Walt Whitman: Poem III

"I have heard the talk...of the beginning and end,

But I do not talk of the beginning or the end.

 

There was never any more inception than there is now,

Nor any more youth or age than there is now;

And will never be any more perfection than there is now,

Now any more heaven or hell than there is now.

 

...Clear and sweet is my soul...and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul.

 

...Shall I postpone my acceptation and realization and scream at my eyes,

That they turn from gazing after and down the road,

And forthwith cipher and show me to a cent,

Exactly the contents of one, and exactly the contents of two, and which is ahead?"

 

This excerpt from the third poem in the collection of Walt Whitman's poetry tells of the kind of person the narrator chooses to be: he prefers to live in the moment rather than the past and/or the present, and illustrates himself as a person who cares to be anyone who so chooses to live for the sake of free will and pride.

 

Because the narrator believes that there will be no "...youth than there is now...any more perfection than there is now..." nor "...any more heaven or hell than there is now..." the narrator believes that while the process of living, and life itself is a struggle for men like himself, people like him realize that the point of his life is realizing and accepting one's abilities, fitness, and admiration in all things considered. While the narrator does not concede any trace of identity for himself, the contradictions that he reveals about himself, including mentioning of out of nothing, there may still be advancement, a "...knit of identity..." means to be full of substance, and means tat there will always be new breeds of life that will arise from life's process in the moment of growth.

 

Because of this, no matter who someone claims to be, the narrator sees that there must always be ..."a knit of identity..." and distinction in the lives of those ho live their lives for the sake of the moment at hand, or the present, and to "...elaborate..." on a future or past is meaningless because it is better to be happy knowing nothing of uncertainty of the future.

 

The seemingly defiant, and prideful nature of this poem reveal that the narrator truly believes in present growth and progress, and how the interaction between man and his future, and how he decides to be content with aspects of his being and actions, is what gives a life meaning and a person, whoever that may be, a sense of purpose and identity.