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영어

Walt Whitman uses war as a metaphor for life. His use of this metaphor reveals hidden sides beneath his well known optimism and mysticism. First, it shows that his life, particularly his poetic career, was difficult. His subject matter including homo sexuality, erotic mysticism, and city workers was not traditional, and his public and critical reception was not favorable. Second, his concept of the ideal life and spirit is difficult to realize. The idea requires us to volunteer many difficulties and to fight against spiritual weakness. Further, it requires us to challenge all settled things. Third, his use of the metaphor reveals his views about life in general. Life itself consists of many emergencies and difficult situations. Finally, his use of the metaphor is related to his poetic mission—his words are used like weapons to criticize individual weak points. He promotes heroic warriors. The warrior spirit he promotes includes bravery, rebellion, being well equiped, hardness, calmness, and impregnability. His model of the warrior spirit is sometimes based on both the Christian God and energetic nature and it embodies some of his democratic ideals.