Commentary 2:

Your commentary should be 1-2 paragraphs in length, should look closely at the language of
the excerpted text, and should consider how this piece reflects Whitman's ideas or influence in
relation to your focus area.

If anything is sacred the human body is sacred.

This Whitman quote appeared in the May 2004 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine. More
specifically, it appeared within a section of fuchsia-colored card stock, designed to be torn or cut
out of the magazine for storage. The quote shows the bodys utmost importance of the body to
Whitman first and foremost, but also to his reader and the readers of this magazine. The
appearance of this quote shows not only shows an open acceptance of the celebration of the body
but gives us a reason. Although it may be taken out of context, we also see another glimpse of
Whitmans egotism in this quote. The quote appears as a statement of truth, not an open-ended
proposal. The use of the word sacred adds a spiritual tone to the words as if they were taken
straight from the Bible. Whitman is certain of the human bodies holiness, which can be used as a
means of connection. In effectively stating that the human body is sacred, Whitman is implying
that all human bodies should be treated with such respect and reverence. His words are non-
discriminatory and neither is his message of acceptance and unity.

Commentary 1:

Your commentary should be 1-2 paragraphs in length, should look closely at the language of
the excerpted text, and should consider how this piece reflects Whitman's ideas or influence in
relation to your focus area.

City of Orgies
By Walt Whitman

City of orgies walks and joys,

City whom that I have lived and sung in your midst will one
day make you illustrious,
Not the pageants of you, not your shifting tableaus, your
spectacles, repay me,
Not the interminable rows of your houses, nor the ships at
the wharves,
Nor the processions in the streets, nor the bright windows
with goods in them,
Nor to converse with learn'd persons, or bear my share in the
soiree or feast;
Not those, but as I pass O Manhattan, your frequent and
swift flash of eyes offering me love,
Offering response to my ownthese repay me,
Lovers, continual lovers, only repay me.

This poem was one of the many installments of Leaves of Grass that contained the sexual
innuendos that may have frightened a reader in the 1880's. The third word of the poem is orgy,
and its connotation guides readers to the image of unrestrained sexual activity. One reason why
Whitman used "City of Orgies" as a title was to shock the reader. Whitmans work intended to
break boundaries, and this meant defying social norms. This poem ignores the view of sex in
Whitmans time, where it was not to be spoken of at any time. The shock of poems, like this one,
opened his readers eyes, making his radical claims and beliefs appear less obscene by
comparison. He positions himself at the helm of this poem, as a visionary, who sees the truth
hidden in plain view. While he sentimentalizes the city and its vigor, what truly repays
Whitman is the goodwill of man to one another, which he describes as lovers, continual lovers.
After reading Karbeiners introduction to Leaves of Grass, I can assume that Whitman is praising
an aspect the city of New York, which embodies his views on the cities of America. To
accurately spread his idea of love and acceptance, Whitman preached his love of himself and
everything around him. In this poem, he does just that describing the variety of common scenes
of the Manhattan streets. Like the theory of Maslows hierarchy of needs, self-actualization
fosters the progression of society. Among his many messages, Whitman wanted Americans to be
comfortable with their own sexuality, which would inspire them to be more comfortable with
their surroundings and other people.

Academic Source 4:

3-5 sentences summary: What does this source offer to a researcher, and what is its main
argument?

Killingworths overarching message is Whitmans use of the body as a means of connecting

people to one another. He writes of Whitmans use of the body, body-consciousness seemed to
propel the poet beyond anything as simple as "interest" in the physiological processes of the
body in health. One metaphor that Whitman is able to convey with is human understanding. All
humans can relate to having a human body--this seat of sexual pleasure and shelter of
sympathetic emotions. Whitman adored the physical body, for one, because of its application as
a source of psychological, social, and political well-being. In this way, Whitman could connect
the hearts of Americans by appealing to a common, yet excitingly unique, experience in the
human body. Killingworth claims, [building this collective consciousness] ultimately depends
upon care for and respect of the physical existence of every individual.

