Whitman and Contemporaries

Round 1: Whitman vs. Elizabeth Oakes Smith

The first difference to notice is the form. Smith writes in a sonnet form with 14 lines with a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefgg, which is typical of a Shakespearean (Elizabethan/English) sonnet. Whitman's poems are done in free verse. The difference is important because these two forms essentially sit on opposite sides of the spectrum ("antipodes" as Whitman would say). The sonnet is a high-brow poetic form that is incredibly strict in its form whereas Whitman is free from following these rules and expresses himself freely without it. However, that is not to say Whitman's poetry is not sophisticated or any easier than crafting a sonnet.

As with sonnets, the couplet at the end is important to the reading of the poem. "I ask it not, not lofty flight be mine;/I would not soar like thee, in loneliness to pine!". Although at first glance, this seems to be an argument against Whitman, it is perhaps aligned with Whitman's views. Whitman, in his poem, does take on that transcendent all-seeing, omniscient perspective that could be similar to that of the bird in Smith's poem, but perhaps, if you look at it in a different way, they are arguing for the same things. Perhaps Smith is saying that she would prefer not to be the bird, forever looking down on Earth or looking up at the sky. In other words, Smith wants to be a participant of life, rather than an observer. However, this begs to question whether if Whitman can be an objective observer of the scene but also a part of it at the same time. In his poem, Whitman watches as well as, at times, become his subject. Whether he can truly see from both the bird's objective perspective as well as the subjective ones of the non-flying entities below, is up for debate.

Round 2: Whitman vs. Anne C. Lynch

Once again, the form is the most distinguishing factor between Whitman's poem and Lynch's "An Imitation". Lynch writes her poem in heroic couplets, an extremely classic form reminiscent of Pope. However, the fact that the poem is named "An Imitation" sets the poems apart from the rest. Interestingly enough, "Excelsior" is also the name of a poem by Whitman. However, upon reading Whitman's version, Lynch's poem does not seem to me, to have imitated him.

The poem reads like a romantic narrative, quite different from "Song of Myself". The poem starts with the narrator recounting a dream where she seems to be under the spell by the word "Excelsior" and journeys through a stormy mountain. Unlike Whitman's poem, there is a definite "drive" in Lynch's. At the very least, there is a beginning and an end where the narrator wants to reach.