Reply to comment

I think that Whitman would love being called "seductive," although he would probably say that he wasn't seductive and instead that everything is seductive and he is just a microcosmic example.  In my small group, we talked about why Whitman would write a book telling people, in essence, to stop wasting their time reading about other people's experiences, and to go have their own experiences instead.  It seems hypocritical.  I think Whitman probably meant it as a "do as I say, not as I do" message (although he seems to live his life in the way he describes except for the publishing aspect - selling out?).  As I continue his series of poems, I do find myself thinking about why I am sitting in my room, looking out the window at nature, rather than going outside and being in it.  I would love to live a more Whitman-esque lifestyle, however, he doesn't provide a convincing argument to me of how his lifestyle is sustainable and always interesting and entertaining.  It seems like it would take a lot of work at times to always love nature so much.