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Whitman begins verse 26 by asserting that he will now simply listen and take in the sounds that he is surrounded
with. He illustrates pleasurable sounds such as music, the lovely sound of the
human voice, and the singing of birds in the air, neutral sounds of trains and passing cars, as well as unfavorable sounds
of alarm bells, cries of fire, and judges giving death sentences. Through depicting
this assorted mix of sounds he tries to show the emotionally diverse range of sound/noise that the average person may be subjected
to in everyday life. In verses
27-28, Whitman claims that his senses completely control his life as they “seize every object and lead it harmlessly
through me” (616). He asserts that his (as well as our) senses have no
regard for our emotions or feelings; they do not start or stop, they simply reveal stimuli by which we are constantly surrounded. In verse 20 Whitman assumes that truth cannot be forced out of something, nor can
it be learned through logic or sermons. Through this he tries to demonstrate
that only what we perceive through our senses can be of any truth to humanity.
In verse 31 and 32 the poem somewhat changes focus. Whitman clearly
shows the idea that every form of life on earth is equally wonderful. From a
leaf of grass, to a tree-toad, to growing berries, to the astonishing elements of the stars in the sky, each is created perfectly
equal in its own way. Whitman begins to compare humans to other animals in an
effort to demonstrate the selfishness, greed, and ignorance sometimes associated within mankind. He points out that animals are not unhappy, dissatisfied, or sick with their position here on Earth, nor
are they corrupted by the idea of “owning” possessions. In verse
32 Whitman goes on to seemingly praise all parts of the Earth, from space and time, to the ocean shore, to the rivers, the
western plains, and the mountains, to the brush in the forests, to the deep blue seas, to the cities full of people, to the
farmlands and orchards, and to the artic ice-covered seas. In talking about these
different parts of the world he seems to incorporate the idea that the combination of all these wonderful elements make up
the world as a whole. This verse seems similar to the theme in verse 15, in which
he describes the many different types of people in life as a means of showing the individual significance each contributes
to comprise humanity as a whole.
In verse 34 Whitman illustrates a scene, possibly referring to the civil war, where a number of young men surrender
to their enemies, and in turn are lined up and “massacred.” This
verse seems to employ another view of the horrible nature sometimes evident in mankind.
Verses 35 and 36 present a situation of a battle between ships at sea. Whitman
uses words like fighting, shooting, firing, blowing up, enemy, dead, corpse, and silent over and over to create a very depressing
scene for the reader. The ship that the narrator is on wins the battle, for the
other ship surrenders; ironically, however, it is still slowly sinking. Whitman
shows through this scene the senselessness of fighting. He demonstrates what
little is accomplished through battle and war, whether at sea or on land. In
verses 37 and 38 Whitman illustrates a scene of being in prison for a night, surrounded by other humans who resemble himself. He proposes the idea that life is a never-ending cycle, as “corpses rise, gashes
heal, fastenings roll from me” (969). Through this verse it seems that
his message is to not give up in life, but instead continue to seek answers in life.
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