A society cannot be formed by a single person. In Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself," Whitman introduces the idea of equality and liberalism in society. He lists all the different occupations in society, from "the President holding a cabinet council is surrounded by the great Secretaries" to "the prostitute draggl[ing] her shawl, her bonnet bobs on her tipsy and pimpled neck" (Whitman Canto 15), and states that they all have their unique contributions to society. No matter how menial or respected the status of a person is, Whitman believes that that person should not be judged or discriminated against. This feeling of equality is introduced as Whitman uses repetition and lists all the different occupations together without emphasising on a particular one of them. He also highlights the interconnectedness and dependence between all these different occupations in the line "these (the different occupations) tend inward to me, and I tend outward to them" (Whitman Canto 15). All these unique people link strongly with one another to form a balanced society. Hence, in Cantos 15, Whitman expresses that no matter how prestigious one's job is, no matter how respected one is, we all fit in and contribute to the formation of a society equally.
Author: Aditya Goel
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