Reading Response 09/08

There isn’t one specific thing I can pick out about the poem, just a few general things. Overall, Walt Whiteman is excited, reflective of himself and the things around him. The author is very descriptive and has a way of bringing things to life and somewhat personal. The first stanza seems to place the reader in the shoes of a tourist. Like a child whose eyes widen at the sight of an amusement park, Whitman goes on and lists all the things that he sees and passes by him. The people, boats, clouds, water and other pieces of land are all brought to life. He loves it so much that in the middle of stanza 8 he says not even an omnipotent being could create a better sight than what is in front of his eyes now (that being Manhattan).

Trying to bridge the gap of time throughout stanza 2 and 4, Whitman is insistent that the only thing that separates them is time. But is it really relevant? Time moves forward but the experience remains the same. Walt states so all throughout stanza 5. A hundred years before him people were experiencing the exact same thing and one hundred years after him people will continue to do so. He makes it apparent in stanza 9. “Flow on, river! Flow with the flood-tide, and ebb with the ebb-tide.” Whitman tells the city to continue to live and to share the same experiences that he had. Maybe the time does not matter. The bustling streets and crammed ferries, buses and trains may never change.

A lot of the lines sound similar to the poem we read in class, especially in stanza 6. “Felt their arm on my neck as I stood, or the negligent leaning of their flesh against mine.” Just like how the lady had people brush up on her when she used the public transportation. ”Saw many I loved in the street or ferry-boat or public assembly, yet never told them a word,” This is similar to the fact that she referred to the people has her family, yet they are complete strangers.