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How to Read the Poetry of Walt Whitman ('Song of Myself' Appreciation) (Patreon)

Published:
2024-01-13 21:38:33
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2026-06
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Content

It’s time to begin our journey through the poetry of Walt Whitman.

Today we're discussing how best to bring ourselves to some of the most powerful poetry in American Literature with a special read-through and appreciation of the sublime 'Song of Myself' from Leaves of Grass.

We're discussing self-love, controversy in the 19th century, the reader-poet relationship, finding the divine in nature, rebirth, sensual spirituality, multiple meanings in great poetry, love for humanity, the healing power of Whitman's poetry, and much more.

Video Timestamps:

  • 0:00 the poetry of Walt Whitman
  • 1:50 ‘you may contribute a verse’
  • 4:15 appreciating ‘Song of Myself’
  • 5:55 ‘I celebrate myself, and sing myself’
  • 6:55 Whitman as controversial poet
  • 7:30 poem as sublime American epic
  • 8:30 poetic exploration of self-love
  • 9:30 Whitman’s poet-reader relationship
  • 10:45 is Whitman the father of free verse?
  • 11:20 Walt Whitman’s biblical cadence
  • 13:15 Whitman’s religious skepticism
  • 14:20 Whitman’s celebration of the flesh
  • 16:00 breaking free from sin and guilt
  • 17:30 on making the senses heroic
  • 18:00 ‘I loafe and invite my soul’
  • 19:30 reminder to appreciate nature
  • 20:00 three psychic agencies of self
  • 20:30 ‘I am large, I contain multitudes’
  • 21:10 rebirth after a midlife crisis
  • 22:00 the poet of the nation is born
  • 22:30 Whitman embraces the natural world
  • 24:45 the sensual spirituality of Whitman
  • 26:30 where shall wisdom be found?
  • 27:30 possessing the origin of all poems
  • 28:20 Whitman teaches us to see truly
  • 29:00 focusing on the present moment
  • 30:00 on American transcendentalism
  • 30:45 the unification of body and soul
  • 31:20 Walt Whitman’s epic catalogues
  • 32:00 our problems are not our true selves
  • 33:30 the question of ‘what is the grass?’
  • 35:00 Walt Whitman’s prolific decade
  • 35:30 on multiple meanings in poetry
  • 36:10 what does ‘Leaves of Grass’ mean?
  • 38:00 ‘look for me under your boot-soles’
  • 39:50 liberating cycles of death and rebirth
  • 40:30 how to read a poem for the first time
  • 41:15 reading the divine signs in nature
  • 42:00 ‘the beautiful uncut hair of graves’
  • 42:45 ‘all goes onward and outward’
  • 43:00 Whitman’s love for humanity
  • 44:45 Whitman on abolition of slavery
  • 45:20 ‘I Sing the Body Electric’
  • 48:00 Whitman during the Civil War
  • 48:30 Whitman’s poems for President Lincoln
  • 49:30 expressing the thoughts of all men
  • 51:30 music for the conquered and slain
  • 52:45 the healing power of Whitman
  • 53:20 on rereading your favourite parts
  • 55:00 the miracle of touching and feeling
  • 55:50 ‘all truths wait in all things’
  • 56:00 the aim with aesthetic criticism
  • 56:30 how to read poetry sensitively
  • 57:00 ‘only what nobody denies is so’
  • 58:20 Whitman on living with the animals
  • 1:00:00 Whitman sends us into nature
  • 1:01:00 how to truly apprehend God
  • 1:02:30 are you able to love yourself?
  • 1:03:30 the ending of ‘Song of Myself’
  • 1:04:30 ‘I sound my barbaric yawp…’
  • 1:05:10 ‘I stop somewhere waiting for you’
  • 1:05:40 expressing my gratitude for you
  • 1:06:30 your thoughts on Walt Whitman?

