Song of Myself Group

Topic: Can Whitman in "Song of Myself" be considered the vice of manifest destiny?

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1

iwanttorock

Can Whitman in "Song of Myself" be considered the vice of manifest destiny?

2

Great question! I'd have to say that if you want this to be a simple yes or no, the answer would be no: there is too much personal in the poem, too much that's individual, and too great a distance between Whitman's concerns and this specific political ideology. However…if you allow for a broader or subtler interpretation, the answer is yes, Whitman contributes to this ideology, and there are related elements. It's also possible that elements that don't relate would be related by clumsy readers. For example, take the opening line: " I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself…" Well, to celebrate oneself can be to deny others. A nation celebrating itself could easily see itself as destined to conquer all.

3

morrol

Whitman was too inclusive for his masterpiece to not at least inhibit manifest destiny. Surely if "every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you", then every nation, or field, or stream, or mountain belonging to me belongs to you as well. 

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