Great American Books (Walt Whitman) - Essay Example

Great American Books (Walt Whitman) Practical Application of One or More Critical Problem or Question to the Analysis of the Text “Song of the Open Road” by Walt WhitmanIntroductionCritical analysis pertaining to a text is an integral phenomenon of text analysis. Walt Whitman is champion in writing from life and within life. His expert conception and perception regarding life will be always beyond the general understanding of life and poetry. “The Song of the Open Road” presents a typical Whitman poetry with his major themes and subject matters encapsulated and highlighted within the limited scope of words in varied details.

Thesis StatementThe essay intends to understand and examine the thematic criticism or analysis pertaining in the poetry of Whitman with the poem “Song of the Open Road”Critical Analysis of the poem “Song of the Open Road”: Problem of Allegory and ComprehensionWalt Whitman has celebrated the liberal virtues of America. “The Song of the Open Road” is an iconic poem celebrating the theme of American mobility and true spirit of democracy. The poem serves a critical aspect of American society while dealing with the symbolic paradigm and aspect of the theme of restlessness and love of America for freedom and open spaces.

The major intricacy with this particular poem by Whitman is essentially concerned with the multi-layered symbolism operating within the text and its allegorical implication which is found hard to establish the co-relation with the central idea of the poem. This makes the poem presented in double and oscillating theme often hard for the comprehension of the average readers thereby deviating from the original view point of the poem.The beautiful poem consists of 224 lines which were divided into two neat divisions.

The first eight section of the poem speaks about the enthusiastic and exuberant depiction of the lessons concerned with the healthful benefits of the open air. The second section is a description of the persona’s invitation guided by his passionate urge to his companion to join the journey with the open air. The critical problem or the main thesis query concerned in the poem revolves round the second section of the poem which speaks about the joining of the community or trajectory with the open road or space.

The ambiguity is starker here and the apparent description of the impassioned invitation of the persona hints more towards the celebration of individual exuberance and spirit than the national mobility, flexibility and spirit of democracy. The co-relation and systematic interpretation of the individual and nation and establishment of the Meta thesis pertaining to individual is nation and vice versa, falls quite weak here in terms of practical operation. The query that might occur in the mind of Whitman’s readers will be essentially cantering round the play of allegory and explicitness in his poetry.

ConclusionThe problem of criticism is wide but the thesis statement concerning the essay and one of the dominant problems of Whitman becomes evident here. The areas in the poem where the national and individual entity overlaps with each other and the predominance of allegory or explicit discussion which is the real intent of the poet, is indeed problematic. Whitman successfully enables his readers to comprehend the true spirit of America but somewhere the problem of self merging with the national identity is an evident and obvious problem in his poetry.

BibliographyFolsom, E. & Price, K., “The Walt Whitman Archive”, September 04, 2010. University of Nebraska – Lincoln. No Date. South Carolina University, “Walt Whitman and the Development of Leaves of Grass”, September 04, 2010. University Library. No Date.