"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 is now."
This poem was not so much about the American or national identity but rather about identities in general. I think Whitman is trying to say that it is important to live in the moment. An individual's identity is how the individual is in the present. In the stanza, he is talking about there is nothing more than the present. It really shows how there is nothing more defining of an identity than what they do in the present. A person's identity cannot be anything of the past because then that may not actually be their current identity and what they feel. Like the previous statement, a person's identity also cannot be defined by their age but only what is in the moment. The present is the perfect representation of an individual's identity. This really shows how Whitman believes that the defining moment for an individual's identity is the present. It tries to teach people that it is not the past or the future that defines you, but rather the present and how you are in the moment. Although the past does affect who you are, your identity is not the same as the one you had in the past and your identity can change.
I did my reflection on this passage too! I agree with the idea that Whitman is encouraging us as readers to live in the moment, but never thought about our present selves as being our true identity. It's an interesting concept that identity can fluctuate as we grow and develop as people, which makes a lot of sense since our identities should change based on our environments and choices we make.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of curious about what you wrote! Thanks for the comment. I'm not really sure if that is really what he is trying to say but it seems that he really puts an emphasis on the present. With that, I thought it somewhat reflected people's identities at the present time.
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