The primitivity of savage man is divine modern civilized man has lost this divinity but is eager to regain it. This Christ-like savage merges with the other identities contained in the total idea of the poet's self. He raises men from their deathbeds and imbues them with strength and vision. He is a healer, a comforter, and a lover of humanity. This image combines the idea of the primitive ancestor of man with the figure of Christ. 'The friendly and flowing savage' mentioned in section 39 is a key image which sums up the progression of ideas and feelings in this section. He says, 'The supernatural is of no account,' meaning that the Divine is here on earth for all men, who must only become ready to accept this divinity. The poet denies significance to old gods because God is to be found in all men. He declares that all men are divine and possess powers of revelation equal to any god's. In my portfolio placing Manito loose, Allah on a leaf, the crucifix engraved. Lithographing Kronos, Zeus his son, and Hercules his grandson,īuying drafts of Osiris, Isis, Belus, Brahma, Buddha,

Taking myself the exact dimensions of Jehovah, In section 41 the poet assumes the role of the prophet of a new religion, incorporating all religions: By God, you shall not go down! hang your whole weight upon me.' Let the physician and the priest go home.' He would seize 'the descending man and raise him with resistless will. In this process, the 'common modes' assume 'new forms.' He answers the call of the needy and the despairing and even becomes a healer to the dying: 'To any one dying, thither I speed/. He transforms the common into the Divine. These three sections express the idea of the poet as a sort of superman, flowing through life and the world doing good. Whitman: The Quintessential American Poet.When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd.Are You the New Person Drawn Toward Me?.

Leaves of grass song of myself