Layers of Equality Noticed in Walt Whitman s Leaves of. Grass

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1 Layers of Equality Noticed in Walt Whitman s Leaves of Grass Chi-Erh Huang ( 黃祈二 ) National Pingtung University Abstract Humans are inclined to perceive objects in the universe in hierarchical orders. Generally, the bigger size the item is, the more treasured it is considered. Nevertheless, Walt Whitman discovers a unique way to witness the universe. This research focuses on Whitman s poems included in Leaves of Grass and attempts to show the idea of equality in grass; its various meanings in more general sense, in a democratic society, and finally in the deepest level of Whitman s concept, atomic equality. Whitman was inspired by Transcendentalism, and although grass seems insignificant to some people, in Whitman s opinion they are as vital as any other individual in the universe and contain more than just grass. The equality in grass points to a democratic society which does not focus on the sameness of people, but rather on comprehending their diversity. Last but not least, since everything in the universe is made up of atoms, part of you is part of me despite our different appearances, and grass is the metaphor Whitman uses to show this equality. Walt Whitman experiences objects from their essence, which means that all things are equal because of the same elements, atoms, which are the building blocks of the universe. Whitman did not discover atoms, but he believes that he did discoverer the idea of atomic 101

2 equality, Whitman includes this concept in each of his poems, hoping to share it with everyone in the world. Keywords: Whitman, grass, Song of Myself, Transcendentalism, democracy, atoms Introduction In the universe objects are ranked differently mostly depending on their values. The magnificence of mountains and the journey work of stars are usually believed to be significant, but grains of sand and leaves of grass are generally considered the opposite. In addition, throughout history people of certain gender or skin color were considered superior while others were not. Thus, human perceptions of the universe are often quite hierarchical. However, the universe would not be completed without any elements, such as the ones mentioned above. Seen in this way, every piece of the universe can be considered equal and of purpose. The subject of Nature and our sense of wonder at the universe has been a key theme of literature over the ages, and ideas of equality in the universe have also appeared. The Transcendentalists of America in the mid 19 th century support this idea of equality in Nature. They believe we are part of the Nature, and the Nature allows us to connect to our inner spirit; moreover, to meet God. Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the first Transcendentalists, suggests the meaning of life and connection with the divine hide in Nature, and encourages people to search for it in Nature. Henry David Thoreau spent two years, two months, and two days in the cabin he built in the woods, hoping to gain a clearer insight into Nature through immerging himself in it. These two scholars focused on the idea of Nature to better understand the world, and later influence one of the greatest American poets, Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman was inspired by Transcendentalism, and came up with understanding of Nature, the universe and what this means in terms of equality. This paper will investigate the 102

3 idea of equality seen in Whitman s favorite muse and metaphor grass. The first section of this paper focuses on the surface meaning of grass in Leaves of Grass. The second section points out democracy as a further concept of Whitman s equality. Lastly, the third part introduces Walt Whitman s deepest level of equality, which could be termed atomic equality. The deepest element of this philosophy of Whitman, atomic equality, can be detected in every poem included in his epic work, Leaves of Grass, among which, Song of Myself is regarded as the core of Whitman s metaphysics. The powerful and famous opening of Song of Myself goes: I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. (29) When reading Song of Myself, the readers need to understand that every time Whitman mentions the word I, he is saying we. Elfenbein argues, Whether we want to know it or not, Whitman announces that he belongs to us (94). Whitman proposes that everything is made of atoms, so part of me is part of you. Walt Whitman s concept of equality in Leaves of Grass has its layers that leads its reader to think deeper and deeper. This paper will analyze Whitman s poems collected in Leaves of Grass, mainly focusing on Song of Myself, and reveal the equality in Whitman s Leaves of Grass layer by layer. Multiple Meanings in Grass Weighing in on the metaphor of leaves of grass, regular people are likely to say they are simply blades of grass. A Chinese idiom goes, For every blade of grass, there is a drop of dew. It means that there is subsistence for everyone, even a blade of grass will have its drop of dew (Yip 157). Chang reports, It is interesting that the English and Taiwanese expressions are the same. This proverb is encouraging people who are in desperate situations 103

