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Student Name
Mr. Drozdowski
English 10 Honors Pd. 2
May 21, 2012
Walt Whitman and His Love for America
Walt Whitman wrote about his ideas on American society and its government through his
famous poems, “One’s Self I Sing”, “O Captain! My Captain!”, and “The Artilleryman’s
Vision”. Born into a patriotic family in which two of his brothers were named after George
Washington and Andrew Jackson, Whitman had an interest in American governmental and
societal affairs. He worked as an editor for three newspapers during his lifetime and wrote
hundreds of poems on the side. Also, he lived during a time when American society was in
turmoil and chaos. Slavery was a debatable question, and tensions between the North and the
South were brewing. Whitman lived in both the North and the South during this tense historical
period in which he lived in Brooklyn, New York and New Orleans, Louisiana, respectively. This
allowed him to gain a perspective from both sides of the war effort. Whitman opposed slavery
and wrote feverishly to spread this notion. The nineteenth century had tremendous influence on
his works and, through his writings, he expressed his ideas on the significant American events of
that period. Walt Whitman’s belief in democracy and admiration of America and Abraham
Lincoln are expressed in his poems “One’s Self I Sing” and “O Captain! My Captain!” while
“The Artilleryman’s Vision” expresses his opposition to the violence of the Civil War.
Walt Whitman relates his ideas of individuality, democracy, and duality in “One’s Self I
Sing.” In the lines “ONE’S-SELF I sing--a simple, separate Person / Yet utter the word
Democratic, the word En-masse” (Casale 61), Whitman compares the struggle between
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individuals and the society around them. While saying that being an individual and expressing
one’s self is important, he explains that being part of a group is equally important. This group
that Whitman was referring to was a democracy. Whitman believed that every person has to
show individuality, but they should use their individuality to contribute to a larger cause, such as
a society as a whole. Since he wanted a balance between individuality and being part of a group,
Whitman did not want either of those to become too prevalent. Frank D. Casale said, “Selfexpression often leads to exclusion from a group, while conforming to a group often requires the
suppression of parts of the self,”, and this reflects Whitman’s ideas of individuality (63).
Ideas about gender roles are exemplified, as well. In the poem, Whitman writes, “The
Female equally with the male I sing” (Casale 61). Along with his ideas about democracy,
Whitman believed in equality of men and women. Whitman lived in a time when women were
usually expected to stay and work in domestic settings. There was an underlying prejudice
against women’s abilities to be as physically and mentally equal as men. Not only did he want
equality for women, he wanted women to gradually get away from domestic settings and to work
in typical environments where men worked. Whitman also believed that women should equally
contribute to democracy. He believed that women should have the same voting rights and should
get more involved with the government and its affairs, whether it involves obtaining a
government position or spreading their opinions about the government.
Whitman understood there was a difference between mind and body, but he wanted to
connect them so that they worked together. The first three lines of “One’s Self I Sing” say, “Of
Physiology from top to toe I sing; / Not physiognomy alone, nor brain alone, is worthy for the
muse – I say / the Form complete is worthier far”(Casale 61), and they reflect his ideas on
whether the mind or the body is more important. In those lines, Whitman states that neither the
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mind nor the body is more important. He explains that “the complete form is more important
than either part by itself” (63). In addition to having a balance, each of the two, mind and body,
need to work within the other. According to Whitman, the mind must be part of the body, and the
body must part of the mind (63). Once a person accomplishes this, he or she will be complete
and thus will be a complete individual. By having complete individuals, a complete, successful,
and equal society is potentially attainable.
Along with explaining his ideas about equality, he presents an underlying duality.
Whitman does not refer to just one person in his poem “One’s Self I Sing”. The first person he
refers to is himself, and the poem shows this when it says “I sing,” which is said four times
throughout the poem. The second person is not actually one person. He refers to people in the
poem, in the third person point of view, “…as a metaphor for all people” (Oliver “One’s Self…”
[Online]). By doing this, he is stating that everyone in history or in the future is able to have the
ideas and thoughts required in creating an equal society. Whitman was not just referring to a
select group, such as the people in society during his lifetime. In “One’s Self I Sing”, Whitman
takes it upon himself to represent the people of the past, present, and future. From using the word
“I” often in the poem, Whitman is trying to be the “…singer of equality…” (Oliver “One’s
Self…” [Online]). Although he is attempting to rally people of all ages to enhance equality, he is
not saying that he is better than everyone. In this poem, he is saying that no one is better than
him, and that he is no better than anyone else. Whitman wanted to take the initiative in
promoting democracy and equality because he had the ability to. Whitman felt that it was his job
to spread the concepts of equality and democracy, and through “One’s Self I Sing”, he was able
to do that.
