SONG OF MYSELF by Walt Whitman

Sections 42-52 Analysis













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 In these last 10 sections of the poem starting with section 42, the poet tells of corruption in things of society like politics, wars, markets, banks, tariffs, etc., that people are involved in.  These people are him as well because they are all unified into one.  “I acknowledge the duplicates of myself, the weakest and shallowest is deathless with me, What I do and say the same waits for them, Every thought that flounders in me the same flounders in them” (1080-1082).  It seems that he is trying to say that corruption will never die just like people who are deathless.  Corruption is a part of everything that is and those that are the weakest and shallowest are deathless with the poet.  The poet says that he does not hate priests or religion in section 43, but rather that his “faith is the greatest of faiths and the least of faiths” (1097).  It seems as if his faith consists of many different religions.  In line 1099 he states, “Believing I shall come again upon the earth after five thousand years”, “Helping the llama or Brahmin…” (1102), showing beliefs of Buddhism and Hinduism.  He says that he accepts the gospels, and even puritan beliefs.  He is able to do this because he is everyone and everyone is him.  Again the theme of unity shows itself.  In lines 1135-1137 of section 44 the poet says, “What is known I strip away, I launch all men and women forward with me into the Unknown.  The clock indicates the moment-but what does eternity indicate?”  This goes to show the relationship that he and everyone else has with eternity.  Instead of focusing on the moment, he wants the reader to look at eternity.  This is also shown in the next lines where he talks of the trillions of winter past and those yet to be had.  Section 45 does the same kind of thing in illustrating mans relationship with eternity and how we are but a part of it.  This is shown in lines 1194-1195 where he says, “A few quadrillions of eras, a few octillions of cubic leagues, do not hazard the span or make it impatient, They are but parts, any thing is but a part.”  At the end of this section he speaks of meeting god: “My rendezvous is appointed, it is certain, The Lord will be there and wait till I come on perfect terms, The great Camerado, the lover true for whom I pine will be there.”  All of this ties into section 46 where the poet makes his journey and encourages all to join.  He calls it a “perpetual journey” because as he stated in the previous sections there is no end.  In Section 47, the poet asserts himself as a teacher and hopes that his teachings will help with the search of ones on individuality. "He most honors my style who learns under it to destroy the teacher" (1236). In section 48, he tells the reader that God himself is not as importantant as oneself, and to not be so infatiated with God for he is all around us, he is everywhere and in everything. "In the faces of men and women i see God..." (1284).  In both sections 49 and 50, he tells us that he is not afraid of death for he has died "ten thousand times" but that happieness is more important than any facet.  The I         

         

In the last two sections of the poem, the poet expresses to the reader that we, being of simple mind, may not fully contemplate his ideas and that we may have a lot of questions that really have no answers. We must search for answers in ourselves and the poet tells us he will wait for us. He declares that when we are finally able to understand him that we will not have to look for him for he will be under our boot soles, essientially he will have become part of the life cycle. "I stop somewhere waiting for you" (1345).




























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