4 that there is always a way out and should not despair (40). The expression occurs to Taiwanese that even the most trivial spear of grass receives the same from the nature, and so do humans. This philosophy of equality can also be seen in Walt Whitman s Leaves of Grass. A leaf does not need to be special, long or short, big or small. However, if one collects them together as a whole, they are grass, and perhaps they are much more than this. In Whitman s view, a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars (53). A leaf of grass is as significant as every other thing in the cosmos because everything can be seen as an element of the universe, just like a leaf is a part of the grass. Thus, grass is both ordinary and special. Grass does not have any kind of discrimination as it grows everywhere. Furthermore, grass does not have beginning and ending; they live eternally. Grass is a concept that is complex but simple. Certainly, there are many species and varieties of leaves in the world; yet, it does not matter what breed they are, or where they grow, grasp them with a hand full, they are grass. In Whitman s Song of myself he refers to this idea when he says, A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands (33), indicating that in a child s mind, grass is equal despites the subtle differences between breeds, and nothing should be more complex; in other words, everything is supposed to be level, a star in space or a leaf of grass, for they are components of the macrocosm. The equality of grass can be applied to everything on earth, in Spontaneous me Whitman utters, SPONTANEOUS me, Nature / The loving day, the mounting sun, the friend I am happy with (89), in which two verses nature is viewed as a friend of the poet, and that nature and human companionship are intermixed on equal terms. It appears interesting for Whitman to say nature is equal to human beings; however, if observed all together, humans and nature are part of Nature's oath of procreation (Warfel 193). Here, Warfel s Nature means the universe, and this point of view matches Whitman s idea toward grass- regardless of how many types of grass there are in the world, they are all equal as the elements of the universe. Moreover, there appears to be no discrimination when it comes to grass in that grass is 104

5 tolerant not only in many circumstances but in different ethnicities. In the poem Song of Myself Whitman brings up that grass is growing among black folks as among white (33). This idea suggests that grass does not have any prejudice at all because it does not refuse to grow among any color of skins; instead, it treats them equally. The author seems to like the idea of none discrimination in grass and would like to put it into practice in his country or even all over the world where The call of the slave is one with the master's call, and the master salutes the slave (Whitman 332). Levine argues that Whitman actualizes the meaning of the grass by his equal naming of the red, white, and black inhabitants of America (581). Even if little grass treats different races equally, each of the ethnicities deserves an impartial treatment from one another. We can find another similar idea in Whitman s I Sing the Body Electric, The love of the body of man or woman balks account, the body itself balks account / That of the male is perfect, and that of the female is perfect (81). Men are not necessarily superior to women; putting aside different genders, we are humans, and thus are equally faultless. Mullin urges, In many places throughout Leaves of Grass, Whitman refers to an equable, democratic treatment of gender (195). Here, it looks as if not only does Whitman suggest that there should be tolerance among races but he is also an advocate of feminism. In fact, Whitman is a believer who has faith in equal treatment for everything, which idea reflects leaves of grass that have no bias on others. In addition, leaves of grass seem to be everlasting. While grass can be seen everywhere, no one ever knows for certain when their lives begin or come to an end; they are always there to be spotted. For this reason, it looks like they live forever. Correspondingly, Whitman sees eternity in human lives, in Song of Myself he infers that the beautiful uncut hair of graves absorbs nutrients from the dead body beneath/below/under to live, so part of the leaf might also be part of the dead, which makes the point that for the people that passed away, They are alive and well somewhere / The smallest sprout shows there is really no death (33-34). Although bodies will decay, in a sense lives seem to go on forever in another form. In Salut 105

6 Au Monde! Whitman greets to every generation around the world in the future by uttering: You whoever you are! You daughter or son of England! You of the mighty Slavic tribes and empires! you Russ in Russia! And you each and everywhere whom I specify not, but include just the same! Health to you! good will to you all, from me and America sent! ( ) It is likely that Whitman realizes he will pass on through his works just as his body will pass on through the grass. Even though he died more than a centenary ago, we can always enjoy a nice talk with him when reading his works. Whitman s life was lengthened for he transmits his life to his works just like lives are transferred into leaves of grass to continue their journey that has no ending. To sum up, in Walt Whitman s point of view, grass is more than what usual people believe it is. A blade of grass is as equally essential as any other object in the universe for they are all parts of it. Since grass grows everywhere, there is no discrimination in grass; therefore, everyone of different species or gender is worthy of an equal treatment as well. What is more, eternity can be observed in leaves of grass, not only because they appear to have everlasting life but they pass on dead lives. Simple as leaves of grass, they contain profound meanings. The American Democrat The equality in Whitman s leaves of grass can be extended and mirrors a further concept, known as democracy. Hume affirms, Leaves of Grass is in a sense one of the vital documents of democracy (313) for Whitman s belief of equal treatment to every object in the 106