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Walt Whitman reflects on the ending of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham
Lincoln in “O Captain! My Captain!” Whitman describes the United States’ and Lincoln’s
journey in trying to end slavery and the Civil War conflict in “O Captain! My Captain!” In the
line, “The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won” (Casale 164), Whitman
describes a positive outlook on the result of the Civil War and on America’s future. During the
Civil War, thousands of people were killed and injured. Also, American society was chaotic
because of the divided opinion on whether slavery should have been present or not. When
referring to this chaotic and divided society, Whitman says that even though America and its
people went through a rough time during the Civil War, the goals of ending slavery and uniting
America had been completed. He uses optimism to explain how America got through a tough
time, and uses it to persuade the American people into admiring America, as well.
Walt Whitman says, “the nation as a ship, the ship of state” (Casale 164) in “O Captain!
My Captain”, and this shows that he is comparing America, as a whole, to a ship, which is the
primary symbol in “O Captain! My Captain!” (167). This is important because he is referring to
America as being united. Before and during the Civil War, the United States was separated
between the North, also known as the Union states, and the South, also known as the
Confederate states. The Union states did not believe in slavery while the Confederate states
believed slavery was necessary. Because of this division in opinions, America was divided
politically and socioeconomically. Not until after the Confederate states were defeated in the
Civil War was America truly called “the United States.” By stating that the ship is figuratively
safe and docked, Whitman expresses his optimism for America and its future (Renfro [Online]).
In “O Captain! My Captain!”, Whitman expresses his admiration of Abraham Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln was one of the presidents of the United States while Whitman was alive, and
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Lincoln’s actions had a tremendous influence on Whitman’s writings. When referring to Lincoln,
Whitman uses the word “captain” (Casale 164). By doing this, Whitman is describing Lincoln as
being the leader of the American people, just as a captain is the leader of a ship. The fifth and
sixth lines of the poem say, “Where on the deck my captain lies / fallen cold and dead” (164),
and theses lines express Whitman’s personal relationship with Lincoln and how his assassination
affected Whitman’s life (Renfro [Online]). Lincoln’s efforts in creating a democratic government
and in creating an equal society went along with Whitman’s beliefs. Because of their shared
interests, Whitman admired Lincoln and used this poem to express his admiration shortly after
Lincoln was assassinated.
In “O Captain! My Captain!”, Walt Whitman uses a traditional writing style, with a
variation of iambic measure (Bloom 91) and makes the poem quite simple, when referring to
format and style. In the quote, “…the poem is one of the few rhyming poems…” (Oliver “O
Captain…” [Online]), Charles M. Oliver explains how “O Captain! My Captain!” is one of the
only rhyming poems that Whitman wrote. Whitman did this purposely so that it can be
understood by a large American audience (Casale 166-167). During Whitman’s lifetime, not
every American citizen was intellectually equipped, and by making a somewhat simple poem, it
was easier to understand than some of his more complex, non-rhyming poems. Because a larger
audience was able to understand this poem easier, his admiration for America and Lincoln spread
and influenced the larger audience. By Whitman reaching out to a larger American audience, it
proves Whitman’s love for America and its citizens. Overall, Whitman admired America and
Abraham Lincoln, and his unique “American voice” (Paschen… 16) used in “O Captain! My
Captain!” expressed this.
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“The Artilleryman’s Vision” reflects on Whitman’s opposition to the violence of the
Civil War and shows the war’s impact on his life and writing. First, Whitman describes his
opposition to the violence of the Civil War in “The Artilleryman’s Vision.” Whitman uses a
Pathos appeal, or an appeal through emotion, to express his opposition. In “The Artilleryman’s
Vision”, this emotional appeal is used to describe the negative results of the Civil War. The first
line of the poem says, “While my wife at my side lies slumbering, and the wars are over long”
(Allen et al… 796), and the third line says, “And through the stillness, through the dark, I hear,
just hear, the breath of an infant” (796). In these lines, Whitman uses the reference to the
soldier’s wife and child as an emotional appeal to express his opposition to the war. Whitman
shows how the soldier going to war affects more than just him. It affects his entire family and
can be life-changing. Whitman reflects this because he does not want any more families to have
to deal with the consequences war can offer. By expressing this, Whitman hopes to cause the
audience reading “The Artilleryman’s Vision” to oppose the Civil War, too.
