18 pages • 36 minutes read
Walt WhitmanFor You O Democracy
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1860A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Individualism Nurtures Love
While Whitman’s poems often focused on unification and community, many—like “For You O Democracy”—celebrated individualism within the context of that unification and community. In “For You O Democracy,” the individual is the backbone of the unification that happens in the poem. The repetition of the phrase “I will” (Lines 1, 2, 3, 6, 8) creates the sense of the individual’s determination. In essence, individualism becomes the essence of the ideal democracy for which the speaker advocates in the poem. The repetition of the phrase “I will” also places emphasis on the first-person pronoun “I.” Individualism is not only a place of isolation in the poem; it is also a place of adhesiveness, because to respect others for their individuality forms love, which ultimately fuses everyone together.
Nature as a Thematic Element
Like Dickinson and Emerson, Whitman heavily relied on nature as a theme in his poetry. In “For You O Democracy,” Whitman incorporates images of the sun, of “magnetic lands” (Line 3), and other various natural imagery that would have resonated with common Americans during Whitman’s time. The speaker of the poem not only celebrates nature, but the speaker also uses nature as a backdrop for American democracy. America’s rivers, prairies, and lake shores act as a kind of proving ground or large-scale planting field where the elements of democracy, such as “companionship” (Line 6), can thrive. In the poem, the speaker identifies nature’s influence first. However, as the poem concludes, the speaker transitions to an urban setting, stating, “I will make inseparable cities with their arms about each other’s necks” (Line 8). The speaker’s focus on the cities is only brief, which juxtaposes their focus on nature at the poem’s beginning, which is lengthy and descriptive. Thus, nature is also the place from which all else has life, including the urban areas.
Democracy is a Way of Life
For Whitman, democracy was a way of life. He lived it not only in his daily actions but also in his poetry. Democracy was not an isolated act. Instead, it was based on interpersonal interaction. It also meant that individuals could blend their beliefs into everyday life. In “For You O Democracy,” the speaker becomes a type of servant to democracy. Their determination to “make” (Lines 1, 8) and “plant” (Line 6) are acts performed to help democracy grow and to honor it. The speaker also addresses the interpersonal interactions necessary to make democracy flourish. The poet repeats the word “comrades” (Lines 4, 5, 9, 10) four times in the poem. The word is always preceded by the phrase “love of” (Lines 4, 5, 9, 10). What the speaker advocates is that at democracy’s core, love and companionship are present and integral. Without them, democracy cannot survive.
In the poem’s concluding stanzas, the speaker addresses democracy in more intimate terms. Democracy becomes a wife, a partner. The speaker repeats the phrase “for you” (Lines 11, 12) three times in the span of two lines, which creates a sense of devotion, loyalty, and servitude. What the speaker reminds readers is that democracy is an entity which people serve, and not vice versa.
Related Titles
By Walt Whitman
