Gods by walt whitman summary. Passage to India 2022-12-14

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"Gods" is a poem by Walt Whitman, one of the most famous and influential poets in American literature. The poem is part of Whitman's collection Leaves of Grass, which he revised and expanded throughout his life.

In "Gods," Whitman celebrates the divine presence that he sees in all aspects of the natural world. He writes, "I see the gods, clear, stir, clap their wings with satisfaction, and take their flight, / Behold the sun, moon, stars--what are they?" He suggests that the gods are not distant, otherworldly beings, but are present in the world around us, constantly at work in the natural world.

Whitman also reflects on the way that people have traditionally worshipped and revered the gods. He writes, "To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, / Every cubic inch of space is a miracle." He suggests that the true nature of the gods can be found in the everyday wonders of the world, rather than in grand temples or elaborate rituals.

Throughout the poem, Whitman speaks to the gods directly, addressing them as "my gods" and expressing his love and reverence for them. He writes, "I am not the poet of goodness only, I do not decline to be the poet of wickedness also. / What blurt is this about virtue and about vice? / Evil propels me and reform of evil propels me, I stand indifferent, / My gait is no fault-finder's or rejecter's gait, / I moisten the roots of all that has grown." In this passage, Whitman suggests that all aspects of human experience, including both good and evil, are worthy of poetic contemplation.

In "Gods," Whitman celebrates the divine presence in the natural world and encourages readers to find the divine in their own lives. Through his powerful and expansive language, he encourages readers to embrace the wonders and mysteries of the world, and to find meaning and purpose in their own experiences.

Walt Whitman

gods by walt whitman summary

But he also sees himself as the center, the one-in-one. I will cling fast to thee, O God, though the waves buffet me, I have not once lost nor faith nor ecstasy in thee— Intentions, purports, aspirations mine, As for the way things finally turn out, leaving results to thee, Accepting all from thee, as duly come from thee. Rather, they are better for their nature. A 'god' is an entity that is powerful and is worshipped; Whitman is essentially commanding these things to become Godlike to him because he wants to worship them. Religion becomes a poetic device, subject to his artistic hand.

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Gods. by Walt Whitman

gods by walt whitman summary

Thou O God, light of the light, my life hast lighted, With ray of light, steady, ineffable, vouchsafed of thee, Light rare untellable, beyond the light, Beyond all signs, descriptions, languages, Lighter than light, lighting the very light. The present is significant, but it is only an extension of the past and, therefore, its glories can be traced to times before. Thought of the infinite—the All! Since the days of Adam and Eve, Whitman says, man has asked the meaning of life: "Who shall soothe these feverish children? Man has mastered space, but he must enrich his spiritual heritage by evoking his past. Or shape of Earth, divine and wondrous! It is a journey "back to wisdom's birth, to innocent intuitions. Owning no law but their own will, more and more combative, less and less tolerant of the idea of ensemble and of equal brotherhood, the perfect equality of the States, the ever-overarching American ideas, it behooves you to convey yourself implicitly to no party, nor submit blindly to their dictators, but steadily hold yourself judge and master over all of them.

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Walt Whitman: Poems Summary

gods by walt whitman summary

Lines 7—9 So they show their relations to me and I accept them, They bring me tokens of myself, they evince them plainly in their possession. His essays and poems are still considered to be an inspiration to all men and women. Happiness is always there in their hearts. He is thus a true explorer and a discoverer of spiritual India. Rosa Soto November 27, 2012 Walt Whitman and His Strange Obsession With God Walt Whitman was an egotistical, self-absorbed, wild heretic. In section 8, the poet and his soul are about to "launch out on trackless seas" and to sail "on waves of ecstasy" singing "our song of God. The poet thus becomes a time-binder.

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What is a summary of Gods, a poem written by Walt Whitman?

gods by walt whitman summary

In section 8, the poet and his soul together seek to perceive the Divine Reality. The poet perceives India as an ancient land of history and legend, morals and religion, adventure and challenge. Yeats poems , the poet describes his struggle in search of a theme to write on. In 1855 Whitman made Leaves of Grass, his first step toward poetry. In his general survey of history, Whitman seems to encompass all time. What subtle indirection and significance in you? Stanza Three I wonder where they get those tokens, Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them? But only a few years later, Whitman makes a dramatic shift toward fraternity, sympathy, and even empathy for slaves, which paves the way for the radical democratic equality professed in his poetry.

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God

gods by walt whitman summary

Brahma and Buddha, Alexander and Tamerlane, Marco Polo and other "traders, rulers, explorers" all shared in its history. Emerson was convinced that all of modern human civilization was in collaboration to crush his uniqueness and subjugate him to a life of a faceless cog. He demands that everything in which he finds wonder, which ranges from mankind to nature to death to time, become like a deity to him. His Leaves of Grass 1st ed. In one novel, he even goes so far as to defend slavery. It means that long ago he was also a member of their world.

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Animals by Walt Whitman

gods by walt whitman summary

He wrote this book of twelve poems and published it himself. The fables of Asia and Africa are "the far-darting beams of the spirit," and the poet sings of the "deep diving bibles and legends. Yet these achievements of the present have grown out of the past, "the dark unfathom'd retrospect. Here, he says not one animal is dissatisfied with what they have. Time, space, Earth, beauty, sun, stars: be my Gods. I cannot join men of science in their silent or expressed contempt of the vulgar idea of God; Not that it is true, but that, with all its violations of the rules of science, it is a faint indication, perhaps indirection as much as the masses can hold, of the all-enclosing truth, of the truth behind all science.

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Walt Whitman summary

gods by walt whitman summary

They believe in God "but with the mystery of God we dare not dally. GradeSaver, 16 August 2014 Web. By comprehending God, the poet is enabled to comprehend himself and also man's complex relationship with time, space, and death. Aught, aught, of mightiest, best, I see, conceive, or know, To Be thou my God. Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published.

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What are the political views and Religious Beliefs of Walt Whitman?

gods by walt whitman summary

Fair, able, beautiful, content, and loving, Complete in Body, and dilate in Spirit, Be thou my God. Examples From the Text Much of Whitman's Leaves of Grass, but Whitman's intent seems rather ambiguous. Conclusion The poem entitled A Glimpse is an example of short inspirational English poems about love. Yes, I believe in the Trinity— God reality, God beneficence or love, and God immortality or growth. Until you can explain a paving stone, do not try to explain God, There is more miracle in a wave, a rock, a tree than we were attributing to the whole of theology. He stands "curious in time," but he also stands outside of time, in eternity, in his spiritual quest.

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