Whitman uses “The Artilleryman’s Vision” to exemplify the war’s effect on his life and
writing. Whitman’s brother was a Union soldier during the Civil War and was wounded in the
war. Forced to care for his brother, Whitman understood the love and compassion wounded
soldiers needed, and he decided to visit over 100,000 other wounded soldiers of the Civil War. In
order to do this, he had to travel to the war-front multiple times and saw first-hand consequences
of the Civil War (“Walt Whitman’s Biography” [Online]). According to Whitman, visiting the
wounded soldiers was “the greatest privilege and satisfaction…and, of course, the most profound
lesson of my life” (Allen… 793). Whitman was able to use these experiences to craft “The
Artilleryman’s Vision” so that it portrays the Civil War’s consequences in the best way he could
make it. “While the poem was not based on his firsthand experience, he had constant access to
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those who did have it” (Huff [Online]), and those experiences allowed him to truly explain what
actually happened in a typical Civil War battle.
Along with these ideas, Whitman explains the effects the Civil War had on the soldiers of
it. Throughout the poem, Whitman also elaborates on a detailed explanation of battlefield events.
He expresses the image of the battle as a bad memory of the soldier and that this memory has
permanent effects on the soldier’s mind. Whitman did not only focus on the short-term effects in
“The Artilleryman’s Vision”; he focused on the long-term effects as well. These effects can be
related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD,
is caused by experiencing or witnessing a traumatizing event (Pease [Online]). It is common
among war civilians and soldiers who fight in a war. “The Artilleryman’s Vision” explains a
situation in which Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may be affecting the soldier having the bad
memory of a battle. Whitman shows that the soldier is at home and that the actual battle
happened a long time ago in the line, “And my head on the pillow rests at home, and the vacant
midnight passes” (Allen… 796). Even though the soldier is at home and “…the wars are over
long” (Allen… 796), he is still experiencing the mental effects of the war and cannot get the
memory out of his head (Oliver “The Artilleryman’s Vision”). The soldier’s wounds may not be
visible, but they are affecting his and his family’s life. Whitman wrote “The Artilleryman’s
Vision” to indicate that there can be invisible wounds and that the Civil War has caused those
wounds for thousands. The extensive battle within the soldier’s “vision” demonstrates “vividly
painful battle scenes” (Huff [Online]). These scenes, though repressed while he is awake,
continue to come back in the soldier’s dreams and potentially will continue to occur, which is
what Walt Whitman wants to avoid. In “The Artilleryman’s Vision”, Whitman expresses the
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negative consequences the Civil War had on its combatants and other American citizens and
shows his opposition to it.
“One’s Self I Sing” and “O Captain! My Captain” express Walt Whitman’s belief in
democracy and admiration of America and Abraham Lincoln while “The Artilleryman’s Vision”
expresses his opposition to the Civil War and the violence that occurred in it. In “One’s Self I
Sing”, Whitman expresses his love for democracy and equality and expresses his position on
abstract ideas. According to the poem, individuals and groups must coexist. While being an
individual is important to Whitman, he explains that a person must use their individual
characteristics to contribute to a larger cause, such as a democracy. Whitman demonstrates his
belief in equality for men and women, as well. When referring to the mind and body duality, he
explains how there needs to be a balance between them in order for society and democracy to
work. In “One’s Self I Sing”, Whitman takes it upon himself to represent people of the past,
present, and future and indicates that he is no better than anyone else. “O Captain! My Captain!”,
Whitman describes a positive outlook on the future of America, and he compares America to a
ship that had a rough but successful journey. He expresses his admiration for Abraham Lincoln
because of their shared beliefs in democracy and an equal society. In this poem, Whitman uses a
traditional writing style, and it ensures that a larger American audience is able to read and
understand it. In “The Artilleryman’s Vision”, Whitman uses an emotional appeal to express his
opposition to the violence of the Civil War. Because of his first-hand experience of visiting over
100,000 wounded soldiers of the Civil War at the war-front, he was able to accurately reflect on
what a battle scene was like, and this influenced his writings, such as “The Artilleryman’s
Vision”. Whitman refers to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the “The Artilleryman’s Vision”,
and describes its effects on the Civil War soldiers to reflect his opinion on opposing the Civil
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War. Overall, Walt Whitman expresses his opinion on a variety of ideas, such as supporting
democracy, admiring America, and opposing the violence of the Civil War, in his poems “One’s
Self I Sing”, “O Captain! My Captain!”, and “The Artilleryman’s Vision.”
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Works Cited
Allen, Janet, Applebee, Arthur N., Burke, Jim, et al eds. “The Artilleryman’s Vision.” Literature.
Evanston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2008. 793-796. Print.
Bloom, Harold. Walt Whitman. New York: Chelsea House, 1985. Print.
Casale, Frank D. Bloom's How to Write about Walt Whitman. New York: Bloom's Literary
Criticism, 2010. Print.
Huff, Randall. "'The Artilleryman's Vision'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry,
vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference
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Oliver, Charles M. "'The Artilleryman's Vision'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A
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