When reading the Deathbed version of “Song of Myself”, I kept thinking back to the first version that we read. Specifically, I kept trying to find what the differences between the two versions were, and what the significance of those differences is. The main thing that stuck out to me, as I’m sure it did to most other people, was the inclusion of section breaks. We have seen sections in other of Whitman’s writing, such as “Leaves of Grass”, but we did not have them in the first version of “Song of Myself” that we read. Last class, we talked about how the pacing and flow of “Song of Myself” (due to a minimal use of periods and instead a constant use of commas) lead us to feel like we are always moving forwards, unable to stop and sometimes unable to breathe. I felt as though the usage of separate sections slowed down this pacing and made the act of reading more manageable, but also less unique and interesting. What did you think of the usage of sections? Do you feel that it helped or hindered the reading experience? What do you think the intention was behind separating the poem into sections?
4 thoughts on “Which is the Better “Song of Myself”?”
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Personally, I loved the section breaks! I think it gave me time to fully reflect on what I read, instead of having the intense feeling to keep moving forward. The first version, for lack of a better term, rushed me along, while the second version slowed me down. I would say I prefer the second version more, but I feel like I can only say this because we have read both versions!
As someone who is relatively inexperienced with reading poetry, I definitely enjoyed the breaks because I was able to almost follow his “train of thought” a little better. I was better able to digest and understand maybe more nuance and better derive meaning from the “slower” deathbed version. That being said, I felt that the first was more raw and spontaneous, it felt that the more polished and professional recent version almost watered down the emotion. I like the second version for comprehension and relaxed reading and the first for raw emotion.
I enjoyed the Deathbed edition more. To me, it felt more sure of itself because there really weren’t any ellipses. Also, the section breaks made it feel more solidified in it’s ideas, rather than the “stream of consciousness” that was present in the first version we read. I just felt overall that the second version was much easier to get through and clearer in its intention. The sections indicated to me that we were entering a new “story,” whereas in the first version, it felt like the switch in imagery was a bit jarring. I like both versions, but I definitely feel like the Deathbed edition is more mature in a way.
I completely agree with everything said above. The section breaks helped me decipher exactly what it was that Whitman was talking about rather than jumping around and having one theme or observation merge into the next. However, I will say I think they make it less characteristically Whitman. His long lines and free flowing verse kind of contradict the strict breaks in between stanzas even if they do make it easier to read. I think in a way it represents the periods of his life in which he was writing each version. When he wrote the 1855 version, he was much younger, and in our youth, we tend to rush through life without taking time to appreciate the world around us. It seems like as he aged, he learnt to slow down and take time to reflect on his observations of life which is reflected in the separate sections.