3-5 sentences response / review / evaluation: What makes it useful or not? What makes it
credible or not? Who might this source be of value to?
This source is valuable because it develops the metaphors that Whitman creates with the body.
These themes became more prominent after Whitmans time, which is an example of Whitmans
position as a prophet. However, Killingworth does concede that there were stretches where his
poetry of the body was absent, such as Whitmans Civil War poetry. Additionally, Killingworth
compares Whitmans poetry of the body to future works celebrating the body to examine the
origin of the social development of the rebellious soul.

Academic Source 3:

3-5 sentences summary: What does this source offer to a researcher, and what is its main
argument?

This source highlights how Whitmans experience with old age manifested by analyzing poetry
published in the late stages of Whitmans career. Despite after having strokes and other illnesses,
Whitman still romanticizes old age in his poem Halcyon Days. Stauffer writes, it would seem
that his depiction of a serene and untroubled old age facing the sunset years with equanimity is
not based upon his own experience but is merely a literary or artistic conception. Possibly for
the sake of maintaining the positive tone of his younger self or maybe to deceive himself,
Whitman contradicts himself either way. In this way, Whitman find himself caught between
remaining honest and maintaining his optimistic position of the human body, physically.

3-5 sentences response / review / evaluation: What makes it useful or not? What makes it
credible or not? Who might this source be of value to?

This source is especially credible because it cites words from Whitman himself. For example,
when Stauffer mentions, he often said in his later years, he was determined to keep as much
as possible his own sickness and pain out of his poems. This source is useful by going into
depth into the topic that Whitman himself introduces in Song of MyselfDo I contradict
myself? At this point in his life, a key tone shift occurs as this internal struggle develops within
Whitman due to his physical restraints.

Academic Source 2:

3-5 sentences summary: What does this source offer to a researcher, and what is its main
argument?

In this source, a reviewer reflects on a published collection of Whitmans poems. He centers on

Whitmans unique use of language, specifically, Whitmans choice of words. Describing
Whitman as masterful, Folsom admires, His body inhales the world, ingests it; he devours
reality with eyes and ears and nose and tongue, and always in a way in which all that passes
through him is elevated, enhanced, intensified. His work invokes a music within the reader,
spontaneous and sporadic, where Whitman revels in both in and out-of-body experiences.
Whitmans work music moved to the natural rhythm of the body, the meters of sex and desire.
3-5 sentences response / review / evaluation: What makes it useful or not? What makes it
credible or not? Who might this source be of value to?

This review comments on a collection of Whitmans poetry gathered by another poetRobert

Hass. It is evident in his first-person introduction his respect for the Hass and his understanding
of why he chose the specific poems for his collection. This source also introduces a new take on
Whitmans impact on the body by introducing the idea of music. Additionally, is credible
because this review has been accepted for inclusion in the Walt Whitman Quarterly Review by an
authorized administer of Iowa University Research Online.

Academic Source 1:

Erkkila, Betsy. "Killingsworth, M. Jimmie. Whitman's Poetry of the Body [review]." Walt
Whitman Quarterly Review 7 (Spring 1990), 194-197.
http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1263&context=wwqr

3-5 sentences summary: What does this source offer to a researcher, and what is its main
argument?

There is a general pattern in that Erkilla presents an emphasis on the motives behind Whitmans
sexual and homosexual writing in relation to the medical, scientific, and sexual discourses of his
time. The review argues that when writing about the body the good gay revolutionary poet
transformed himself into a good gray bourgeois poet because of historical changes. Whitmans
radicalism (of the 1855 Leaves of Grass) regressed toward the greater conventionality found in
Drum-Taps, which further regressed in his work in the post-Civil War period. The author cites
Killingworths clear analysis, such as, The merge of sexuality and politics in Leaves of Grass
resulted from the poet's recognition of erotic energy as a powerful force in shaping individuals
and societies.

3-5 sentences response / review / evaluation: What makes it useful or not? What makes it
credible or not? Who might this source be of value to?

This source is basically a summary of a review of Whitmans work, so it is concise and

highlights the major points. It is credible because this review has been accepted for inclusion in
the Walt Whitman Quarterly Review by an authorized administer of Iowa University Research
Online. The Review was also published the year after the work it reviews was published, so it
most likely looks at Whitmans work through a similar historical lens/background.