Walt Whitman and Ayn Rand

     The poet Walt Whitman first published his volume Leaves of Grass in 1855.  The book contained only twelve poems in its first printing, one of which was "Song of Myself".  I am really glad we covered this in class because it is one of my favorite poems by Whitman.  It is a celebration not only of oneself, but of the world around us and the ones who people that world.  This poem does not draw distinctions between good or evil, but seems to say that all good and all evil can be encompassed within the individual.

     Although Walth Whitman was a promoter of democracy and equality among men, his poetry celebrates the freedoms and talents of the individual above all.  Many of the verses I have read have reminded me strongly of the philosophy of Ayn Rand, who is one of my favorite authors.

Ayn Rand is a novelist and a philosopher who coined and promoted the idea of "objectivism" in her books.  A few of her well known writings are The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.  In both of these, she teaches that love must be earned, wealth deserved, and that reason is the highest calling and aim of mankind.  The novelette Anthem is short but moving, and there are many similarities to Whitman's "Song of Myself".  Though these two authors were from different countries and time periods, and though they believed in different politics, their writings in many ways parallel each other.

Whitman states in verse 20 of "Song"....

"I know I am solid and sound,
To me the converging objects of the universe perpetually flow,
All are written to me, and I must get what the writing means."

 

Conversly, in Chapter 11 of Anthem, Ayn Rand writes...

"Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding star and the lodestone which point the way.  They point in but one direction.  They point to me."

In the same chapter, Rand states that "my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it.  My happiness is not the means to any end.  It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose."

Again, there is a parallel to Whitman's "Song of Myself", in verse 20.

"I do not trouble my spirit to vindicate itself or to be understood...
I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
And if each and all be aware I sit content."

From verse 24 of Whitman's "Song"...

"Divine am I inside and out, and I make holy whatever I touch or am touch'd from...
If I worship one thing more than another it shall be the spread of my own body, or any part of it."

Along those same lines, Rand states that "Many words have been granted me,...but only three are holy: 'I will it!'....This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before!" 

I could continue the parallels all day, but hopefully I have proved my point.  It makes me wonder if Ayn Rand ever read Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself".  To end, if you are interested in the philosophy of Ayn Rand, I am including a clip of an interview from 1959 that at least summarizes objectivism and will give you some idea of how Americans felt about Rand and her philosophies then.  If you wish to watch the entire interview, you can find it on you tube.