Whitman has had a lasting impression on the American culture because of the way he imagined America; he saw it as a triumphant place of innovation, diversity, and natural beauty. We have journeyed with Whitman as he wrote throughout his life and rewrote and added to the manifesto that is Leaves of Grass. We have put the old man in conversation with women, native Americans, African American, and writers that agreed and disagreed with the way he chose to write (or not to) about the world he observed. Even before I knew Whitman I knew he was someone important. Perhaps he is fading from the minds of those outside of the English Department. None of my friends could name a Walt Whitman poem when I asked, and if they could it was “Song of Myself.” When I asked a friend yesterday, “Who wrote, “I Sing the Body Electric?” she promptly responded with “Lana, the Queen.”
This may have something to do with education. Sure, in middle school and highschool we are ‘forced’ to read famous authors like Jane Austen, Harper Lee, and the Good Gray Poet, but with the advent of Sparknotes, Shmoop, and Gradesaver, I have a sneaking suspicion (and personal experience I must admit) kids just aren’t digging into the good stuff anymore. Especially nowadays, kids are more dialed into their phones and ipads than they are focusing on Leaves of Grass. So what does that mean for the legacy of these writers who have done their duty of preserving culture in their work? What does that mean for the connection between long dead authors and generations hence? What does that mean for Crossing Brooklyn Ferry?
As we have noticed in this week’s selection of Whitman-esque material, Whitman has not all faded from our memory. But instead of his work being revered and cherished and practiced like an ancient religion, his words are being used to sell things like iPads and Levi’s. So, my question is: Would he be okay with that? How would Whitman feel about his words being spoken as a group of shirtless youths run around a post-apocalyptic world with torches and great hair? How would he react to his words being used for a product he couldn’t even fathom, like the iPad? Would he approve of Lana Del Rey dancing, half naked, along with Elvis, John Wayne and Madonna calling Whitman her ‘Daddy’?
Judging by the relationships I have formed with Whitman and his work that I’ve studied, I don’t think he would have necessarily enjoyed the way his words are being used to promote the sale of goods. I don’t think that’s what he meant by “Time avails not, distance avails not.” But then again, he could never have even imagined the world we live in today. We can picture the world he grew up in because of how history has been recorded and taught in schools, but there is no way to go back and share with Whitman and his siblings that there would be magic boxes that connect us, even across oceans, called ‘iPhones’ and ‘iPads.’
Whitman wouldn’t have wanted us to be walking down the street with headphones in our ears, phones in our hands and texts popping onto our wrists and distracting us from the world. Whitman wouldn’t have wanted us to be so accustomed to connection that we barely look each other in the eyes anymore. Whitman would have waited in line for something at the grocery store without looking down to check Instagram or Snapchat. He would have sat and looked out on the people and he would have penned a note about the connections and disconnections between everyone.
It’s hard to imagine a conversation with Whitman today, and even harder to imagine him looking over the material we read for this week. Would he be pleased with the way his work is being used today? Maybe not. Would he be pleased that people are still talking about him and using his work at all? Absolutely. I think the main thing to appreciate about Whitman is that he wrote so much and so well and with such confidence that his work is still being used and appreciated today, even if its in a way he couldn’t have ever imagined.
Great reflection on Whitman in the present! I love how you put it: “what does that mean for the legacy of these writers who have done their duty of preserving culture in their work? What does that mean for the connection between long dead authors and generations hence? What does that mean for Crossing Brooklyn Ferry?” You offset Whitman’s desire to connect in such a melancholy way alongside the overly connected, overly distracted present.
Crossing, here, becomes a sort of short-hand for authentic persistence into the present. There’s an earnestness to “crossing” that, as you note, can be sullied by the many uses to which Whitman is put to sell things. Even in Lana Del Rey’s filmic version of the Body Electric, Whitman’s work is overlaid with a sensational narrative of sex, drugs, and crime–though the bod(ies) electric do eventually rise above the mess.
To me, the most authentic sense of “crossing” comes in the short vignettes in Whitman, Alabama where his words live on in the speech of the people. This is what Whitman would have cherished, I believe.
I found myself thinking about this as well – and not just with Walt Whitman. I often think about the way we use artists, writers, poets, etc creations in modern times. I think we are so capitol driven and distraction hungry that we often assimilate blasts from the past into modern times but within these realms. I don’t think maybe people would be happy with the way we are using their work, especially not Whitman considering he valued raw human connection – not a connection that relies on WiFi and a phone line. I really loved this.
I really like this idea of distractions that you touched on in this post. I agree that Whitman would be frustrated by society’s disregard for not only each other, but for Nature as well. We are trapped within the technological bubble that iPhones and Airpods and other devices have caused. Instead of going on a hike in the woods or roaming a metropolis like Manhattan, we instead find ourselves stuck at home with VR helmets that fabricate false experiences. All these things I believe would leave a sour taste in the mouth of old Walt. This was an engaging post to read!