Section+21

The structure of stanza twenty one is unique because it flows from Whitman speaking about himself and then transitioning the focus to a woman and man, as he says "it is great to be a woman as to be a man” (420). This idea was almost unheard of during Whitman’s time period, thus revealing his individuality as a writer and his forward thinking. From here the poem moves to a question to the audience, “have you outstrip the rest?”(425) in which he transitions to nature. This transition to nature is typical of a transcendentalist writer, but the way he links women in society to nature portrays them as a powerful part of nature and perhaps alludes to the power of women equating the power of nature. Whitman ends the twenty first section on the subject of love and religion. He mentions “Prodigal” (440) and earlier in the stanza mentions the “pleasures in heaven” and the “pains of hell” (416). This gives way to the subject of religion, however it is not made clear yet how it is Whitman feels about religion.

Whitman's views of equality are present here when he says "it is great to be a woman as to be a man” (420). He views both genders as equal. He asks "Have you outstript the rest?" (425) because he wants to preserve equality and not disrupt it with a social hierarchy.

In the first half of this section, the speaker explains that his messages are for all people and then later conveys his beliefs of balance and equality. In the first line of the section, he reveals himself as “the poet of the Body” and “the poet of the Soul” (422), immediately forming a distinction and union between the two aspects of life. By saying that he is the poet of both, the speaker implies that his poetry is applicable to both components of life. He continues this idea of universality and balance when he says that “the pleasures of heaven are with me, and the pains of hell are with me” (423). Although the speaker acknowledges that human life is imperfect, he fully accepts and even embraces all aspects of humanity. Then the speaker states that he is “the poet of the women the same as the man/ And I say it is as great to be a woman as to be a man” (425). By stressing the equality of men and women, he suggests that both genders are equally magnificent and deserving of his respect. In the same way Whitman embraced all aspects of life, the speaker embraces all forms of life.

Furthermore, the speaker uses death to unify humanity as it is a common factor between all people. He questions the readers, “Have you outstript the rest? / Are you the President?/ It is trifle – they will more than arrive there everyone” (425-6). Because all mankind share the same fate, the speaker emphasizes the irrelevance of one’s reputation and status. He illustrates that the variety of statuses that people live in are disregarded, since at the time of death everyone is lying on the same level. The speaker concludes by insisting that the President and other higher class individuals will “still pass on” (426), unifying humanity by establishing the idea that every man possesses a soul. He reiterates the idea of the perpetual existence of the soul, by demonstrating that the souls of those who have passed away will continue to live on.

In the following two stanzas, the speaker repeats the word night several times, creating the idea of man being unified with nature. He claims to be walking “with the tender and growing night” to show the mutual connection occurring, as the speaker develops while the night matures. In stanza seven, the speaker establishes imagery by describing the night as “bare-bosom’d night!” and “nourishing night!” (429); descriptions which reflect a motherly figure. The use of exclamation points portrays the speaker’s excitement when he becomes one with nature. The speaker shows nature to be acknowledging his call, through the "nodding night” (431). He continues to communicate and personify nature while calling out, “Smile…cool-breath’d earth” (433), further describing humanity's unification with it.

Along with the idea of balance between the opposites, the speaker presents the equality of men and women. “I am the poet of the woman the same as the man,/And I say it is as great to be a woman as to be a man,”(425-6). Whitman shows that women are the same as men and there is no reason for discriminations.

Through creating balance between opposites, Whitman believes people can achieve true happiness. The speaker begins this section by presenting opposite ideas. “I am the poet of the Body and I am the poet of the Soul/ The pleasures of heaven are with me and the pains of hell are with me,”(422-3). The contrast between “Body” and “Soul” reveal that human kinds need both opposite elements in order to be complete and satisfied, because humans cannot exist without one of the opposites. Opposites create a balance that ultimately succeeds true happiness of life.

In the last half of the section, the speaker accentuates nature’s human characteristics and his mutual relationship with it. He calls out to nature “Press close bare-bosom’d night—press close magnetic nourishing night!” (435). In his entreaties, the speaker personifies nature as a caring mother-like figure in order to show that nature is not a passive, but an active living force. He also calls nature “Far-swooping elbow’d earth—rich apple-blossom’d earth” (444) to stress its other human traits. In the first description, he demonstrates nature’s vastness by evoking an image of nature lifting its all-embracing arms. In the second description, he demonstrates nature’s fertility by evoking an image of its surface abounding with life. Later he describes nature as “voluptuous” and “cool-breath’d” (438), which suggests that nature is a sexually active figure. The speaker expresses all these human sides of nature to show that it is just as sacred and timeless as humankind. In this way, the speaker unifies humanity and nature and crowns them both as equal though still distinct. The longest stanza from lines 438-445 is dedicated to nature as the speaker calls it out and describes it in depth. The first word “Earth” is repeated along with the structure of the line to signify that the speaker honors nature and must bestow upon it a long elaborate summon. Finally near the end, he tells nature, “you have given me love—therefore I to you give love!/ Oh unspeakable passionate love!” (446-47). The chiasmus in this line highlights the speaker’s mutual relationship with nature, and the repetition of “love” emphasizes how this relationship is made from true reciprocated affection. In this way, the speaker shows the union and love that is shared by humanity and nature.

Being the only long and elaborated stanza, the second to last stanza of this section includes repetition and displays nature as an everlasting source of goodness. The speaker initiates and concludes this stanza with the word smile to personify nature and represent the happiness it evokes in his life. All of the remaining lines, other than line 438, begin with the word Earth. Through this repetition the speaker, emphasizes and describes nature’s beauty by it exclaiming aloud to depict his communication with nature. In contrast, line 438 begins with “Far-swooping,” illustrating nature’s expanse and extent of love that it provides its people, as a mother does for her child. The lasting balance between man and nature is described as the speaker claims, “therefore I to you give love!” (440), referring to nature, who the speaker believes shares an abundant amount of love for humanity. Through the repetition of Earth, Whitman expresses his love for his mother nature that gives him pleasure and peace. He also shows that one can only return the love from Earth by loving it back.

The repetition of this section enhances the structure by enforcing the ideas and concepts of the poem. The repetition of “I” makes the idea of individuality in one’s life clear, by enforcing the idea of looking to one’s self for knowledge while rejecting the negativity of society. The repetition of “Earth” shows the association between all things, over-soul, and how fortunate humanity is within the vast expanse of the universe, which serves as a source of indefinite knowledge. These concepts produce the idea of balance, and how one cannot exist without the other. The coexistence between independence and unification shows the theme of the section, which is the reward of “unspeakable passionate love” within one’s self and the universe (447).