Journey as Structural Motif in “Song of Myself”

( Chang Young-hee ) 대한영어영문학회 2007 영어영문학연구 Vol.33 No.3

Although Whitman himself emphasized the importance of seeking ‘unity’ in his “Song of Myself,” the structure of “Song of Myself” has long troubled the critics. Many critics argue that the fifty-two sections of the poem are either too ‘episodic’ or at best lacking in a structural motif that meaningfully integrates the poem. The present paper attempts to find in a journey motif the integrating force that not only ‘unites’ the fifty-two sections of the poem but also gives a meaning to the poem. Each leg of this journey can be summarized into five progressive stages: In Stage 1, the ‘I’ experiences the ecstatic moment of union with God. but is still isolated from the world. In the second and third stages, the ‘I’ takes on a journey to the outside world and expands to encompass the breadth of humanity, witnessing the dissolving of all contradictions and discrepancies. In the fourth stage, he achieves a new transcendental vision that allows a self that completely merges with the outer world. Now convinced of the interrelationship of all things, in the final stage the poet departs, promising the same journey to the reader. (Sogang University)

「나 자신의 노래」에 나타난 휘트먼의 대화적 상상력

이광운(Kwang-Woon Lee) 한국영미어문학회 2009 영미어문학 Vol.- No.92

This paper attempts to show that Whitman's greatest and longest poem, "Song of Myself," can be viewed in terms of M. M. Bakhtin's dialogic imagination. Whitman reveals his sense of dialogical imagination by adopting the poet-reader relationship throughout the poem. Whitman's dialogical imagination, which is well compared with that of Bakhtin's, is embodied by the conversational style between the poet and the reader. Whitman's sense of the reader's role and sense of multi-voicedness or polyphony, and his concept openness and inclusiveness are all similar to Bakhtin's dialogical imagination. Whitman adopts many different poetic speakers in "Song of Myself," such as : the poet himself, a teacher, Christ, an evolutionist, a barbarian, a lover of nature, etc. Whitman's poetic speakers of many voices not only show his poetic principles but also show the various phenomena of both man and nature. Reading Whitman's "Song of Myself" in terms of dialogical imagination can help to properly understand an otherwise enigmatic poem, because of its loose structure.

휫먼의 「나 자신의 노래」: 정체성 추구

김수경 ( Soo Kyung Kim ) 한국현대영어영문학회 2012 현대영어영문학 Vol.56 No.1

Walt Whitman, a representative American poet in the 19th century, pursued American identity based on divinity which God planted in human being`s soul. So he celebrated divine common people of America through his poem, "Song of Myself." He hoped that his readers could celebrate their own daily lives as a divine existence by the spiritual awakening. Whitman`s poems can serve as prayers for his readers, celebrating their holy spirit regardless of gender, race and class. With the vision of sacred identity for his readers, Whitman celebrated their holy life. He restored the "self" with a joyful heart through the new perception of the sacred existence in his poem. He extended his holy identity up to his readers`s along with all the Americans. Therefore, Whitman`s "Song of Myself" could be his readers` song then and until now, the past and the present.

월트 휘트먼의 「나의 노래」와 리좀적 공동체

조애리 한국현대영어영문학회 2019 현대영어영문학 Vol.63 No.4

This paper examines how self and en Masses are related in Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” While existing criticisms have dealt with the contradiction or the tension between the two, this paper tries to examine how “Song of Myself” becomes that of people in terms of Deleuze and Gattari’s rhizomatic community. First, it shows that Whitman’s self is not solid identity but Deleuze and Gattari’s line of flight. Secondly, it examines how this line of flight makes the rhizomatic community, which is made possible by rejecting hierarchy and connecting every walk of people. Finally, the political implication of the rhizomatic community is considered by analyzing becoming-minority. For Whitman the solidarity with “the weakest, the shallowest” is at the heart of rizomatic community, which can be perpetually be restored even if it is broken or destroyed.

