Witty Whitman

Step 1

On most of the pages in Whitman's notebook there is a stamp,  it looks like a bird surrounded by some sort of text, possibly in Latin. This could be a stamp by the manufacturer on the pages, or it could be something that Whitman himself added that has special significance to him. Whitman also seems to write in a mix of English and some other roman language, like Spanish or Latin. I can make out the phrase "Ship of Libertad" which has a mix of multiple languages. I also noticed that there are multiple crossings out and revisions, showing that Whitman's poems are not pure and easy inspiration, but take hard work and many iterations. An example is the Ship of Libertad line, because on the next page there are many other ideas for names such as Ship of the World, Ship of Humanity, Ship of Promise, and Ship of the Ages. There are also several drawings on the subsequent pages, with different stylizations or accessories based on different possible ideas. Whitman also seems to have included several doodles from his imagination, with little to no context for their meanings.


Step 2

I was unable to make out most of the words on the first several pages of Whitman's notebook, but I find it interesting that Whitman was just filling it with his imagination, not ideas or early drafts of poems. I was wrong that he took the word Libertad from Latin, but correct that it was a Spanish word. According to the article, Whitman was in favor of universal freedom in the world, and in favor of the Latin American revolutions to break free from their colonial leaders. Whitman seems to think in an universal and eternal mindset, rather than just for his lifetime or homeland, which is unique from most people. Most of his musings in his notebook seem to have a pessimistic edge to them, revealing a cynical side in his thoughts about the world, despite his wishes for freedom. Whitman seemed to have a lot in common with Abraham Lincoln, only a few years earlier in time than the president himself. It would have been very interesting then, to see what could have happened if Whitman had been an adviser to Lincoln or even if the two men had been friends. I thought that all of the sketches of Whitman in the notebook had been self portraits, but it is fascinating to think that he instead allowed others to see inside and even edit his notebook, such as draw pictures of him, since a notebook is usually a very private item. Whitman is known as a bohemian, which is reflected in his sketch for a newspaper called "The Boheamian" that was included on one of the last pages of the book. Whitman once again seems pessimistic and cynical in his last drawing, potentially an allegory for America, which is a very dark drawing of a skeleton with its heart pierced by a sword. Whitman seems to have many sides to him, a whimsical side shown by the sketches of a harp and newspaper, a deep side shown by his thoughts on freedom and equality, and a cynical side shown by his lack of faith of success in America.