4/8 - Whitman

STEP ONE: DOCUMENT

Whitman had some names and addresses scribbled down at the front of his notebook, which suggested to me that he was well-liked, liked to keep up with his friends, and overall, valued the individual human relationships he shared no matter how big or small.

The start of Whitman's imaginary conversation with President Lincoln proves that he might  have been a man who valued his imagined life as much as his real one, and also how much of his written work has been inspired by real life, however it might not be very factual or realistic. His choosing to have a conversation with Lincoln particularly can also be representative of Whitman's strong opinions of the issues in this time like the Civil War and slavery.

Whitman writes with many questions, of which I cannot tell if they are rhetorical or not. Ex: What then? Have those thrones there stood so long? Either way, he does not seem rushed or quite motivated to answer these questions. This might be revealing his existential nature; why rush in to find an answer if that answer won't matter once we're all apart of the kosmos?

On page 9, Whitman writes, "Come now we will see what stuff you are made of Ship of Libertad

Let others tremble and turn pale – let them ?
I want to see what ? before I die,
I welcome the menace – I welcome thee with joy
He seems quite fearless, and certainly not fearful of death. This may relate to his existentialism or maybe just to his then current state of not caring anymore. He seems determined to live life fully no matter the cost (quite a YOLO mindset). To me, Whitman is a person who would rather have change and risk over monotony and safety. 

The sketches make the notebook take a more comical turn. The drawings are cartoonish and seem to emphasize a bad feature here or there. Also, he let someone draw a portrait of him. Once again, Whitman is shown to be very likable, the center of fun, and able to take a good joke. I think the notion that Whitman was not a very serious man all the time is a bit relieving to me; not all geniuses have to be very respectable people or on top of their craft 100% of the time to do great things.

STEP TWO: NOTES

Whitman did indeed write down several people's names and addresses inside the cover. It is also revealed that one of the names was friend William Giggee, who was killed shortly before Whitman moved to D.C. to be a volunteer nurse. Like I suspected, Whitman highly valued the personal relationships he kept with people, even so much that he was driven to help in the war effort in such a direct way after his friend's passing.

Lincoln seemed to be a hero to Whitman. He would go out of his way to catch a glimpse of the president (in New York and later, in D.C.). I had previously thought Whitman just thought of Lincoln as a respectable man, but he seems to be more of an inspiration and role model- which explains why the imaginary conversation between the two was written. He also seems to care deeply for Lincoln as a human being, writing in 1863 of the "deep latent sadness” in the president’s face as he rode past.

I thought the explanation of Whitman's use of 'Libertad' was quite interesting. Using the Spanish translation of 'liberty' was most likely done with the purpose of tying the Union's issues to "democratic and nationalist movements around the globe". This reveals that Whitman was conscious of world-wide issues, he was not simply America-minded, and he wished to see freedom and equality and unity prosper everywhere (not just America). 

The poem that appeared on page 9 that I noted for its recklessness was really exactly that. It was written in the dark months of the secession winter, in which Whitman living in an overcrowded Brooklyn house with his mother and four brothers (one of whom was in the late stages of syphilis) and a vast brood of in-laws. He was also apparently burnt out and drinking a lot. I suspected Whitman may have not cared anymore and I think I was right. He had seen so many people suffer, and he himself was also suffering, and I think the poem was a product of his frustration of feeling stagnant, useless, and cramped.

The sketches were of Whitman's drinking buddies, and like I thought, of himself. Apparently, Whitman loved having his portrait made. “I have been photographed, photographed, photographed, until the cameras themselves are tired of me,” he said in 1888. The red nose of the poet in the sketch hints that there was heavy drinking when Whitman went out, and really, that Whitman liked to have a good time and didn't take himself seriously. It was also revealed that Whitman would take out his notebook and write and draw and then pass it around, which I think shows that, again, he values human connections and relationships and loves to look inside other people's brains.