월트 휘트먼의 「나 자신의 노래」 속의 성서의 유산: 미국신화의 새로운 신성한 텍스트

임진아 ( Jina Lim ) 한국현대영어영문학회 2015 현대영어영문학 Vol.59 No.4

This research will attempt to find a biblical legacy in Walt Whitman`s “Song of Myself” and demonstrate that he had a poetic vision of his writings being used as the new sacred text of American myth. The American myth was based on the Puritan heritage and the Bible had become an essential part of the American myth. With the vision of writing a new American Bible, Whitman fused into his poetry two great themes - the ongoing story of a country and a story of a complete man, Christ. Some biblical messages and functions are found in “Song of Myself”: from the Law, the Prophet, and the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament and from the Gospel, the Letters, and the Revelation of the New Testament. Northrop Frye insists that the Bible is the story of “revelation.” With the vision of writing a New Sacred Text, Whitman himself became a new sacred text of a new American Bible by using Jesus as his poetic model, by being the light of revelation himself, as Christ became the new sacred text by the typological fulfillment of various Old Testament symbols. (KAIST)

월트 휘트먼의 신비주의: 자아의 내면을 통한 여정

김영희 한국문학과종교학회 2015 문학과종교 Vol.20 No.2

본 논문은 휘트먼의 『풀잎』에 나타난 신비주의에 대한 분석을 다루고 있다. 신비주의는 황홀경, 열락과 같은 초월체험과 초월의식으로, 자아소멸이나 자아가 확대되는 현상이다. 휘트먼의 신비주의 영성의 단계는 신/우주와 일체가 제시된다. 본 논문에서 휘트먼의 신비주의를 소리와 관련하여 5단계로 나누어서 분석하였다. 첫째 신비상태의 진입으로 내안의 영혼/신을 인식하기, 둘째 영혼을 통해 내면에 거하는 신의 사랑과 세상에 대한 새로운 인식하기, 셋째 외부의 우주적이고 신적인 존재와의 접촉과 자아정화 하기, 넷째 신과 합일되어 시공간의 경계를 넘는 영혼 비행과 각성하기, 다섯째 신비상태에서 깨어나기로 세분된다. 「나의 노래」가 신비주의 교본처럼 정확하게 신비주의 체험 과정들을 보여주는 시로 여겨짐을 고려해볼 때에, 윌리엄 제임스, 프리드리히 슐라이어마허, 리차드 벅, 폴 틸리히의 등의 사상을 바탕으로 『풀잎』을 분석해보는 것은 유의미한 작업으로 사료된다. This paper aims to analyze the mysticism in Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and to compare with the theories of mystics scholars such as William James, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Richard Bucke, and Paul Tillich. Mysticism is a transcendent consciousness to experience the ecstasy and transcendence, which destroys the self or expands the ego. The mystical aspect of Whitman’s spirituality was expressed in his poetry as being one with the God/the Universe who was alive in his inner soul that Whitman called his soul. “Song of Myself” was found to be a dramatic representation of his mystical experiences. This paper analyzes “Song of Myself” and other poems in Leaves of Grass and identifies each step involved with mystical experiences. The first stage is to enter into a mystical state and meet his own soul. The second stage is to be awakened to his own self. The third stage is to purify his self. The fourth stage is a union with the Absolute. The fifth stage is to emerge from the mystical state. “Song of Myself” shows mystic experience processes exactly as a bible of mysticism.

불교의 ‘무아(無我)’에 비추어 본 휘트먼의 ‘자아(自我)’

설태수 한국중앙영어영문학회 2011 영어영문학연구 Vol.53 No.4

In Buddhism, everything does not have its own fixed reality. Because everything is always changing by dint of their innumerable elementary particles working incessantly within themselves. Even though the objects seem to be fixed, they are changing essentially. The particles are called ‘quarks’ in the theory of elementary particles. The quarks, as the ultimate particles of matter, have the electric force and spin, but they can not be observed by physical eyes. Therefore matter is regarded as ‘something empty’ or ‘no-self’ in Buddhism. In other words, matter can be existed only by ‘something empty’[‘no-self’], that is to say, ‘quarks.’ And we can also imagine ‘something empty’ as ‘something infinite,’ for the invisible world belongs to the infinite. In “Song of Myself” Walt Whitman perceived the immortality in human being and every matter, and he regarded not only himself but others as divine. Because, as in his poetry, he beheld God in every object and saw something of God each hour of the twenty-four. Therefore, we can imagine every object has an immortality in the context of its own Godhood. As just as mentioned above, Whitman’s recognition about the self is very similar to the no-self in Buddhism as well. Because they both have a common insight into matter[object] in the light of the being’s immortality. In conclusion, everything[phenomena] is in the absolute equality among themselves, because each matter has its own infinity regardless of its size, quantity, and its durability. Therefore everything, including human being, is one family.

