America. Proclaiming the greatness of the individual is thus a personally empowering act, but also a patriotic act. Reading your post helped me clarify what I…
