<-- Walt Whitman
I think that besides Poe, and
Dickinson, and Thoreau, Whitman has some deep thoughts about non-conformity. In
his poem “Song of Myself” (specifically, the 10th section), he
describes taking in a runaway slave and helping him on his way. In this
instance, both persons are not conforming: the slave by running away, and
Whitman by helping him rather than turning him in. Whitman
“…led him in and
assured him, /And brought water and fill’d a tub for his sweated body and
bruis’d feet, /And gave him a room that enter’d from my own, and gave him some
coarse clean clothes…”
This
is close to the opposite of how society would feel towards a runaway slave. So,
Whitman is being a nonconformist here. By non-conforming, he obtained something
better for himself, which is still possible today. There is obviously a relevance
for Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” in life today.
actual poem (for 10th section scroll down on this website)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174745
I agree, I also think that the bride and the trapper marrying each other shows conformism. It was common for a trapper to marry an indian bride during that time period in exchange for giving something to the brides family. They trapper, in marrying the bride, conformed to the norms of society.
ReplyDelete*the trapper
ReplyDeleteYeah - i think that situation shows how conformity isn't always good, because the bride didn't really seem happy. She thought she was happy, but she wasn't
ReplyDeleteHow do you know she wasn't? It doesn't say anything in the poem about how she is not happy. Unless really long hair is a sign of distress then she might have been perfectly ecstatic. We don't know. Conformity isn't always a good thing, your right, but that doesn't mean that the bride isn't happy.
DeletePeople conforming to society today (trying to be popular/cool) often think they have it good, but they would be better off if they didn't conform
ReplyDeleteThis may be true however, people conforming to society makes society what it is. Therefore, if no one conformed to society, there would be none. Someone is always bound to stick to the status quo. If they didn't, we would have nothing to compare people to.
ReplyDelete-Dani W.
I completely agree with Dani. Many people these days stick to the status quo. The people that don't stick to the status quo are judged based on whatever the status quo is. This is why if there was no one that stuck to the status quo, then the people that didn't stick to the status quo would be the new status quo. I agree with Dani.
ReplyDelete-Tyler M