‘의미 지도 그리기’를 통한 영시 활용 영어교육

심수진 ( Shim Soo-jin ),정은귀 ( Chung Eun-gwi ) 대한영어영문학회 2011 영어영문학연구 Vol.37 No.4

Poetry has long been neglected in the classroom especially concerned with language education. This study, based on the experience of involving students in the communicative uses of poetry, investigates the possibility of building an integrated approach model of poetry in the classroom. As a way of exploring the educational values of engaging English poetry in English language pedagogy, this paper rethinks the process of reading poetry in the classroom based on Whole Language Theory. In the process, the semantic mapping technique is experimented and presented as an effective way of promoting more dynamic interactions among the text, learners, and language skills. For an integrated approach model of English Poetry through semantic mapping, Walt Whitman’s poem, “Song of Myself” is taken as a sample poem. Through the analysis of the class and the feedback from students, this paper draws the conclusion that reading a poem for English education can be both a meaningful activity and an effective teaching strategy involving students in experiencing four skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) of language in an integrated manner. (Konyang UniversityㆍInha University)

Whitman's "Friable Shore with Trails of Drift": Self-annihilation as Potential Power of Self-expansion

Jeong U Jang 한국아메리카학회 2015 美國學論集 Vol.47 No.2

Whitman portrays his poetic self in overwhelmingly celebrating terms in "Song of Myself." In 1855, his poetic self is self-sufficient and triumphant. But his poetic self appears totally different in the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass. One of the most remarkable poems about this change is "As I Ebb'd with the Ocean of Life" in which his triumphant self is replaced by the powerless self. This essays examines how strikingly different this poem is from his previous poems. In particular, the contents and style of "As I Ebb'd with the Ocean of Life" are analyzed to explain why Whitman writes this kind of peculiar poem. The poet with his sense of diminution is torn between the ideal self and the actual self in "As I Ebb'd with the Ocean of Life." While the poet struggles against his self-doubt and despair, he reads symbolically the detritus at his feet left by the ocean. He regards himself as sign and emblem of drift and debris on the shore. In the meantime, the poet excessively magnifies his depression, instead of taking control of his despair. As a matter of fact, he indulges in a bitter self-recrimination expressing his regret for having written his poems. Whitman deliberately intensifies his condition of despair to such an extent that he demonstrates self-annihilation along with self-mocking. His usage of self-annihilation in the poem functions as an effective implement to move him through his limitation and give rise to his reawakening about his readers. It motivates him to turn toward his readers more closely and establish a new relationship with his readers. In this sense, his self-amrihilation in "As I Ebb'd with the Ocean of Life" is another version of self-expansion because it works as a stepping-stone to further his relationship with his readers. Whitman's symbolic self-presentation of himself as debris and drift in the poem ultimately comes to have potential power of his self-expansion because it provides him with an opportunity to embrace his readers.

예이츠의 「자기와 영혼의 대화」 와 휘트먼의 「나자신의 노래」 비교연구: 『환상록』을 중심으로

김영희 한국예이츠학회 2020 한국예이츠 저널 Vol.62 No.-

예이츠는 「자기와 영혼의 대화」에서 연인에 대한 영원한 사랑을 추구한 다. 반면 휘트먼은 「나자신의 노래」에서 신과 인류에 대한 원대한 사랑을 약속한다. 본 논문은 예이츠의 『환상록』을 중심으로, 2장. 상징의 완성의 네 원리와 3장. 영혼의 심판의 영의 사후 상태를 전통적인 신비주의 체험과정을 통하여 비교하였다. 그리고 이를 영/영혼과 다이몬, 정념체와 천상체, 제13원추와 서로 연관되도록 정리하였다. 달의 28상에서 대립상적 성향의 17상 예이츠와 기본상적 성향의 6상 휘트먼의 세계관은 상이하다. 하지만 두 시인은 서정 시인의 창조력, 신념처럼 ‘궁극적 본질을 완성하는 삶’으로 우리를 이끈다. Yeats pursues the eternal love for his lover in “A Dialogue of Self and Soul”. However, Whitman promises the great love for God and man in “Song of Myself.” This paper compares the four principles of “Chapter 2 Symbolic Completion” and the state after the death of the spirit in “Chapter 3 Judgment of the Soul” with the process of mysticism experience, focusing on Yeats’s A Vision where the Four Faculties and the Four Principles of spirit/soul and daimon, the passionate body and the celestial body, and Thirteenth Cone were arranged to be related. We analyzed the vision of Yeats in Phase 17 the antithetical and the vision of Whitman in Phase 6 the primary in the 28 phases of the moon. In the end, They are leading us toward “a life that fulfills the ultimate reality” such as the creative power, and the conviction of a lyric poet.