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I Sing the Body Electric by Walt Whitman

            "I Sing the Body Electric,"" is an open form poem written by Walt Whitman in 1855. Whitman was an American poet and one of the most influential poets of the 1800's. Adding to his fame as a poet, he is often called the "father of the free verse; the open form of poetry. "I Sing the Body Electric,"" is a poem where Whitman explores the human body in a series of lists. Although controversial at first, "I Sing the Body Electric"" is a brilliant example of open form poetry and the virtue of the bodies of both men and women. .
             Starting with the first few lines, it is recognized by Whitman that there may be people who question the human body and its differences from the spirit of the person. Nonetheless, the poem goes on to contradict the beliefs of those who don't belief in the perfection of the human body. It is in these first few lines where a list of the body parts is started and continues throughout the play, highlighting the flawless pieces of the human body.
             In the second section of lines, Whitman ponders the impeccable traits of the body, including an assortment of senses: from the "swimmer naked in the swimming-bath " to the "embrace of love and resistance " that is practiced by the wrestlers. Whitman then finds himself attracted to the bodies of the men and becomes one with them: "I swim with the swimmers " and "wrestle with the wrestlers. "Included in the third group of lines is the sight of the body of the farmer with a passionate and loving outlook. It is this section where Whitman is possibly looking at himself as a farmer and admiring his own body. Whitman in these set of lines has moved away from viewing the young and masculine men, to finding beauty in his own self as he too has a body, and to Whitman all bodies are perfect. By the end of the section, Whitman admits there is nothing superior to observing the bodies of men and women.
             Over the next piece of the poem Whitman goes on to explore the figures of women and men alike.


Essays Related to I Sing the Body Electric by Walt Whitman

1. Bio- Walter Whitman

Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. ... "Self-reliant, with haughty eyes, assuming to himself all the attributes of his country, steps Walt Whitman into literature, talking like a man unaware that there was ever hitherto such a production as a book, or such a being as a writer" . ... It included twelve poems- "Song of Myself," "A Song for Occupations," "To Think of Time," "The Sleepers," "I Sing the Body Electric," "Faces," "Son of the Answerer," "Europe," "A Boston Ballad," "There ...

  • Word Count: 1688
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

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