I dare not comment on whether Whitman's poems occupy an important position in the history of American literature. His poems are not perfect, and sometimes they can't even be called beauty. Too many shouts of male chauvinism will make people feel harsh and even more boring. But it is definitely a fresh and powerful attempt. Even if you can't accept it, at least you will be infected by it. Sometimes the meaning of a work doesn't even need to be found in its words. As long as you feel the passion around its words, you can have a * * * sound with the author-just like a very emotional song, maybe you can't understand its lyrics, maybe its tune can't stand scrutiny, but it can easily convey some emotion to your heart, causing shocks and repercussions. This echo was left in my heart by Leaves of Grass.
1. I hear America singing.
I'm not an American, but under Whitman's loving and proud words, I can't help loving America (well, I don't hate it).
Whitman is an absolute patriot In his poems, place names from all over the United States often appear. He is so proud to incorporate all the great rivers and mountains in America into his works. He thinks this is undoubtedly the best way to express his thoughts.
Yes, his thoughts are contained in the mountains and rivers of the United States, firmly in the hands of those new immigrants-those workers, carpenters, boatmen and plowmen. America, a new country, will get rid of the stale of those ancient civilizations completely, a new spirit will sprout here, and he will become the leader of a new era.
Yes, this is what Whitman firmly believes-this 100% stubborn nationalist!
So, he said:
Years and precedents have long accumulated directionless materials,
America has brought builders and its own style.
Immortal poets in Asia and Europe have completed their work and passed it on to other fields.
A job is still a job that goes beyond everything they do.
(On the Blue Ontario Shore)
He said:
Any period when a country must lead.
A piece of land must be the hope and support of the future.
(On the Blue Ontario Shore)
So who will appear as this leader in the new century? For Whitman, there is no doubt that it can only be the United States.
So he sang:
I hear America singing, and I hear all kinds of carols.
("I hear America singing")
In addition to hymns, only hymns; Not only does he sing, but in his opinion, all Americans will sing with him.
2. Shout for democracy
It is obvious that Whitman regards himself as a fighter. He felt that he had an obligation to awaken people's democratic consciousness-although he didn't seem to make it clear what democracy was in his mind.
But it is obvious that Whitman yearns for equality-equality in seven lonely days, equality between blacks and whites, equality between the poor and the rich. He longs for a completely harmonious world-it is simply an ideal country.
He said:
The earth connected by the network,
Race, neighbors, marriage and marriage,
Crossing the ocean, bringing the distance closer,
The welding area to be welded together.
(A Passage to India)
He wept for the fallen democracy fighters. He said that your death will be remembered, and crucifying you will awaken people who are confused. Among these pioneers who have died, Lincoln is his most revered. His grief over Lincoln's death is so real that it is a pity and regret for comrades in the United front.
He said:
Ah, captain! My captain! Our terrible trip is over.
……
But ah, heart! Heart! Heart!
Ah, red blood drops. My captain is lying on the deck,
Die cold.
(Captain! My captain! -Recalling President Lincoln)
3. Everything is truth
Whitman's truth does not exist in the subset of classics and history, and he spurns them. He thinks that those old books and ideas should be discarded. He worships what he sees-majestic nature and all-encompassing universe, which he thinks are the ultimate existence of truth.
Before Jesus was born, he preached what he thought was modernity, although it was not a complete retro.
Reflect on yourself
Obviously, someone questioned Whitman and asked him what he wanted to convey to readers with his rhyming words.
Perhaps he wanted to answer this question, so Whitman supplemented his Leaves of Grass again and again, hoping to finally make readers understand his intention.
He said:
I am the one who travels around the United States with a sharp tongue and questions everyone I meet.
Who are you, just wanting to be told what you used to know?
Who are you, just want a book to talk nonsense with you?
(On the Blue Ontario Shore)
In Whitman's mind, the United States is a prosperous place of new democracy, and he feels that what comes with this new democracy can no longer be those palace-style platitudes. He wants to bring a new breath to his America,
He said:
I won't give you the fantasy of poets from other places,
I don't know the praise that has served them for so long,
It is not a rhyme, nor a classic, nor a perfume of foreign courts or indoor libraries;
But I will bring the smell of Maine pine forests, or the smell of Illinois grasslands,
With the fresh air of Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas highlands or Florida marshes,
Or the black stream in Sage, or the wide blue area of Lake Huron,
With the presentation of Yellowstone National Park or Yosemite,
And murmuring, pervading all, I will bring the rustling sound of the waves,
This is the endless sound from the two oceans of the world.
("Your mother and your kind")
So do you understand that if this book of poems gives you an unexpected rude and emotional blow-whether you accept it or not-it has succeeded; If this collection of poems has ever brought controversy to American literary circles-whether every American can agree with it or not-then he has fulfilled his mission.