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Welcome to Celebrate Creativity - Episode 433 - Cataloging the Sensual
I left off talking about Whitman's use of free verse, and now I'd like to say a little bit more. about his technique of cataloging - away in which you might say that he glorified the common place. In his catalogues, such as the one in "I Hear America Singing," Whitman elevates the ordinary work of everyday people into something monumental. He lists the "mechanic," the "carpenter," the "mason," the "boatman," and the "ploughboy," giving each person their own song. By placing these working-class individuals at the center of his epic poem, he broke with the tradition of focusing on kings, gods, or mythic heroes. This was an act of courage that validated the lives of the American people.
Celebrating the Human Body: Whitman's courage was particularly evident in his treatment of the human body and sexuality. In "I Sing the Body Electric," he writes with a frankness that was shocking for his time, describing and celebrating the body in all its forms. He writes, "The press of my foot to the earth, it is as a contact with spirits." He goes on to praise not just beauty but also strength, age, and sexuality without shame. This was a direct challenge to the prudish, repressed social norms of the Victorian era.
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