7 universe is close to the essence of democracy. Though democracy appears to be one of the most popular ideologies nowadays, it was not as prevalent as feudal systems in most Europe countries in Whitman s era. In the early 1800s, even if America had stood alone independently from Britain, the literature works did not stand out as clearly American. In Emerson s speech he states: Our day of dependence, our long apprenticeship to the learning of other lands, draws to a close. The millions, that around us are rushing into life, cannot always be fed on the sere remains of foreign harvests. Events, actions arise, that must be sung, that will sing themselves. (64) Emerson called for an American poet whose poems can speak for America the way William Shakespeare s poem represents Britain. It was not long before Walt Whitman stepped out to answer Emerson s call. Harrison reports that Whitman called the genius poetry of Shakespeare a "feudal" literature, in juxtaposition with his [Whitman] own ideal of a democratic literature (1203). In truth, democracy had always been one of the main factors that distinguished America and Britain during the period Whitman was alive. Whitman seems to realize this fact and makes democracy become one of his most prominent features in his poetry. As such, Whitman positions his poetry as that of the new world, and that of the modern world. A democratic society allows equality among individuals. However, democracy is not to be the same but to respect the difference in every item. Finally, equality in democracy equates to atomic equality at the deepest level. Everyone deserves an equal opportunity in a democratic world. In order to make sure each person is equally involved in the discussion of equality, Whitman creates a new writing style, the verse of which is freer, and the language is simpler, so that everyone is able to understand his poems. That is, Whitman writes in the vernacular of common speech. Hoffman supports that Whitman s desire to get away from book-words and come closer to the actual speech of men and women in passionate talk enables his poem to become more 107

8 meaningful to all the American readers (368). The result of this inclusive speech is to create a more democratic effect. Whitman s opinion on grass mentioned in the first part of the article reflects a democratic society where the black, white and all the other colored of ethnicities as well as the male and female ought to have an equal right. In I Sing the Body Electric, Whitman reveals: The man s body is sacred and the woman s body is sacred, No matter who it is, it is sacred is it the meanest one in the laborers gang? Is it one of the dull-faced immigrants just landed on the wharf? Each belongs here or anywhere just as much as the well-off, just as much as you, Each has his or her place in the procession. (All is a procession, The universe is a procession with measured and perfect motion.) (85) Not only do people of different skin colors or genders have the privilege of equality, but people of different classes or even the immigrants who just arrived in America are also equal. In Walt Whitman s mind, everyone is equal in a democratic society. Nevertheless, democracy does not necessarily relate to sameness; instead, it is to tolerate as well as respect the difference that counts. Mosher argues, Whitman teaches that in a democracy, one must be receptive to others unlike oneself (587). To form a democracy requires not only appreciation of oneself but understanding of the values of others. Even though Glicksberg brings up Whitman nowhere denounces the evil of racial intolerance and racial discrimination (326), suspecting that Whitman is a racist, this essay thinks the opposite. Walt Whitman s refusing to attack those who conceive different opinions convincingly displays his tolerance toward the difference. In Song of the Open Road, although the world seems rude, silent, incomprehensible at first, Whitman urges Be not discouraged, keep on, there are divine things well envelop d, / I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell (125). Here, Whitman indicates there are many 108

9 unlikeness on earth, some of them being too difficult to be understood; still, we need to learn to embrace all the difference, and walk forwards together on the road of democracy. This reading of democracy is shared by many scholars. Kateb describes Whitman s conception of democratic individuality, and sorts them into three components: self-expression, resistance in behalf of others, and receptivity or responsiveness (being "hospitable") to others (546). According to Hume, Whitman leads toward the conclusion that the infinite universe itself is a democracy as it contains diversity ( ). Both of the academics agree with Whitman that democracy is to be liberal and show respect for difference. Perhaps, what matters other than equality in a democratic world is receptiveness of different individuals, much as a salad has many flavors, and each new ingredient only adds to the flavor. The significance of equality in democracy is apparent at every level in Whitman s poetry. Equality in grass leads to an appreciation of equality in democracy and government and society. However, at its deepest level equality parallels can be seen to equate to atomic equality. Whitman s attempt of using grass as a metaphor for democracy is more than just a literal meaning. Ford notices Whitman conceives of it [democracy] as equality for all (204); not just for all people, but an attitude toward the world (Elfenbein, 101). In Whitman s belief, everything in the universe is made of atoms. Despites different appearance, people are all the same and thus deserve equality. In Song of Myself, Whitman says, My tongue, every atom of my blood, form'd from this soil, this air, / Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same (29). The parents mentioned in the phrase is the nature/ universe, indicating that all human beings are production of the universe. Since the whole universe is made of atoms, humans are also made of atoms. As in this case, whoever exists in the world should be treated equally and have the privilege of democracy for we, as atoms, are all essentially equal. It appears that the equality Whitman witnesses in leaves of grass has a profoundly deep meaning. Whitman talks about democracy extensively; however, in his mind, democracy is 109

