By Shannon Walsh

One of my favorite poems written by an American before 1870 is “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” by Walt Whitman. I had heard about and read work by Walt Whitman before this course, but not this particular poem before. After reading and studying it, it has quickly become one of my favorite poems written by an American in the 19th century. I am potentially biased towards this specific poem because of the setting it takes place in. The poem takes place in Brooklyn and I am originally from New York. While I am not from New York City itself, rather about an hour out of it, in the suburbs of Long Island, I have always had a deep love and connection for New York City. Walt Whitman was born in West Hills, Long Island, which is about a half an hour from my hometown. This fact alone gives credit to the poet for me and helps me feel a connection towards him. 

The subject he is writing about feels very real to me. He is describing the journey the Brooklyn ferry takes from Manhattan to Brooklyn and relates that closing of a physical gap to the closing of the gap between the poet and the reader. The poem reads more like a story to me, and it follows the journey of a man who is taking the ferry home after the completion of a long work day. The images are so clear to me and I love how the poem surrounds the idea of the interconnectedness between humans. The man is curious about the souls around him, and we learn this by the line, “Crowds of men and women attired in the usual costumes, how curious you are to me!” The idea that we are all curious about the strangers around us; about their lives, experiences, memories, personalities, etc. is prevalent throughout the poem. As humans, we share the common experience of life. It is so beautiful and touching to me. I feel as though all humans have a deep desire to connect with one another. Even after a long work day, he is surrounded by the sounds and sights of so many different souls around him and he is beautifully curious about them. 

I also appreciated how the idea of time is played upon and I understood another theme of the poem to be the timeless beauty of life. Section 3 begins with, “It avails not, time nor place—distance avails not/I am with you, you men and women of a generation, or ever so many generations hence/ Just as you feel when you look on the river and sky, so I felt/ Just as any of you is one of a living crowd, I was one of a crowd.” These lines show how no time, distance, nor place can disconnect him from people in the past and present; those who have existed before him and those who will exist after him.

I often feel overwhelmed by life in general. By the passage of time, by emotions, by memory, by experiences, etc. Life is a difficult, yet beautiful concept that we constantly try to understand and make sense of. I like how Whitman uses the natural world to ground his message. He includes descriptions of the natural world, including the river, the sky, and the passing ships. These images serve as metaphors for the cyclical nature of existence.

In terms of form, I liked how the poem was written in free verse. I resonate with poems written in this style more because it feels similar to my own way of thinking. Even though it is separated into sections, the one single idea and stream of consciousness feels like a natural way to think and write to me. The picture below depicts the Brooklyn Ferry in 1890. 

This picture was taken in July of 1890 and published by The Library of Congress. The picture depicts the Fulton Ferry Boat in Brooklyn, New York.