Section+44

Section 44 of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself (actual text can be found [|here]) explores the speaker’s origins from the beginning of time to the creation of Earth to where he stands in the present. Opening the poem with “It is time to explain myself” (1131), Whitman informs the reader that he will meditate on the growth and origins of his being. When the speaker describes "himself," he is also explaining the origins of humanity. He declares “I know I was even there” during “the huge first Nothing” (1150). Before there was anything, even a universe, the makings of him and the rest of humanity were already present because since the beginning of time, each individual's purpose has been waiting to be fulfilled. By paralleling his growth in experience to the evolution of mankind, the speaker demonstrates his belief that mankind is a microcosm of a universe and that all matter is connected to the Oversoul, lending the speaker to his state. The section is grouped into smaller groups, each with a specific idea and identical structure. Every grouping begins with a single line, which acts as a topic sentence and identifies the idea.

The entire poem is written in first person, who can be labeled as Whitman himself, through a voice that speaks with a confidence and universality that suggests the over soul. The first line of the poem states, “It is time to explain myself—Let us stand up” (1131). By alternating perspective from “myself” to “us” in the introductory line of the poem, the speaker sets up the ability to interchange “I” as acting specifically for the speaker or as collective to all humanity, “us." By using “I” as a universal human element, he establishes a connection which all humankind shares in this Oversoul created from celestial elements. The transcendental idea that the over soul runs through every person parallels the way that the same celestial matter from the creation of the universe is part of ever human being.

The speaker's diction in stanzas two through six promotes equality, as he includes all people as one human race. Whenever the speaker mentions a male pronoun, he never leaves out its female counterpart. He promises to “launch all men and women forward with me into the UNKNOWN" (1133) and asks “Were mankind murderous or jealous upon you, my brother, my sister?” (1141), acknowledging women as equally connected to the world. The speaker also informs the reader that he will "strip away" (1132) what he knows so that he can explore with the reader new, mysterious ideas and attitudes. Relating to the rest of humanity as "brother" and "sister" further establishes the equal, permanent connection shared by all human beings. By not accusing others of being "murderous or jealous upon me" and instead assuring that "all has been gentle with me" (1142-43), the speaker expresses his optimistic views on the human race. He chooses only to see the goodness in all people. The speaker comments on equality when he notes that “Births have brought us richness and variety,/And other births will bring us richness and variety” (1137-38). All people are in the same category of “births”, and the parallel structure emphasizes how the births are the same and equal as long as each "fills its period and place ” (1140). Individuals must fill their personal purpose by being themselves, and should not envy or strive to achieve someone else's destiny. Every human has his or her own place in the world, making that person equal to any other.

Lines 1148 to 1155, centralizes around the journey of both Whitman himself and mankind, and of the growth of both bodies from the “first Nothing,” (1153) the beginning of the universe, capitalized to accentuate emptiness. The grouping continues with the same structure as its prior, with the single, topic sentence line of “I am an acme of things accomplish’d, and I an encloser of things to be,” (1148) and with this line alone Whitman glorifies not only the accomplishments of both himself and man in the past, but also those in the future, again illustrating the section’s theme of wholeness. The next stanza, then, discusses the onward journey of both himself and man, and the metaphor of stairs, “On every step bunches of ages, and larger bunches between steps/…and still I mount and mount,” (1150, 1151) paints the picture of an individual trekking up an endless flight of stairs, just as the journey and growth of mankind moves ceaselessly upward. With the following stanza, Whitman tells of conquered struggles, or “phantoms” (1152), and of the beginning of both his and man’s journey, the beginning of time, where he “slept through the lethargic mist” (1154), the first, lifeless gases and particles of the universe, emphasizing the traits of patience and peace that comes with waiting for one’s time to physically exist.

After the speaker describes his journey through time, he states, “Now on this spot I stand with my robust Soul” (1166). The capitalization of "Soul" makes it a proper noun, and the word comes to embody everything that a proper noun stands for. The speaker’s Soul becomes, by the end of the poem, all parts of a proper noun—it is a landmark because it signifies the point where the stardust completed its journey from the beginning of the universe; it is a name because Whitman’s Soul is truly what identifies him and separates from other human beings through his own ideas and convictions; and it is one-of-a-kind because each spec of stardust and celestial matter traveled its own unique path through a specific set of circumstances in just the right manner to make Whitman, Whitman.

The imagery of the final stanza depicts the perfection of all the universes' life, as all beings converge into one. The speaker declares that “All forces have been steadily employ’d to complete and delight me,” suggesting that all events since the beginning of time have precisely organized themselves to create the world he sees now, ever becoming more beautiful (1165). From the beginning of time when “the nebula cohered to an orb” (1161) and formed Earth, to Earth’s early stages when “Monstrous sauroids transported it in their mouths, depositing it with care” (1164), all the events play themselves out so that the speaker might exist. The time line of eternity is a linear path where each event builds on those preceding it, meaning all of history has led up to his existence.

Important Quotes: "It is time to explain myself––Let us stand up" (1134) "That which fills its period and place is equal to any" (1143) "I am an acme of things accomplish'd, and I an encloser of things to be." (1148) "Immense have been the preparations for me, /Faithful and friendly the arms that have help'd me." "All forces have been steadily employ'd to complete and delight me,/ Now on this spot I stand with my robust Soul." (1169)
 * Reaches out to the community and lets everyone know that this is a communal event
 * Interchanges myself with us to show that the speaker represents everyone
 * Identifies that the section will clarify his previous statements
 * Calls upon people to do their duty
 * Apparent Transcendental idea of equality
 * Belief that all people have a specific purpose in the universe, also a Transcendental belief.
 * His confident voice praises himself, as he has accomplished a great deal in his lifetime
 * The speaker still knows that his journey in life is not complete and he is not complete yet
 * Both the speaker and mankind's accomplishments in the past, present, and future are glorified
 * Transcendental belief that past events effect the present
 * Shows idea both nature and man in the past, present, and future shape one's life.
 * Positive statement in regards to society and nature
 * Nature has helped the speaker become who he is
 * Humans are intertwined and connected with nature (Over-soul idea)
 * Ends the poem with the triumphant existence of the speaker, who readily fulfills his position in the universe