Walt Whitman and His Strange Obsession With God Essay

Myberson Saint-Pierre American Literature 1865-1914 English 3040 Prof. Rosa Soto November 27, 2012 Walt Whitman and His Strange Obsession With God Walt Whitman was an egotistical, self-absorbed, wild heretic. â€Å"I celebrate myself, and sing myself† (Songs of Myself 1). Multiple times in his books and essays he claims to be better than the masses. â€Å"I am as bad as the worst, but, thank God, I am as good as the best† (Preface to a Leaves of Grass). Henceforth I ask not good fortune. I myself am good fortune (Songs of the Open Road). Walt Whitman is often thought of as an atheist, but I’m not buying it. In my opinion Whitman deep down believed that there was a God, and not only did he believe that there was a God, he believed himself†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦ He can make every word he speaks draw blood (Preface to a Leaves of Grass 6)†. Whitman attempts to put God on the same level as he. In his writing he devalues everything that God and Christians have deemed as valuable. And I have said that the soul is not more than the body, And I have said that the body is not more than the soul, And nothing, not God, is greater to one than one’s self is . . .And I say to humankind, Be not curious about God, For I who am curious about each am not curious about God . . . I hear and behold God in every object, yet understand God not in the least, Nor do I understand who there can be more wonderful than myself . . . Why should I wish to see God better than this day (Song of Myself 48)? What is Whitman saying here exactly? In the Christian world the soul is what goes to on live forever once the body is deceased. The soul will either go to Heaven or Hell. Since it goes on to live forever, while the body will live a couple of decades, the soul is more valuable then the body. Whitman rejects all of that by saying no; the soul is not greater than the body. He continues by saying that God isn’t greater than one’s self. One of the things about God or any other gods is that they are higher than everyone else, that’s why we look to them in times of trouble. For the Greeks, the gods lived on Mount Olympus- a mountain so sacred that no human, in GreekShow MoreRelatedThemes and Values of the Beat Generation as Expressed in Allen Ginsbergs Poetry1400 Words   |  6 PagesGeneration as Expressed in Allen Ginsbergs Poetry Perhaps one of the most well known authors of the Beat Generation is a man we call Allen Ginsberg, who expresses the themes and values in his poetry. He was, in fact, the first Beat Writer to gain popular notice when he delivered a performance of his now famous poem, #61505;Howl#61504;, in October of 1955. The Beat Generation is typically described as a vision, not an idea and being hard to define. It is characterized as #61505;a culturalRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagesperceive in products and services is becoming an enormously powerful influence on the continuing strength of customer spending, especially when times are tight. Study of the current economy indicates that when today’s consumer is completely satisfied with his or her product or service purchase, he or she tells six other potential buyers. In contrast, a dissatisfied consumer informs 25 other potential buyers. That is the leverage of quality in shaping c onsumer sentiment, which is vital in powering the two-thirdsRead MoreDamodaran Book on Investment Valuation, 2nd Edition398423 Words   |  1594 Pagesanalysts change their valuations, they will undoubtedly be asked to justify them. In some cases, the fact that valuations change over time is viewed as a problem. The best response may be the one that Lord Keynes gave when he was criticized for changing his position on a major economic issue: â€Å"When the facts change, I change my mind. And what do you do, sir?† Myth 3.: A good valuation provides a precise estimate of value Even at the end of the most careful and detailed valuation, there will be uncertainty

Wild Honeysuckle free essay sample

the Wild Honeysuckle BY mfw922 Philip Freneau was one of the most well known authors in the history of early American Literature. Freneau focuses on the many social problems that concern him such as the beauty of nature and the uniqueness of it. Philip Freneau utilizes a language full of imagery. The analysis of The Wild Honeysuckle should convey and uncovers the significance of inclusion of nature. In order to comprehend Freneau poem, The Wild Honeysuckle we should look at the defining features of the flower. The species have sweetly scented bell shaped lowers that produce a sugary edible nectar. The fruit on the sweet honeysuckle consists of berries and they can be in various colors such as red, blue or black. The berries comprise of several seeds and the berries can be slightly poisonous or edible. This flower grows wildly in isolated areas of land such as forests, swaps or hills. We will write a custom essay sample on Wild Honeysuckle or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These key terms: sweet, fragrant, delicate and veiled are the essence of this particular poem. Philip Freneau conveys the character of the honeysuckle. In lines one through four Freneau describes the flower and addresss it. The first stanza is composed in cross hymes. Fair flower, that dost so comely grow, Hid in this silent dull retreat, Untouched thy honeyed blossoms blow, Unseen thy little branches greet: No roving foot shall crush thee here, No busy hand provoke a tear. (Freneau 1-6) He explains that the honeysuckle is beautiful but is veiled to the world. Furthermore, Freneau personifies the flower. He talks to the flower as if it clearly were a person. He expresses that the little branches greet (line 4) and hopes that there will be tear. (line 6) He is expressing that nature is alike with the wilderness and seclusion of the land. It is almost expressing that the flower doesnt exist because of its concealed identity and humans are leaving the flowers hidden and secluded . However, The roving foot and the busy hand (line5) are metaphors of the devastation of nature by mankind. In the second stanza, Freneau tries to convey the beautiful honeysuckle young and sweet while age is setting in quickly. By Natures self in white arrayed, She bade thee shun the vulgar eye, And planted here the guardian shade, And sent soft waters murmuring by; Thus quietly thy summer goes, Thy days declining to repose. (Freneau 7-12) In lines 7-9, it shows that the honeysuckle is protected and secluded but no matter how many actions you take, nature will take its course. Summer is proceeding and unfortunately you can not stop time thus the days are coming ne ar to the end explains Freneau in lines 11-12 of the poem. Smit with those charms, that must decay, I grieve to see your future doom; They died-nor were those flowers more gay, The flowers that did in Eden bloom; Unpitying frosts, and Autumns power Shall leave no vestige of this flower. (Freneau 13-18) Freneau really gets upset in this third stanza because he does not want the oneysuckle to follow the rules of nature. He is disappointed that the flower can not defeat death and will be caught by the frost of the autumn weather. These lines show that the flower is not hidden or alone anymore. Freneau includes foreshadowing of the approaching decay. In lines 19-24, the wild honeysuckle passes on and does not leave a trace as if it never lived. The last two lines show the fate of that flower. From morning suns and evening dews At first thy little being came: If nothing once, you nothing lose, For when you die you are the same; The space between, is but an hour, The frail duration of a flower. (Freneau 19-24) He is conveying that death means nothing indirectly and you can not get in the way of nature decaying. Life is short and it is actually frail Just like the flower. Nature is used as a metaphor for life. In conclusion, Freneau uses nature and its beauty to emphasis his understandings. He tells us that our lives are also frail Just as the wild honeysuckle. Cherish it while it lasts for by the change of each season it may dissipate only to become a desire. Therefore, you need to live every moment to the fulle st without any regrets.