Reading, thinking, staring, procrastinating, hating, cataloging, then doing the blog post.

When I first look at the pages of Walt Whitman's journal, I notice that it's really scattered and messy. I immediately think that it was a journal where he could quickly jot down notes and ideas that would appear in his head, very unstructured ideas that he could take inspiration from later. I think that the randomness of the journal really reflects his raw ideas and his true beliefs because it's unedited and not meant for the public eye. Also, there are lots of sections that are crossed out showing that he censored his original and raw ideas. Then later in the journal, there are a couple rough sketches of a man in different ways, a harp, and a skull with a pierced heart. On the first couple pages, I notice the word 'religious' and a couple religious references such as 'Christ', 'virtue', and 'eternal' which can connect to how Whitman uses lots of references to God and the power of God in his poems in Leaves of Grass. On that page, a lot of phrases are crossed out and it seems way more unorganized and messy, possibly reflecting his unorganized thoughts and religious beliefs. Another thing I notice on a later page is his usage of question marks, and later a random list of adjectives, or cataloging, all things he uses in his poems in Leaves of Grass, ending the page with "and you", which relates to how he writes for a future audience in Leaves of Grass.  Additionally, the man that he drew several times has a resemblance to Abraham Lincoln, also someone that he writes about earlier in the journal, maybe reflecting his respect for him. The harp could represent his strive for tranquility and equality that he writes about in his poems as well.

One of the first things I notice when reading the notes is how he was planning an imaginary dialogue with Abraham Lincoln. He had never met him or spoken to him, Whitman first saw Lincoln when the president-elect visited New York on his way to the White House, and somewhat stalked him as he often went to his summer cottage. He quite possibly had his journal on these days, and the writing of his dialogue commenced. Another thing I noticed was the importance of religion to him. Whitman’s effort in these notebook pages to reconcile “two religions – platforms” are said to also reflect his thoughts on the political and philosophical divide that was splitting apart his beloved nation supposedly to be based on equality. Beginning on the next page, Whitman turns directly to the disaster confronting the Union, addressing this fragmentary poem to “Libertad.” Whitman wanted to make clear that the ideal of freedom was not limited to the borders of his own nation. Then, the "and you" that I noticed, hang as an uncompleted thought. Was Whitman speaking to “Libertad”? Or to Lincoln himself? Who knows! Whitman also spent much of his time riding on omnibuses and ferryboats, striking up friendships with strangers. “He was burnt out, and drinking a lot,” says the historian and poet Daniel Mark Epstein. I think this could reflect his usage of question marks and cataloging because he needed a fresh start from his normal and tiring routine.

There are so many other things to notice and explore from these journal pages, but its late and I'm finished with this blog post.

Just kidding, I'm extra so I'm going to keep going.

A few pages later, the writing turns into sketches of a man and a harp. I predicted that the doodles were by Whitman himself, but that is very unlikely: according to Alice Birney, who curates the poet’s papers in the manuscript division at the Library of Congress, he never drew or even doodled. Scholars believe that these sketches may have been drawn by one of Whitman’s drinking buddies at Pfaff’s, the famous beer cellar and bohemian haunt on Broadway, just above Bleecker Street.

And now that I look at, it looks nearly exactly like Whitman. As we go on, there is a harp, the emblem of poetry, and then an image of a skull. This may be the most mysterious page in the notebook. The sketch shows a bizarre, grotesque figure with a skull as its head and a heart, pierced by a rapier, as its body. It wears a hat, possibly a colonial-style tricorn, and holds out its hands in a plaintive shrug. Behind it is a vast, flat sea with a rising/setting sun. This could be an allegory of America itself, poised in a strange halfway state, suspended between day and night, life and death. Deep. I know. Oh Whitman, what a guy.