Walt Whitman. a outstanding American anti war poet. who lived during the times of civil war witnessed the status around him with his ain eyes and transformed it into literature which still stands relevant to our lives today. The coming of capitalist economy during this clip and its rapid proliferation brought with itself several branchings. Human concerns were relegated and rules were sidelined. In response to all the atrociousnesss. the people looked around and turned a unsighted oculus towards them. They stood as degage perceivers who did non seek to convey about a alteration. The verse form ‘ I sit and look out ‘ reflects the twenty-first century apathy of a modern perceiver. It is written in free poetry and makes usage of the consequence known as symbolism. The basic tone of the verse form is highly pessimistic and the poet uses strong ocular impactful words. which conjure up to make a strong impact every bit good as a strong revelatory imagination in our heads.
Right from the beginning of the verse form. one can experience the poet’s disenchantment of the things of the universe. He states that he sits and looks out upon ‘ all the sorrows of the universe. and upon all subjugation and shame’ . The words used in these first two lines are highly pessimistic and negative in nature. Peoples in today’s universe do many things that are against the normal norms. These workss are committed due to their aberrant behaviour. When such people realize their errors. they have within themselves a feeling of shame and humiliation. which easy eats away their psyche. Besides. the word ‘oppression’ gives us an penetration into how worlds today oppress fellow human existences for wholly ineffectual grounds. This shame and subjugation finally gives rise to a feeling of sorrow accompanied by utmost hurt and sorrow. He besides goes on to state that he hears ‘ secret convulsive shortness of breath from immature work forces. at anguish with themselves. contrite after workss done’ .
This refers to the soldiers who have been forced to contend and kill in war for their state. It highlights the utmost mental emphasis that these immature work forces encounter. In the 2nd one-fourth of the verse form. the poet highlights how adult females in the universe are misused and are treated as mere objects for sexual satisfaction. He sees ‘ in low life. the female parent misused by her kids. He states that the ‘mother’ who had gifted her kids with a fantastic life and had nourished them is now left to decease. She lies entirely ‘ deceasing. neglected and gaunt’ . He besides sees‘ the married woman misused by her husband’ and nickname the hubby as ‘ a unreliable seducer of immature women’ . All this shows us how. despite being in the twenty-first century. the manner the adult females are treated has non yet changed. Even today. adult females are the least educated. most laden and the most objectified portion of the society. Most significantly the poet highlights the indurate nature of relationships in today’s universe and in the new coevalss. His eyes ‘ tag the ranklings of green-eyed monster and unanswered love ‘which are seeking to be hidden.
For the poet these are mere sights. and he does non posses any penetrations sing them. He besides sees ‘ the workings of conflict. plague. tyranny’ . He besides talks about sufferer and captives. All these are the by merchandises of deathly war. In a ghastly imagine. we imagine crewmans throwing out people out of the ship so that more nutrient is left for the staying. It can be interpreted as the policy of the endurance of the fittest. The sarcasm here is that. something that is supposed to life giving ( sea/water ) is taking the same life off. The concluding thing that the poet observes is how ‘ chesty persons’ dramatis personae ‘ rebuffs and degradation’ and oppress ‘the poor’ and ‘Negroes’ . These people are treated in an cold manner and are subjected to penury. impairment and terrible repression. The poet sees all this on Earth. hears about them and yet remains soundless.
This last line ‘ see. hear and am soundless ‘ is possibly the most important line in the verse form as it brings out the satirical position of the poet as he scorns the modern perceiver. The whole verse form revolves around the subject of twenty-first century apathy. It is an indictment on society in general for its inability to ease meaningful alteration within itself. Peoples in today’s universe see many incorrect things happening around them. However. they don’t seek to do a difference and remain unaffected and apathetic. They seem to be excessively pre occupied with their ain safety and amenitiess and have lost their moral sense of empathy. In this verse form the poet assumes the function of a representative of the society and reprobate our deficiency of apathy. unwillingness to move and our deficiency of bravery to really take a base on theses issues.
He chastises the deficiency of moral heroism in worlds today. stating that we are excessively unconcerned to open our eyes to the universe around us and do our ain determinations. He makes an effort to animate emotions of disgust. choler and guilt but possibly most of all. a sense of motive. He hopes that this sense of motive will let the people to detect the distressing status. which they have put themselves in. and wants them to do an attempt to do the universe into a much harmonious topographic point. Furthermore. The existent beauty of this verse form is that. though it was written about a hundred old ages ago. it is still relevant in today’s universe.
