Impossible?

"I but use you a minute, then I resign you, stallion,

Why do I need your paces when I myself out-gallop them?"

In previous cantos, Whitman comes across as pretentious. While these lines seem to suggest the same thing, they don’t. They exemplify what Whitman has been saying all along. Whitman is remarkably self-aware, and maybe self-centered, but not arrogant. He didn’t write “Song of Myself” to preach to others that he’s better because he’s realized this. The entire poem is an ongoing revelation that Whitman is had in life. In these lines, as arrogant as he seems to use the horse, he doesn’t mean to disrespect the horse in any way. He’s saying that he can do the same thing as the stallion, so he doesn’t want to rely on it. He is not better than the horse; he is saying not only are they equal, but also that he, as a human, is capable of so much more than he thinks. Furthermore, he points out his own flaws and how he is trying to fix them. He used to think that he needed a huge horse to gallop around, but he realizes he can do that on his own. He can "gallop" without any material items. It is unfair to assume from these lines that Whitman is condescending, because in its context, it fits perfectly to prove his point that the abilities of humans are endless, regardless of status or resources. By sharing his thoughts, like these, he hopes to influence others around him that all they need in the world is themselves.

Author
Courtney Cook