"Vivas to those who have failed, and to those whose war-vessels sank in the sea,/ and those themselves who sank in the sea,/ And to all generals that lost engagements, and all overcome heroes, and numberless/ unknown heroes equal to the greatest heroes known."
We often remember heroes more for their deeds than for their deaths, and understandably so. We like to remember them for what they did not how they died. But I find their is a certain beauty in the last moments of hero. His struggle before the fall as he stands for one last round prepared to defend his beliefs. Whitman captures the essence of that beauty in this section. He raises the memories of forgotten heroes "equal to the greatest heroes," the one's who's resolve and beliefs were equal to that of the victor. And in this passage is that sense of melancholy grace that the loser of battle exudes, such as the felling one gets from Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade." As an aesthetic sense I find it greatly moving, and as a celebration of life through loss I believe these lines have touched on an important subject that Whitman does not fear to celebrate.
Whitman's celebration of these fallen and losers is a celebration of himself and through him it is a celebration of ourselves as we struggle daily and constantly lose. That is my favorite part about these lines. The sense that even though we suffer constant losses, for not everyone can win all the time, we should be glad to have them. It proves we are living and that there is still a chance to improve from their. The Fallen "Heroes" of this poem teach us about resolve as they put their lives on the line for their beliefs they should indeed be celebrated.
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Whitman seems to reach through all the facets of human life in Song of Myself. Due to his unifying approach to existence, his lines are often unbiased, unpartisan, and chameleon like. One moment he stands on one side, and soon flows into the opposite. The lines you chose reflect this I feel. He is speaking to no hero in particular, but all heros whether they are recognized or not. All men who have fought are represented.
ReplyDeleteI love these lines too, especially the part giving props to the "numberless/ unknown heroes equal to the greatest heroes known"... It seems in history we need to have a focal leader to post all the success or blame on, and I liked how Whitman celebrates too those whose names will never be known.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you about the beauty of the last moments of a 'hero'... part of it is just because we can often raise a hero to the level of a superhuman, but in death, a hero is brought back down to the level of a normal person, which I think can make their accomplishments even more awe-inspiring.
I like his views on death and dying also. I think as a society we view death as such a negative occurrence. Instead of choosing to celebrate ones life, we wallow in their demise. It's kind of a selfish way of acting if you think about it. You're not really concerned about the person who died, but rather focused in on how it will effect you. I think Walt was really in touch and honest with the fact that he was going to die someday. And, when that day came, he wanted his readers to celebrate his life instead of mourning his passing.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed these lines as well. In the preface, Whitman states that "A heroic person walks at his ease through and out of that custom or precedent or authority that suits him not." Through all of these lines Whitman implies that its the stand itself, as opposed to the success of the stand, that is important.
ReplyDeleteMaybe another way of thinking of W's "democratic" idea is to discover the heroic in everyday life and folks. Sounds corny - - and often is - - but also can be quite radical.
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