Walt Whitman and His Strange Obsession With God Essay

Myberson Saint-Pierre American Literature 1865-1914 English 3040 Prof. Rosa Soto November 27, 2012 Walt Whitman and His Strange Obsession With God Walt Whitman was an egotistical, self-absorbed, wild heretic. â€Å"I celebrate myself, and sing myself† (Songs of Myself 1). Multiple times in his books and essays he claims to be better than the masses. â€Å"I am as bad as the worst, but, thank God, I am as good as the best† (Preface to a Leaves of Grass). Henceforth I ask not good fortune. I myself am good fortune (Songs of the Open Road). Walt Whitman is often thought of as an atheist, but I’m not buying it. In my opinion Whitman deep down believed that there was a God, and not only did he believe that there was a God, he believed himself†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦ He can make every word he speaks draw blood (Preface to a Leaves of Grass 6)†. Whitman attempts to put God on the same level as he. In his writing he devalues everything that God and Christians have deemed as valuable. And I have said that the soul is not more than the body, And I have said that the body is not more than the soul, And nothing, not God, is greater to one than one’s self is . . .And I say to humankind, Be not curious about God, For I who am curious about each am not curious about God . . . I hear and behold God in every object, yet understand God not in the least, Nor do I understand who there can be more wonderful than myself . . . Why should I wish to see God better than this day (Song of Myself 48)? What is Whitman saying here exactly? In the Christian world the soul is what goes to on live forever once the body is deceased. The soul will either go to Heaven or Hell. Since it goes on to live forever, while the body will live a couple of decades, the soul is more valuable then the body. Whitman rejects all of that by saying no; the soul is not greater than the body. He continues by saying that God isn’t greater than one’s self. One of the things about God or any other gods is that they are higher than everyone else, that’s why we look to them in times of trouble. For the Greeks, the gods lived on Mount Olympus- a mountain so sacred that no human, in GreekShow MoreRelatedThemes and Values of the Beat Generation as Expressed in Allen Ginsbergs Poetry1400 Words   |  6 PagesGeneration as Expressed in Allen Ginsbergs Poetry Perhaps one of the most well known authors of the Beat Generation is a man we call Allen Ginsberg, who expresses the themes and values in his poetry. He was, in fact, the first Beat Writer to gain popular notice when he delivered a performance of his now famous poem, #61505;Howl#61504;, in October of 1955. The Beat Generation is typically described as a vision, not an idea and being hard to define. It is characterized as #61505;a culturalRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagesperceive in products and services is becoming an enormously powerful influence on the continuing strength of customer spending, especially when times are tight. Study of the current economy indicates that when today’s consumer is completely satisfied with his or her product or service purchase, he or she tells six other potential buyers. In contrast, a dissatisfied consumer informs 25 other potential buyers. That is the leverage of quality in shaping c onsumer sentiment, which is vital in powering the two-thirdsRead MoreDamodaran Book on Investment Valuation, 2nd Edition398423 Words   |  1594 Pagesanalysts change their valuations, they will undoubtedly be asked to justify them. In some cases, the fact that valuations change over time is viewed as a problem. The best response may be the one that Lord Keynes gave when he was criticized for changing his position on a major economic issue: â€Å"When the facts change, I change my mind. And what do you do, sir?† Myth 3.: A good valuation provides a precise estimate of value Even at the end of the most careful and detailed valuation, there will be uncertainty