Resources:

  • Recommended Edition: I'm personally working from this edition of the complete works of Walt Whitman by Penguin Classics paperback. This is a great book to have on one's bedside. You might find reading a few verses of Whitman first thing in the morning, or right before sleep, to be nourishing and uplifting. If you would like to experience Leaves of Grass as it appeared in its original form, this edition is very good.
  • Documentary: It's been wonderful to hear from readers who have been enjoying this documentary on the life of Walt Whitman. This film gives a superb amount of biographical and historical context, and is bound to make you fall in love with the poet.
  • Memorisation: As you work through the poetry of Whitman, you might find it rewarding to attempt to learn your favourite verses by heart. We also have a podcast on the art of memorising poetry here, called 'How to Possess Poetry by Memory', which is inspired by Harold Bloom's superb book Possessed By Memory.
  • Biography: Roy Morris' biography on the poet, The Better Angel, focuses on Whitman's life during the Civil War. It's a compelling narrative, and well worth exploring for readers who want to get a closer acquaintance with the man.
  • Recommended Audio: There is a tremendous reading of Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself' by Roger Gregg here. In addition to listening to readings of the poems, I highly recommend you experiment with reading aloud to yourself and discovering your personal rhythm.

Poetry Reading Assignment:

We read through much of ‘Song of Myself’ together in the video, but poetry appreciation is all about rereading. So steadily read this poem through yourself, then let us know your personal favourite lines. As part of our next discussion, we'll appreciate the passages the club finds most resonant. We will also enjoy a special focus on the following poems next: 'The Sleepers', ‘I Sing the Body Electric’, and 'As I Ebb’d with the Ocean of Life.'

Questions for You:

1) What is your current relationship with Walt Whitman? Is this your first reading or a rereading of his poetry?

2) What would you like to get out of your reading of great poetry?

3) What ideas, images, or lines personally resonate with you from Whitman's poetry?

Happy reading, everybody!

Files

Previews only

How to Read the Poetry of Walt Whitman ('Song of Myself' Appreciation)

