Shaina Clingempeel
“Whatever would put God in a poem or system of philosophy as contending against some being or influence is also of no account. Sanity and ensemble characterize the great master…spoilt in one principle all is spoilt. The great master has nothing to do with miracles. He sees health for himself in being one of the mass…he is unspeakably great and that all are unspeakably great…” (16)
In the Preface to Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman advocates equality as he describes the variety in peoples that comprise America, from the average workman to “the great master” (16). This passage enables one to see how Whitman abolishes hierarchical structure in America. Although Whitman revers God as the “great master,” he considers him “one of the mass” and as just as necessary to America as each individual person. When Whitman states that God possesses “[unspeakable] [greatness],” he highlights this worthiness alongside that of his fellow Americans (16). Thus, while one should hold her “master” in high regard, she should maintain this heightened respect towards all Americans (16).
Throughout the Preface, Whitman mentions immigrants, workmen, affluent citizens, and other peoples, to spread his idealization of people amongst numerous categorizations. In doing so, Whitman rids America of its polish, which provides an honest account of America, speaks to its “ruggedness,” strips it down to the truth, and permits cohesiveness amongst men (16). This enables one to see how, to Whitman, differences amongst people serve as necessary intricacies which contribute to America’s cohesive nature. For this reason, Whitman considers America the “greatest poem” in its conglomeration of diverse peoples (5). As Whitman places people on center-stage with God, he equalizes and removes distinctions amongst humans, such as on the basis of gender, class, skin color, etc., to render one incapable of divisions.
With an open-ended structure, Whitman abolishes social order to highlight how America embraces diversity. His inclusion of ellipses joins his labyrinthine sentences to characterize Americans as unified yet full of different personalities and ways of life. Despite America’s diverseness, it serves as a cohesive unit, which monotheistic worship would undermine. As a result, while Whitman praises God, he rids him of his status as supreme to invite fellow women and men to share center stage in terms of significance. This strips God of his miracle-maker status and attributes the strength of America to all of its peoples, which places God alongside his fellow men. In effect, Whitman creates a warts and all depiction of America, characterized by “[greatness]” in its inclusiveness (16). Therefore, as Walt Whitman unites long-winded sentences, concepts, and descriptions of peoples, he replaces hierarchical divisions with celebrations of differences.
Great attention to the ways in which Whitman’s radical egalitarianism, his leveling of hierarchies, is reflected in both the content and the form of his Preface, as even his syntactical arrangements, ellipses, and long, unfolding sentences themselves gesture at a certain anti-hierarchical inclusiveness. This is the first step in a complex argument that allows whitman not so much to speak for those many others, but to speak as them, or in them, or through them, as “every atom belonging to me,” he writes in SOS, “as well belongs to you.”
Can you go back and revise the title of the post, making it more particular to the great content here and less to the assignment name? Also, images and linking are always welcome and help create a more dynamic blog space.