10 not just restricted to any particular group of people or institution, but everyone and everything is supposed to be equal in a democratic world. Still, democracy and sameness are two different things. It is inevitable to have difference, be it exterior appearances or different attitudes towards life; however, in a democratic society we need to embrace them with open minds. Equality, and equality in democracy has very deep and profound implications, and Whitman was very aware of just how deep these implications were. At its deepest level, Whitman saw this manifestation as something to do with atomic equality. This deepest application of his democratic vision will be discussed in the final chapter of this paper and goes as follows. Since everything in the universe is composed of atoms and has a similar nature (or even a sameness), whoever belongs to the universe is equal as well due to their very nature and atomic structure. Thus, democracy expands the idea of equality in leaves of grass, and the idea of atomic equality (which pervades Whitman s poetry) both deepens this idea and makes it more profound. Atomic Equality Atomic equality is clearly the deepest level of Whitman s thinking, and can be detected in all of Whitman s works. In general, both part one and part two of this research are connected to atomic equality when it comes to the deepest level. Nevertheless, this part will mainly concentrate on the concept of atomic equality. Influenced by Emerson s idea of the Oversoul, which suggests everything has a soul, Walt Whitman developed his own theory based on atoms. Price marks that Emerson points the way [for Whitman] toward a truly American literature (83). Though Emerson gives Whitman some hints, Whitman is the one who brought American poetry to the next level when he introduced his opinion of atomic equality. According to Beaver, Whitman was the first to embody modern scientific concepts in his work in a poetic manner in America (ix). Compared with Emerson s opinion of soul, 110

11 Whitman s view of atomic equality is more scientific as well as universal. Whitman expands the idea of atomic equality through his knowledge of atoms. Thus, he believes people cannot see atoms, but atoms are literally everywhere. Everything is atomic and has its own goal in the universe. With regard to Song of Myself, Whitman states: I am of old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise, Regardless of others, ever regardful of others, Maternal as well as paternal, a child as well as a man, (42) Everything/ everyone is made of atoms, and likeness can consequently be found among people. Whitman believes he contains many characteristics at the same time. Therefore, Whitman utters I am large, I contain multitudes (78) because he consists of atoms which come from parts of everything all over the universe. In this case, Whitman is multiple and full of diversity. For the same reason, Whitman also says I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love (78). He knows after he perishes, the atoms in his body will return to nature. In this sense, nothing ever dies, but simply transfers from one form to another. Atoms are too small to be seen, yet they do exist in the universe. Whitman s understanding of atoms was influenced by Emerson s doctrine of the Oversoul. As reported by Detweiler, Emerson explains that Unity, that Over-Soul, within which every man's particular being is contained and made one with all other (66), believing that soul is in everyone s heart. The soul for Emerson; however, is only limited to a rather spiritual idea. A similar but based-on-science theory that occurs to Walt Whitman is the existence of atoms. As Kepner notes, scientists teach us that the atom is not directly accessible to our senses. We learn that atoms exist in our body but that we cannot see them because they are so small (186). Owing to the development of science, atoms existence has become a doubtless fact, even if we cannot not see atoms. Viewed in this way Whitman describes the theory that although God is not visible to our senses, it can be seen as the collection of all atoms in the universe; thus, it 111

