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SoNG oF MysELF. Bt
&lake the Connection
share in another's thoughts or
"All these I feel or am"
feelings. This excerpt from the
thirty-third section ,,Song
Much of Whitman's work is dis_
tinguished by his attempr to
erase the line between observer
and object. The poet does this in
order to-imaginatively
speak_
ing-become the thing or person
he is talking about. Whitman is
capable not only of sympathy, but
of
of
Myself" includes one of Whitman's most famous lines: ,,1 am
the man, I sufferd, I was there."
Through empathy, Whitman explores the greatness of heart that
characterizes some unlikely
neroes.
also of empothy-the ability to
Reading Skills
and Strategies
Supporting Inferences with
Text Evidence
Throughout "Song of Myself."
Whitman honors individuals
whose hardships and courage:.
acts make them true heroes. l:
you read, write down words a- :
phrases that reveal Whitman s
ability to feel empathy for
thc::
quite different from himself.
from Song of Myself
Walt Whitman
Irom 33,
5
I understand the large hearts ofheroes.
The courage of present times ancl all times.
How the skipper saw the crowded and ruclcledess
wreck of
the steam-ship, and Death chasing ir up and clown
the
stofm.
How he knucklecl tight ancl gave not back an
inch, and was
fairhtut of days and fairhful of nights,
And chalk'd in large letters on a boarcl, Be of good
cheery ue
tuill not desert you;
How he followd with them ancl tackd with them
three days
and would not give it up,
How he saved the drifting company at last,
How the lank loose-gown,d women look,d when
boated from
the side of their preparecl grayes,
How the silent old-faced infants and the liftecl sick,
ancl the
sharp-lipp,d unshavecl men:
l0 All this I swallow, it tastes good, I like it
well, it becomes mine,
I am the man, I suffer,cl, I was there..
The disdain ancl calmness of marfyrs,
The mother of old, condemn,d for a witch,
burnt with drv
wood. he r chiklren gazing on,
The hounded slave that flags in the race, leans
by the fence,
blowing, coyer,cl with sweat.
15
The twinges that sting like needles his Iegs
ancl neck, the
murclerous buckshot and the bullets.
All these I feel or- am.
356 A New AuenrcaN poerRy: WnlrNnru
AND DlcKtNsoN
1-11. I understand. . . I was
there: This stanza was inspirecl
Irctual incidenl that occurred
:
-
ijl - -.
Accorcling to repofts in the Neu -:
Weekly Tribune ofJamrary 21. I ..
the ship San l:rancisco sailed fi, New York Ciry on December 2l
1853, destined for South Amerrcl
violent storm hit the ship seven.
hundred miles out of poit, wash:: _
many passengers overboarcl.
Th.
-.
tain of another ship helped re sc *:
tne sufvivors. A copy of the nes .'
paper story was found anrons
\X/hirman's papers aftcr lris cliaL:
_
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I lie in the night air in my red shirt, the pervading hush is for
my sake,
Painless af\er all.I lie exhausted but not so unhappy,
White and beautiful are the faces around me , the heads are
bared of their fire-caPs,
The kneeling crowd fades with the light of the torches.
Distant and dead resuscitate,
They show as the dial or move
clock myself.
35
as
the hands of me, I am the
I am an old artillerist, I tell of my fort's bombardment,
I am there again.
Again the long roll of the drummers,
Again the attacking cannon, mortars,
Again to my listening eafs the cannon responsive.
I take part, I see and hear the whole,
The cries, curses, roaf, the plaudits for well-aim'd shots,
The ambulanza' slowly passing trailing its red drip,
'Workmen searching after damages, making indispensable
44.
atrl:bt:J;anza (dm. boo
.
ldnt'sa'
Italian for "ambulance."
repairs,
The fall of grenades through the rent roof, the fan-shaped
4>
explosion,
Thewhizz of limbs, heads, stone, wood, iron, high in the air
Again gurgles the mouth of my dying general, he furiously
waYes with his hand,
He gasps through the clotMind not me-mind-tbe
entrencbrnents.
M
g"KX zuG &?
5. Notice the way Whitman alternates between
groups of very long lines and groups of very
short lines. What is the reason for each shon
eAN I rvGs
First Thoughts
l.
How did you respond to Whitman's catalog of
heroic individualsl Which details packed the
strongest emotional Punch?
Shaping Interpretations
2. Look back at your reading notes. What uffi
words and phrases indicate Whitman's re
empathy with heroic people? What images of
3.
sight and sound help us feel we also are there?
At what moments does the speaker restate the
point that "l am the man, I suffer'd, I was there"?
What is the effect of these restatementsl
you describe the speaker's tone?
What are his feelings for these heroes?
4. How would
358 A New AMentcnn PortRY: Wntrunt.t
line? How would you use your voice in reading
each short line aloud?
6. What do the heroes Whitman describes su885
about the poet's concept of heroism?
Connecting with the Text
7. Whitman empathizes with people by using the
pronoun /. How does his use of the first'
person point ofview affect you as you read
this poem?
Extending the Text
hero to this
poem, whom would you choose, and whY?
8. lf you could add a contemPorary
AND DlcKlNsoN