Whitman’s ‘Mirages’ is an interesting and confusing poem as it is purposefully very misleading to the audience. It gives the reader the idea that the entire poem is false because is its title being ‘Mirages,’ a comforting figment of the imagination; something totally made up. However, he then prefaces it by noting that the poem is a conversation between two old miners in Nevada, recorded verbatim. Despite its name and the fact that Whitman had never visited Nevada, he parenthetically reassures the reader that that everything is true throughout the conversation. This verbatim conversation seems to follow a path of talking about all that there is in Nevada, new cities with bustling streets, trade opportunities, colors, vibrancy, and normal family life. However, we as readers are reminded of the idea that none of this is true, and that this isn’t really the case, rather life in Nevada is possibly much bleaker than this poem lets on. It is an interesting way to shed light on potential truths by trying to express falsities as fact. I’ve chosen to rewrite ‘Mirages’ in a 21st century context using a conversation between two new mothers reflecting on the world their new children will inherit, and the mirages clouding the harsh realities of this world.
Mirages
(Noted verbatim after a sustainably sourced coffee out-doors with two young mothers. )
More new experiences and sights every day for this little one. Lots of progress made outside during the day, the weather has been so good.
Yes perfectly clear weather! Nothing unusual or dangerous and seasonably accurate too.
The cities been great too, successful new shop-fronts and so safe.
(Account for it or not – credit – or not, it’s all true, and my mate could tell you the like – we’ve often texted about it.)
People and animals are thriving too. It’s rare that species are going extinct and their habitats and ecosystems are not under threat.
I heard, and more improvement is coming from the housing crisis being fixed. So many affordable homes with cute lilac filled window boxes.
Weddings in churches, holiday dinners, returns of long absent children.
However so sad to hear about those children who don’t return.
Yes, but the justice system has really been working so well, no more corruption and bias based on race, gender, or power.
And the global community is healing as well, most wars are just isolated incidents now that we’ve gotten trade and natural resources under control.
They’ll face trials but what a joy and a relief about the world they are going to grow up in, only trivial problems remain for them.
(I could pick them out this moment if I saw them again,)
Even then, that’s all far on the horizon.
Yes, far off on the hills.
A mirage, in the traditional sense is something created by the mind out of total desperation. It’s a fabricated vision that the one having it so deeply desires. In the case of the two old miners, Whitman believes that innovation and modernity is what they truly desire, so much so that they trick themselves into believing that it is all around them. In this modern day and age I think this translates to the bleak outlook we sometimes have about the trajectory of our world. The fact that we are currently living in the sixth major extinction event is what I wanted to highlight, as well as the rates of crime and poverty. I think we all strive for the ideal so intensely that much of our human population is living in this convinced reality that everything is fine and will continue to be. However, much to these mother’s hypothetical dismay, the world that they are discussing is not wholly true and is their children will face real threat outside of trivial matters. This is not to say that this cannot be changed, it would just require those living in the Mirage to snap back to reality and take a good hard look on what they can do to help.
The Global Climate Strike is happening now (sept 20-27)
https://globalclimatestrike.net
Elie,
I really enjoyed reading your 21st century rendition of Whitman’s “Mirages”. I love how you set up the rendition in a similar way as Whitman, not only in style, but in context as well by saying it was verbatim from a conversation. The way you modernized the poem was skillful and well executed. It’s interesting to see this poem in a new context and modernized to reflect issues that are harming our society today. The two mothers reflect an issue in our society of seeing “mirages” of what we desire over what is truly in front of us. But, I’m curious. Why go with the idea of the two mothers and not some another group of people? What made you decide to choose to discuss/highlight climate and crime than other topics?
Very powerful, almost satyrical poem that leaves you questioning this overheard conversation. I feel like I have been there: heard those young mothers talk about everything going right for once. Perhaps it’s hope, thinking and speaking positively, but there’s a fine line between hopeful thinking and ignorance which I think you exposed in this creative rendition. I found it very effective that you used the first line to expose your scene and the characters of two young mothers. Having children in this imagery and including the graphics at the bottom really solidified this strange anxiety with the future and the present. The voice of this poem felt modern but also hauntingly Whitmanian, and I think the old man would be proud of you for this. The most powerful line for me was when the tone shifted and the speaker says; “However so sad to hear about those children who don’t return.” That one packed a punch, and lead into the subject matter in the end of the poem which shows how these two women are truly creating a mirage of what life actually is outside their coffee-shop bubble.
Love this riff on Whitman’s mirages–it helps me see the content of the vision in mirages as similarly blind to the women in your poem–their willful ignorance and inability to see the wasteland before them for what it is. It’s a great trope for a poem. I’m left wondering, however, what you think Whitman intended. Your intent is clear. Do you think Whitman’s goal here was to be equally critical? In this case, he would be almost entirely evacuating the promise of those regenerative and healing lilacs that appear here in a newly degraded context.