O Me! O Life!
By Summer LoPriore
O Me! O Life!
Walt Whitman
Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
I would like to submit to the cabinet the poem “O Me! O Life!” by Walt Whitman, one of the hundreds of poems included in his poetic collection Leaves of Grass, which he augmented and revised throughout his career. In general, Whitman is an extremely influential poet in the course and movements of poetic history. He is widely considered the father of free verse and a pioneer in bringing the self into prominence in poetry by speaking largely in the “I” voice. He is also deeply emblematic of America due to his works’ demonstrated archetypal patriotism. This symbolic identity comes partly from his collection, also greatly revered, entitled Drum Taps, created as a response to the Civil War and his observations from his hospital visits to wounded soldiers. He is known to, as also seen in his first-person writing, bring the American common man, or individuals, to the forefront. As such, he conveys the divine existence of the human body and soul, connected uniquely to one another and the universe, in an expressly Whitman manner—meaning his own and previously unexplored. American author William Sloane Kennedy postulated that “people will be celebrating the birth of Walt Whitman as they are now the birth of Christ” as he is so vital to the fabric of this country and so umbilical in the conversation of now accepted poetic conventions (Robertson).
The historic importance of Whitman is undeniable and greatly documented. “O Me! O Life!” specifically, however, ought to be preserved in our Cabinet of Wonders as naturally some of his poems get somewhat overshadowed by the famous epics, such as the preeminent poem “Song of Myself” or the renowned elegy “O Captain! My Captain!”. (Though “O Me! O Life!” was, however, featured in the Academy Award winning 1989 film Dead Poets Society, viewing it being the way that I first learned about Whitman and this poem). I believe that “O Me! O Life!” gets at the central themes which Whitman attempts to explore in much of his work distilled into a mere ten lines rather than, for example, “Song of Myself” ‘s 52 sections and some 1,300 lines. These overarching themes of Whitman’s works, present firmly in this compact poem, are an expression of celebration of the self as a powerful, singular being, yet tethered also to nature and to the universe, as well as a distinct, enduring hope for the future and in the world. Too, the poetic elements for which he is so venerated are present. For example, this poem is in free verse, and although his “I” statements do not appear in this poem, extremely intimate “you,” direct address statements are present. These statements impart the same impression of an individual writing to another individual as the first-person voice. Also indicated in “I” statements are the communication of the poet’s personality. This aspect is present in a different form in this poem by way of his clearly stated beliefs, his rambling ideas, his listing and anaphoric “of” at the beginning of most lines showing his particular style. Therefore, this poem captures the spirit of his honored “I” statements though they do not express themselves explicitly. Ultimately, I believe that this poem is a “O Me! O Life!” is a perfect, condensed microcosm of Whitman’s exalted ideas and poetic conventions.
Besides the poem’s encapsulation of Whitman’s style and subject matter, I believe also that this poem deserves a place in the Cabinet for its timeless theme. “O Me! O Life!” is about questions of life—what good exists in such a dreary landscape of “faithless,” “foolish,” “sordid” people, of the struggle and sadness which repeats itself continually. Even more than this, the question of how our own identity, inherently part of this world, fits in to it all. How does one confront their own faithlessness and foolishness? How does one confront how they are inextricably bound to “the useless years of rest,” no matter how much disdain they have for them? How, in all of this, can one find life and their place in it hopeful or beautiful or worthy of living? Ultimately, the poem is about the answers to these questions, which Whitman states concretely—that just being alive, being able to have identity, being a small part of this long train ride of humanity, is beautiful. The ride will persist no matter what, so one should feel blessed that they have the ability to forge their own mark on its path, even if only slightly. This poem moves me because it answers life’s rambling, so-human, timeless questions. All the complex spiraling, panic, and disappointment that Whitman experiences in the first stanza concludes with an incredibly simple answer stated as though it is fact, undeniable. It just says, simply, “That you are here” followed by a dash, forcing the reader to pause and allowing the readers a moment to absorb the gravity of that sentiment. After addressing the “O Me!” with the response, “That you are here,” he addresses the “O Life!” by answering “that life exists”. He then shows how the two realms combine with the end of the line, stating “and identity”. And, to amalgamate all the ideas concretely into action, “that the powerful play goes on…” (life) and “…and you may contribute a verse” (me).
Walt Whitman is a greatly celebrated, historically significant poet. For this reason alone, his poetry deserves a place in the Cabinet. Too, however, I believe that specifically the poem “O Me! O Life!” quintessentially captures the overarching themes and renowned conventions for which he is known. To augment this argument further, the themes are questions of our place in things, of keeping hope, ideas which have been brewing in the human soul for many centuries, as they will continue to do for many more. “O Me! O Life!” is a timeless work by a historically significant poet and thus worthy our Cabinet.
