Messy Handwriting & Imagination

As I looked through Walt Whitman's notebook, the first thing that I noticed was that I could barely read or understand his handwriting. Whitman writes in cursive so the letters and words blend together. This blend in words could also be caused by the ink in the notebook fading as it ages, as well. Also when he writes, the words slant far towards the right. The slant in the words is significant because it suggests that when Whitman wrote, he was always in a rush when writing his poetry. This quickness in writing could explain why the script within his notebook is illegible. In addition to his script, many words and phrase are scratched out by quick, jagged lines and replaced by new words. This quick replacement of words suggests that Whitman is writing his poems in that moment, and that he does not plan or outline beforehand. Whitman wants to illustrate the images that he sees in his head onto paper efficiently, and so he crosses out words quickly. Additionally, Whitman’s messy handwriting and scratched out words suggest that in the beginning, Whitman did not intend to sell his poetry. He intended to keep his poetry for himself and therefore there would be no need to write clearly for others to see and comprehend the poems.

I also noticed that the last several pages of Whitman’s notebook contain various sketches. The sketches that stood out the most were the sketches of a man dressed in different costumes. The man’s face is the same all throughout, but the clothing and positioning of the man are what shows the contrast between the four sketches. Continuing on, the man looks similar to Whitman, and it appears as if Whitman was portraying himself in contrasting images. This shows that Whitman was very imaginative, and this characteristics further demonstrates Whitman’s role as a poet.

After looking through Whitman’s notebook a second time, with the help of NY Times, I realize now that Whitman was not writing a poem, nor did he sketch the drawings in the notebook. Instead, he imagined and created a conversation between Abraham Lincoln and himself. This imagination only emphasizes the fact that Whitman is very creative with his works. He had never met Lincoln, yet he could create an entire dialogue between himself and the former president. Another significance of this conversation is that Whitman expresses his wish for universal brotherhood throughout the conversation. He wishes for unification between citizens and religion. Altogether, Whitman is a very imaginative individual who uses his creativity to explore the theme of universal brotherhood throughout his poetry.