Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” evidently influenced by the sentiments expressed by Emerson, echo religious ideologies. As has been noted by others, he spends much time reflecting on nature and its demonstration of the “oneness” of beings, as well as suggests that “there is really no death.” Section 24 contains one aspect of his various attempts to convey to his reader a sense of interconnectedness and unity in seemingly individual experiences. He says: “Whoever degrades another degrades me; And whatever is done or said returns at last to me.” I am certainly swayed here by my history in Catholic school, but this immediately struck me as similar to the Christian teaching that if you hurt others, you hurt Jesus. This line of thinking feels supported a few lines later: “Voices of the interminable generations of slaves…of prostitutes…of deform’d persons…of the diseas’d and despairing, and of thieves and dwarfs…” etc. Jesus is portrayed as having stood up for outcasts in society, such as the “prostitute” and the “diseas’d” leper; in a similar way, here, Whitman seems to present himself as the spokesperson or even savior for those who suffer at the hands of a corrupt society. 

This is amplified by the overall tone of “Song of Myself” that seems to place the narrator — presumably Whitman himself — as “enlightened” or as having access to some deep truth or esoteric meaning of life that allows him to see beyond superficial, worldly perspectives. In fact, Whitman suggests that his perceived extreme empathetic capacity allows him to experience the suffering of other people. This is most prevalent in section 33: “I am the hounded slave.” This is just one – and perhaps the most striking – example of Whitman’s alleged sensitivity to others, accompanied also by the “fireman” and the “mother, condemn’d for a witch.” Of course, this is a poem, and Whitman may have intended for his reader to interpret these lines hyperbolically. However, he expands upon these claims with strong, specific language. Does he really mean to evoke a Jesus-like persona, “taking on” the suffering and sins of others? Most likely not. I assume, dangerously, that he is just trying to send a general message as to the interconnectedness of humankind. However, regardless of his intentions, Whitman’s claim to understanding the plight of enslaved people is not only bold, but quite disturbing, given the fact that slavery was still in operation at the time of this poem’s composition and that Whitman was a white, male intellectual. I am not positive as to his specific opinions on slavery, but I don’t think any ideology can justify this insensitive claim to “sensitivity.” 

That is, unless Whitman actually believes himself to be the second coming. Or if he is being literal here and claiming to have the ability to physically drift between the consciousnesses of others. These would be entirely separate issues.