Problem of Structure in Whitman’s Poetry
Problem of Structure in Whitman’s Poetry
Problem of Structure in Whitman’s Poetry
Generally, the word ‘structure’ refers to the framework of anything. In other words, it refers to the way of arranging or composing something. In literature, the word ‘structure’ denotes the way of arranging or composing a literary piece. Roughly, though not strictly or discriminately, there are three sorts of structures as—(a) Close or organic or systematic structure, (b) loose or inorganic or illogical or unsystematic structure and (c) compound or complex structure. In a ‘close structure’ the subject matter of a piece of literature is arranged very systematically and it develops through a general introduction to a logical conclusion through well-organized development. It is the ‘close or organic structure’ that makes a literary piece easy comprehensive and enjoyable. The ‘loose structure’ refers to that structure in which the matter of a literary piece is set up disorderly with the least caring for logical order. And the compound structure is that structure in which both the close structure and the loose structure are present. But the close or systematic structure is less present in poetry, especially in modern poetry, because poetry is a genre of literature where emotion plays a dominant role. But emotion has no logic, no order—it rises in the heart or brain suddenly and moves around within itself or wanders around the earth and sky. So in poetry, the close structure is less present. Walt Whitman was a great poet of America. He wrote poems on a variety of themes where only vehement and wild emotions make tide and fall within themselves. Hence his poems are less closely structured.
The study of his glorious work ‘Songs of Myself’ shows that he is less and less careful to structure but more and more attentive to huddling his emotional thoughts and feelings as they take birth in his mind. The ‘Song of Myself’ contains a total of fifty-two sections. In those sections, he is sometimes compound and less organic in representing his themes. For example, we can take section no-24 of ‘Song of Myself’. This section is somewhat long and in it, he has taken into account himself, democracy, mystic interpretation, human beings and of human relationships without caring for a logical beginning or end of the themes.
The section-21 of the same poem is scribed in compound structure bearing both the close and loose structure. At first, the poet glorifies the human body and soul. But when the eighth line begins, he goes astray and he says about the condition of man on the earth and while he reaches the twelfth line, he says about himself and then about the earth without showing any unity of his thoughts and feelings.
Section 6 of the same poem seems to be organic in structure as he gives a symbolic interpretation of the piece of grass and at last he attributes mystic meaning to it.
His short poems seem to be organic in giving shape to the theme. Among short poems arranged in organic structure mention may be made of ‘Poets to Come’, ‘Oneself I Sing‘, I’ Saw in Louisiana a Live Oak Growing’.
His long poems like ‘Passage to India’, ‘When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloomed’, etc. bear testimony to his close structure.
Thus the illustration of his poems shows that Walt Whitman’s poems are so burdened with myriad thoughts, feelings and emotions that in representing them he often loses the logic of unity. 0 0 0 Problem of Structure in Whitman’s Poetry
Problem of Structure in Whitman’s Poetry
N.B. The article ‘Problem of Structure in Whitman’s Poetry’ originally belongs to the book ‘Walt Whitman’s Poetry A Thematic Study‘ by Menonim Mennimus. Problem of Structure in Whitman’s Poetry
Problem of Structure in Whitman’s Poetry
