Whitman's Peers

The content of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Village Blacksmith is similar to Whitman in the study and exploration of a character that seems to represent the average American life. One who works day in and day out and earns an honest living:

"His brow is wet with honest sweat,

 He earns whate'er he can"

He contemplates death:

"He needs must think of her once more,

 How in the grave she lies;
And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
 A tear out of his eyes."

But most importantly, he is a continuos contributor to society, putting forth efforts and thought in a daily regimen.

"Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing,

 Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
 Each evening sees it close"

The intent of the poem seems to create a look into the average life as a way to relate and almost feel good about one's own status and ethics as an American reader. It embodies the current moral of the time, capturing the American dream. "If you work hard, you will succeed." Although, this aspect opposes Whitman's ideology. He would agree with the uplifting nature of the poem, but not that it came about from good work ethic. Whitman would rather the reader spend thought through appreciation and understanding of their surroundings. Not hammering away at the same job day in and day out.

The rhyme and form of the poem seems to mirror this intent to portray the hard American worker. The fact that it is in any form at all ties into the willingness to conform to the ways of society. The ABAB structure resembles the day in day out idea of work ethic, the monotonous lifestyle lead by the average American. "Each morning sees some task begin/Each evening sees it close." On the other hand, Whitman's free form reflects his idea of the inward and outward-ness he desires and feels for existence. There is nothing containing his words or thoughts as there should be no containment for the human. In fact, Whitman doesn't even feel that his Song of Myself is poetry. In fact, he wants the reader to forget all poetry for it is "looking through the eyes of the dead." - some old dude that wrote something that isn't relevant to the times anymore. He wants us to understand the world and not be confined by the words on the page or how they're arranged.

In Elizabeth Oakes Smith poem The Incident, she takes on the incident of an eagle dropping a quill as a sign from above, or sort of message from the bird. This relates to Whitman's idea that one can interact with nature and their animal surroundings, that they have some innate knowledge within them just as us humans do. The difference is that the narrator in Smith's poem wonders the reasoning behind the eagle's action. Why did they do this? "O noble bird! why didst thou loose for me/Thy eagle plume? still unessayed, unknown..." If this were to happen to Whitman, he wouldn't question or even worry about the meaning, but appreciate the interaction and see the face value of it. He would admire the appearance of the quill, maybe rub it on his face a little.

The form or rhyme of the poem is a little looser than Longfellows, but still keeping to the ABAB structure, ending in AA. It does though seem to have a steady beat throughout the poem, one that I feel I could clap my hands along to. Maybe it goes along with the flap of the eagle's wings or something.

Thomas Bailey Aldrich's poem I vex me not with brooding on the years contemplates death and what inhabits it. While the narrator goes back and forth questioning what will happen after life, the ending is hopeful: "Still lovelier life awaits thee. Fear not thou!" Maybe Aldrich is trying to address a common fear amongst the reader and attempting to settle it. This relates very much so with Whitman for one of the biggest themes within Song of Myself is death, and I believe one of his intentions of the poem was to calm the reader of the anxieties attributed to the idea of death. Both Aldrich and Whitman are trying to make the unknown, known. And the thoughts on the actual afterlife aren't far off from one another, Aldrich questioning a previous life where he questioned the same things, hinting that maybe that death from this life merely leads to another one. Whitman doesn't hint but explicitly states pretty much the same thing. That death is merely a transformation, that death isn't really death or and end to anything, but the continuation of the self amongst others.

The form is even freer of the other two poems. While they were quite noticeable in the other two, having almost as big of a part as the content, Aldrich's poem allows the words to speak for themselves in a way, which relates to Whitman. He doesn't care about the how so much as the what. What is the poem saying and what is it doing for the reader?