I still don't get Whitman. Last time I tried reading his work I had just finished watching Breaking Bad. The novel Leaves of Grass led to Hank realizing Walter's alter ego as Heisenberg, and I heard that Walter White was named after Whitman. I'm not sure if that's true, but I read it to understand the character better and see if I was missing out on some irony or symbolism. Reading Song of Myself reopened some old wounds, and I have absolutely no idea what this guy is saying.
The eleventh poem stood out to me because I understood the most words. The poem starts off with the repetition of the phrase "twenty eight young men" and describes the men bathing in a lake. The poem describes a woman in her late twenties being creepy as hell watching the men. The perspective confuses me. It feels like the narrator is aware that they're a narrator, and says things like "Where are you off to lady? For I see you." They also mention this "unseen hand" and I think that's mentioning the woman. She joins them on the beach. There's a lot of emphasis on the men not knowing they're being watched. I don't get what Whitman is trying to say here. Is it supposed to be a commentary and am I missing out on some cultural context or is he just painting a picture?
I liked how Whitman has so many perspectives. One poem will be about a goose, the next about himself, the next about grass. I appreciate that. I do think some of the lines are just stringing random words together until they sound good. The last line of the seventh poem says "Undrape! you are not guilty to me, nor stale nor discarded, I see through the broadcloth and gingham whether or no, And am around, tenacious, acquisitive, tireless, and cannot be shaken away." What could that possibly mean Walt? I don't even understand who he's talking to.
I probably won't be talking about my week as often in these blogs. I think I'll start adding pictures to get a better idea of how my life has been.
This week I'm grateful for delayed openings and cat treats.
