Whitman uncensored

Gustavo Quintero
English 48B
January 9, 2008
Journal #1 Walt Whitman


Quote:
"It is in my mouth forever, I am in love with it,
I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked,
I am mad for it to be in contact with me"(Whitman 31).


Summary:
Whitman is describing the sexual urges that radiate from his body. Whitman wants to be with everybody, he wants nothing to hold him back when he chooses his next sexual partner.


Response:
Whitman really is better uncensored. I can not imagine how different Whitman's poetry would sound if it were edited for content. His poetry is full of sexual and sensual overtones and feelings. When I first read the selections that we were asked to read I was not able to pick up on just how erotic the poetry is but after learning some background information about Whitman I have developed a somewhat discerning eye. After reading his poetry a second and third time I am able to see just why Whitman's poetry caused such an uproar with the 1800's public. When student's like myself read the poetry of Whitman It doesn't cause as much of a shock factor as it did during Whitman's lifetime. With this said you do have to have a high level of maturity and respect for the works of poets like Whitman. I'm sure that in an entry level high school English class you could not teach Whitman as the erotically explicit poet that he is. College is great because as mature adults we are able to discuss and read deep into what Whitman was saying and feeling as a poet. The sexual energy that jumps off the pages is just enormous. When I read his poetry I forget that it was written in the mid 1800's. The words and the hidden meanings behind the stanzas makes me think that this poetry is written by a contemporary author. These are my initial thoughts about Whitman, in my next journal I will be taking a closer look at a particular section from, "Song of myself", so that I can give my own personal interpretation on the poem.