📚 Read the Great Books with Hardcore Literature: https://www.patreon.com/hardcoreliterature/about ———————————— 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/70IZA24... (Subscribe to the Hardcore Literature Podcast on iTunes & Spotify) 🏫 https://hardcore-university.teachable... (Hardcore University, Exam Preparation Courses) ✍🏼 https://benjaminmcevoy.com My Personal Website ———————————— Hardcore Literature Lecture Series ———————————— 📔Contents Page: https://cutt.ly/CmNhRY3 🎖️ War and Peace: https://cutt.ly/U3nzGma 🎭 Shakespeare Project: https://cutt.ly/B3nxHH7 🐳 Moby Dick: https://cutt.ly/K3nzVKf ☄️ Blood Meridian: https://cutt.ly/P3nz6Qp 🍂 Wuthering Heights: https://cutt.ly/N3nxxYt 🇮🇪 Ulysses: https://cutt.ly/x3nxQmN 🚂 Anna Karenina: https://cutt.ly/vmNhAWv 💀 Crime and Punishment: https://cutt.ly/rmNhFt5 ⚓ Persuasion: https://cutt.ly/amNhX7b ☕ In Search of Lost Time: https://cutt.ly/5mNh8oD ⚔️ The Hero’s Journey: https://cutt.ly/UmNjrE3 🌸 Siddharta: https://cutt.ly/YmNjuzi 🎠 Don Quixote: https://cutt.ly/cmNjoK4 ❤️Shakespeare’s Sonnets: https://cutt.ly/nmNlW7V 🇫🇷 Les Misérables: https://cutt.ly/J3YixoA 🕯️ The Turn of the Screw: https://cutt.ly/nToAQQ3 🖋️ Dickens Seasonal Read: https://cutt.ly/9ToAybt 📖 Middlemarch Serial Reading: https://tinyurl.com/45rv965c ———————————— 0:00 the poetry of Walt Whitman 1:50 ‘you may contribute a verse’ 4:15 appreciating ‘Song of Myself’ 5:55 ‘I celebrate myself, and sing myself’ 6:55 Whitman as controversial poet 7:30 poem as sublime American epic 8:30 poetic exploration of self-love 9:30 Whitman’s poet-reader relationship 10:45 is Whitman the father of free verse? 11:20 Walt Whitman’s biblical cadence 13:15 Whitman’s religious skepticism 14:20 Whitman’s celebration of the flesh 16:00 breaking free from sin and guilt 17:30 on making the senses heroic 18:00 ‘I loafe and invite my soul’ 19:30 reminder to appreciate nature 20:00 three psychic agencies of self 20:30 ‘I am large, I contain multitudes’ 21:10 rebirth after a midlife crisis 22:00 the poet of the nation is born 22:30 Whitman embraces the natural world 24:45 the sensual spirituality of Whitman 26:30 where shall wisdom be found? 27:30 possessing the origin of all poems 28:20 Whitman teaches us to see truly 29:00 focusing on the present moment 30:00 on American transcendentalism 30:45 the unification of body and soul 31:20 Walt Whitman’s epic catalogues 32:00 our problems are not our true selves 33:30 the question of ‘what is the grass?’ 35:00 Walt Whitman’s prolific decade 35:30 on multiple meanings in poetry 36:10 what does ‘Leaves of Grass’ mean? 38:00 ‘look for me under your boot-soles’ 39:50 liberating cycles of death and rebirth 40:30 how to read a poem for the first time 41:15 reading the divine signs in nature 42:00 ‘the beautiful uncut hair of graves’ 42:45 ‘all goes onward and outward’ 43:00 Whitman’s love for humanity 44:45 Whitman on abolition of slavery 45:20 ‘I Sing the Body Electric’ 48:00 Whitman during the Civil War 48:30 Whitman’s poems for President Lincoln 49:30 expressing the thoughts of all men 51:30 music for the conquered and slain 52:45 the healing power of Whitman 53:20 on rereading your favourite parts 55:00 the miracle of touching and feeling 55:50 ‘all truths wait in all things’ 56:00 the aim with aesthetic criticism 56:30 how to read poetry sensitively 57:00 ‘only what nobody denies is so’ 58:20 Whitman on living with the animals 1:00:00 Whitman sends us into nature 1:01:00 how to truly apprehend God 1:02:30 are you able to love yourself? 1:03:30 the ending of ‘Song of Myself’ 1:04:30 ‘I sound my barbaric yawp…’ 1:05:10 ‘I stop somewhere waiting for you’ 1:05:40 expressing my gratitude for you 1:06:30 your thoughts on Walt Whitman?

Comments

KelleBD

My favourite lines are 'There was never any more inception than there is now/Nor any more youth or age than there is now/And will never be any more perfection than there is now/Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now

Walker Rowe

As someone from the rural "the double Carolinians" South of the USA Whitman says a lot of things that resonate with me but might not be as familiar to people from elsewhere, especially in part 15. He talks about about hunting. I think he was a hunter, as probably most people were hunters then. He mentions wood ducks and duck hunting. Wood ducks are very special to hunters as they are very colorful and fly very fast. And duck hunting is probably the most exciting type of hunting as they fly overhead so fast you often catch even catch a glimpse of them. He talks about Turkey shoots. That's not shooting a turkey at all. Those were all over the South when I was a boy. It's a test of marksmanship. If you win you get a Turkey. And he talks of slaves. There had been a slave market obviously in the town where I am from. Slavery and duck hunting are connected because the best duck hunting you find in flooded diked up rice fields, aka plantations, and South Carolina is still covered with these places, except now most are golf courses.

Walker Rowe
>>128067408

And he even describe the wood duck in detail and talks about what makes the male special, it's vivid color. He says "I believe in those winged purposes, and acknowledge red, yellow, white, paying within me, and consider green and violent and the tufted crown intentional."

Diane

I have been enjoying sampling Whitman over the past weeks. As an educator, mentor, mother, and now grandmother, "A Noiseless Patient Spider" is really resonating with me. It may be one I memorize as I think it is powerful encouragement for young people "surrounded, detatched, in measureless oceans of space". I love the idea that inspiration for your future won't just come to you, you need to reach out and search for it. "Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere". Short poem, but a beautiful and powerful metaphor.

