Journal for Whitman

Francesca Cricchio
Journal for Whitman
English 48B
March 8, 2011

“ What is it then between us? What is the count of the scores or hundreds of years between us? Whatever it is, it avails not- distance avails not, and place avails not,” (lines 54-56, page 23)

“Whitman had a strong belief that nature was the root of all beautiful things, whether it was the smell of a flower, or the light of the moon anything that was natural had internal beauty and thereby had the possibility to make humanity beautiful.  In many of his poems Whitman depicts that nature is what depicts the true soul of a man and has the power to both display it and control it.” (Biography of Whitman from Montana Academy.edu)

“Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is a poem written to everyone and addresses the theme of time and experience. Whitman is leaning against the boats railing and observing all that is surrounding him. He talks about the natural beauty of waves, and of the beauty of man-made objects.


I thought that Whitman’s style in writing this poem was very helpful in supporting his theme of everlasting time. Overall, he is trying to emphasize that this experience he is having is a shared one among generations passed and generations to come. By addressing man-made objects vaguely, we as the reader have no real pull on the time period of when the poem was written, and so we can relate to it without feeling like it isn’t of our time because of industrialization (or lack thereof). Instead, he chooses to focus on nature because of the fact that it is never changing. He talks about the waves breaking on the boat, and how at some point another person will come along (or has already come along) and share this same observation. “The sea gulls oscillating their bodies, the hay boat in the twilight” (page 24, line 96) writes Whitman. This emphasis on water and the surrounding environment is repeated throughout Whitman’s entire poem, and it’s a useful tool in creating a common ground.
Whitman’s ability to create a bond between men and women of all ages and generations is a powerful skill. Although this was written decades ago, I feel like Whitman is talking to me in this day and age. His observation is clear and I did not envision what the people were wearing of the time or what the city looked like of the time. Instead I envisioned the sunset, and I felt the similarities Whitman was talking about.