In the song The Court of the Crimson King, the band King Crimson writes, “The gardener plants an evergreen/Whilst trampling on a flower,” (King Crimson 19-20) The song makes a statement that, while planting a long-lasting tree, in this case, an evergreen, the gardener completely ignores the shorter-lived flower, even killing it. Similarly, your average gardener will focus on their longer-lasting perennial plants, killing many of the other plants growing around them. Many writers have also argued that we care too little for others around us, most notably Transcendentalists, who emphasize a connection between all living things. Walt Whitman serves as the quintessential American poet, following on the ideals of authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism was the inspiration behind Whitman’s magnum opus, “Song of Myself.” In “Song of Myself”, Whitman argues the importance of Transcendentalist ideals through his emphasis on the connection between all people, his emphasis on self-reliance, and through a focus on distancing oneself from society.
Whitman argues the importance of Transcendentalism through his emphasis on the connection between all people. When speaking of who he stands with, Whitman emphasizes “I am of old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise” (330) By talking of people of all ages, Whitman emphasizes how he is willing to support all people, no matter who they are. Through this unconditional support, Whitman makes the case that all of humanity is connected and should stand by each other, no matter the situation. Additionally, when discussing where his ideas come from, Whitman says “If they are not yours as much as they are mine they are nothing, or next to/nothing,” (356-357) Whitman makes it clear that he believes his ideas are not his alone, but those of all people. By making this statement, Whitman emphasizes that humans are a connected species, and any idea that claims that be held by or based on one person is completely useless. Finally, when discussing who he is as a person, Whitman argues, “Whoever degrades another degrades me,/And whatever is done or said returns at last to me.” (503) Whitman understands the human tendency to degrade others and makes the case for that same degradation coming back around to them. By emphasizing firstly, that this degradation also degrades himself, Whitman puts forth the idea of connections between humanity. By then saying all actions “return at last to [him]”, Whitman makes a connection between all of humanity. All of humanity connects to him, thus, all humans are connected, and any actions performed on another may just as well be done on oneself.
Paradoxically, despite focusing on the connections between all people, Whitman also emphasizes self-reliance. When discussing who he is willing to support, Whitman says he is, “Regardless of others …,” (331) When Whitman says he is “regardless of others” he emphasizes the importance of focusing on oneself. He recognizes the value of focusing on how ones actions can impact them, as well as the necessity to something ignore others. Additionally, after wondering why he ought to pray and fit in with society, Whitman muses “Having pried through the strata, analyzed to a hair,/counsel’d with doctors and calculated close,/I find no sweeter fat than sticks to my bones.” (399-400) Here, by mentioning “analyzed to a hair,” Whitman emphasizes the lengths to which he has gone to search the world. However, despite his searching, he has found “no sweeter fat than sticks to my bones.” Whitman uses the fat as a symbol for knowledge, and despite searching the world, Whitman has found no greater source for knowledge than himself. He realizes the greatest source for one’s information is their own self, especially their body. Finally, when talking about teaching people around him, Whitman writes, “The boy I love, the same becomes a man not through derived power, but/in his own right.” (1237-1238) By describing his teachings as “derived power,” Whitman emphasizes teaching as a passing down of someone else’s knowledge. However, by saying this is not how a boy becomes a man, but he does so, “in his own right.”, Whitman states that it is what a person does that allows them to grow, not what is passed on. Despite the importance of teaching from previous generations, it is always up to the new generation to grow on their own. They cannot be aided entirely by older people and must make steps on their own to succeed, relying on their own actions.
While an emphasis on self-reliance proves Whitman’s argument, Whitman also supports Transcendentalist ideals through an emphasis on opposing society. When wondering what makes a human, Whitman says, “I wear my hat as I please indoors or out.” (397) Whitman makes it clear that he will not be held to society’s standards on how hats should be worn. Whitman will wear his hat how he wants, society be damned. Additionally, Whitman, when speaking of visiting an orchard, says, “I help myself to material and immaterial./No guard can shut me off, no law prevent me.” (802-803) Human society is built on laws and our adherence to them, but Whitman, by completely ignoring them, is rejecting one of society’s fundamental tenets. By refusing to follow the demands of guards, Whitman is also refusing to listen to those tasked with enforcing laws, reaffirming his commitment to a break with society. Finally, when referring to a wild hawk, Whitman proclaims his independence from society, saying “I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable,” (1332) By comparing himself to an entirely wild hawk, which has no restrictions placed on it, Whitman is able to emphasize the power of freedom from society. He puts forth the idea that much of his success comes from a refusal to be tamed by the oppression of society, and pushes all around him to make the same decision to separate from the powers that be. By freeing oneself from the pressures of society, more paths are opened and one can truly understand themselves.
Whitman argues the importance of Transcendental philosophy through a focus on an all-encompassing connection between humanity, an emphasis on self-reliance, and a push towards resisting society. Whitman, like many other Transcendentalists authors, believed that in order to understand the world and oneself, one must understand their connection with the world around them. This same belief can be seen in the dichotomy between Giorno Giovanna and Diavolo in Part 5 of Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure: Vento Aureo. Giorno understands the connection between nature and himself, most notably through his ability to create life through inanimate objects; but Diavolo believes himself to be far superior to other people, placing his success over the health and survival of others, even his own daughter. Thus, in the final conflict, when Giorno is able to retrieve the requiem arrow and defeat Diavolo through his connections with others, he tells Diavolo, “You will never reach the truth that will occur.” (Araki ch. 148)