Jamie Otelsberg

Question 1: It’s my first reading of Whitman as an adult. As a young person, I kept little pocket sized books of Walt Whitman, Thoreau, Emerson with me at all times. I was super into the beatnik stuff like Dharma Bums and On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I quit high school and went traveling around in a nomadic sort of way. That was many years ago, and I haven’t picked up any great poetry in a very long time (save for readings of the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita which i’ve been into for the last 25 years or so). Question 2: I don’t know what I would like to get out of it, maybe I want to see what it can pull out of me? I'm drawn to it, and I'm so happy that I am. Question 3: The Song of Myself feels like God or the Divine experiencing it’s self, or The Self. Being within everything and being one with everything, and explaining to us what that feels like in the micro and macro levels. Lines that resonate with me: “And a mouse is miracle enough to stagger sextillions of infidels.” “I help myself to material and immaterial, No guard can shut me off, no law prevent me.” “All these I feel or am.” “I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person, My hurts turn livid upon me as I lean on a cane and observe." “I acknowledge the duplicates of myself, the weakest and shallowest is deathless with me, What I do and say the same waits for them, Every thought that flounders in me the same flounders in them.” “It is time to explain myself- let us stand up. What is known I strip away, I launch all men and women forward with me into the Unknown.” “The clock indicates the moment – but what does eternity indicate?” “I do not call one greater and one smaller, That which fills its period and place is equal to any.”

Maxime B.

Having focused on finishing "East of Eden" first, I am a bit late to the party, but what a lecture! It was extremely dense, yet so gripping. The month I'm about to spend with Whitman might just become life-changing.

Emma S.

Thank you Ben. I have not read much Whitman before, and found this poem beautiful and thoughtful. I love the paths Whitman takes us down, it's a poem that really makes you think, but also feel seen and connected to each other. I love the verse that started- I am he that walks with tender and growing night, I call to the earth and sea half-held by the night.

Matthew McVittie

1) What is your current relationship with Walt Whitman? Is this your first reading or a rereading of his poetry? This is my first reading, I had heard of him but never engaged with his work before. I was excited to dive into it but have to say I've found it a bit of a struggle. I've definitely always been more of a "thinker" than a "feeler" and I get the sense his work requires a lot more of the latter. I do enjoy some passages and stanzas only to find myself glossing over many more, my mind wandering. I find much of it to be almost sickeningly self indulgent, which to be fair is somewhat the point of it! However, I find this hard to stomach sometimes and when I read a stanza or two that I engage with I'm then disheartened to see there are still many many pages left of the poem. I acknowledge this is more of an issue with myself than Walt, but it is difficult. 2) What would you like to get out of your reading of great poetry? I do want to try and develop my emotional, empathetic and "feeling" side to a greater extent. I've always found poetry to be very hit or miss in general. Every now and then I read one that really hits the spot, but I find it difficult to engage with the vast majority of poems I read. 3) What ideas, images, or lines personally resonate with you from Whitman's poetry? The war passages probably engaged me the most, partly because I've always been an avid studier of military history and partly because I'm reading Blood Meridian so it's much on my mind. Overall though I think Song of Myself is one I'll have to come back to another time if/when his poetry has better "clicked" in my head.

Jake

Once again, major kudos to you Benjamin on this lecture introducing me to the works of Walt Whitman, sadly of whom I only know him by name. But alas, your passion is too overwhelming not to engage my desires and dive in and read his works. Your explanations and break-downs and readings of some key passages of his poems are so motivating and inspiring that I ordered a copy. I can't wait to dive in and experience his writings on my own. Thanks, tremendous work!!

Mary-Ann Maronski

I have really been enjoying reading the poetry of Walt Whitman. After reading Leaves of Grass I have actually moved on to reading a book of the complete works of Walt Whitman, that I have been reading from cover to cover. I have made reading all of his work a sort of side author project. Walt Whitman was actually a local of the area of New Jersey I live in. Whitman House where he lived and died is less than 10 miles away from my home.