12 can be observed everywhere too. Whitman then tells us Be not curious about God (76), and that I see something of God each hour of the twenty-four, and each moment then (76). Kepner also comments on her understanding of what Whitman attempted to communicate as the sum total of all of the energy in the universe, all purposely directed, is what is meant by the word God (191). Here, we learn that even though atoms are so tiny that cannot be examined, they are lying everywhere, and when combined, they create the universe, and that can be seen as a way of describing the concept of God. This is both profound and significant, and can be seen so when compared to a quote by Albert Einstein, who said, My sense of God is my sense of wonder about the Universe Everything comes to the world for a purpose. Atoms will not appear or disappear without any reason. As each object, says Hume, and each experience, in the universe is distinct, so it has its distinctive significance and message. (315) Everything exists for a reason, so people must search for meanings in life. In Song of Myself, Whitman pens, And I perceive they do not come from the roofs of mouths for nothing (33), which proves once again he has faith that everything is meaningful, and this means at a very deep and profound level that atoms also have purpose. Whitman also states that Something I cannot see puts upward libidinous prongs, / Seas of bright juice suffuse heaven (50). Atoms desire to merge together to create lives all the time, and perhaps they are the ones that are prompting the lust of people. Whitman thus believes that atoms have intent. Kepner suggests that Whitman attributes to atoms are both material and immaterial, and that they are inseparably form and action (189). Now that atoms are of intent, everything that is made up of atoms has its purpose. This idea of Whitman can also be sensed in Song of Myself that All truths wait in all things (53) implies the intension of lives is somewhere waiting to be discovered. Seek, and we shall find out the meaning of life for everything has their purpose in the world. For Whitman, this purpose may be as simple as procreation. Positives and negatives attract and that is a very basic form of sexual activity. Perhaps this is the base purpose for all life in the universe. 112

13 Conclusion Although it is unavoidable for most ordinary people to think discriminatively about phenomena, and avoid falling into the trap of dualism, Walt Whitman experiences objects within a bigger picture. That is to say that all things are equal in their essence as they all made of the same building blocks, atoms. Conceiving that all are consisted of atoms, Whitman states everything in the universe to be equal, and consistently brings up this idea in his Leaves of Grass, especially in Song of Myself. As this metaphysical discussion contains many elements and layers. The first part of this paper focused on more surface meanings of equality in grass mainly in Song of Myself. Growing amid Nature, grass does not have preference of any gender or ethnic group. Besides, grass does not have a concept of time, which makes it seem to live eternally. It showed that there is really no limit even in a trivial blade of grass. The second part developed the idea of equality in grass into more abstract concepts and talks about democracy. Equality in a democratic society does not directly relate to sameness, but includes different groups of people or attitudes towards life. That is to say that a democratic society celebrates diversity. These first two points led to the center of Whitman s viewpoint, the idea of atomic equality. In the third part of this paper, atomic equality and the purpose of atoms/ the universe was discussed. Although atoms are not big enough to be perceived, they are ubiquitous. In essence, Whitman believes that everything in the universe is made of the same stuff and is therefore equal. In addition, since everything is comprised of atoms that are full of intention, the universe has its purpose as well. The profoundest idea of Whitman s thinking is in every poem contained in his Leaves of Grass. Instead of trying to prove to the world that atoms do exist, Whitman is more like a discoverer of the idea who brings up the conversation to the following generations that lay in 113

14 front of him. Walt Whitman is so eager to share his idea of atomic equality with the world that he notes nearly in the end of his Song of Myself that I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world (78). References Beaver, Joseph. Walt Whitman- Poet of Science. 1st ed., New York, King s Crown Press, Chang, Albert F. Collection of Equivalent Proverbs in Five Languages: English, Taiwanese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean. Lanham, Hamilton Books, Detweiler, Robert. The Over-Rated "Over-Soul". American Literature, vol. 36, no. 1, Mar. 1964, pp Elfenbein, Andrew. Whitman, Democracy, and the English Clerisy. Nineteenth-Century Literature, vol. 56, no. 1, 2001, pp Emerson, R.W. Selections from Ralph Waldo Emerson an Organic Anthology. Ed. Stephen E. Whicher. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company Ford, Nick Aaron. Walt Whitman's Conception of Democracy. Phylon ( ), vol. 11, no. 3, 1950, pp Glicksberg, Charles I. Walt Whitman and the Negro. Phylon ( ), vol. 9, no. 4, 1948, pp Harrison, Richard Clarence. Walt Whitman and Shakespeare. Pmla, vol. 44, no. 4, 1929, pp Hume, Robert A. Walt Whitman and the Peace. College English, vol. 6, no. 6, Mar. 1945, pp Hoffman. T. Language A companion to Walt Whitman. Ed. Donald D. Kummings, Malden, MA, Blackwell Pub., pp

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