Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

A detailed Summary of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

In the poem "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" by Walt Whitman, there are many recurring images and motifs that can be seen. Whitman develops these images throughout the course of the poem. The most dominant of these are the linear notion of time, playing roles, and nature. By examining these motifs and tracing their development, one's understanding of the poem becomes intensely deepened. Whitman destroys the linear subsistence of time by connecting past with future. This can be seen in the first stanza, as the poem opens: "And you that shall cross from shore to shore years hence are more to me, and more in my meditations than you might suppose"(4-5). This lets the reader know that Whitman has written this with the reader in mind, even before that reader existed. He challenges time by connecting his time with ours. He has predicted us reading this poem. When we read Whitman's words, we are connected to his vision and his feelings during the time of his existence. In a way, time and space are warped so that while reading this poem they don't exist as they do in reality. He is undoubtedly confident that af

ter he is gone the water will still run and people will still "see the shipping of Manhattan/and the heights of Brooklyn" (14-15). He makes his past and our future all one. No matter neither the time nor the distance, the reader will have an experience similar to what Whitman experiences at the moment in time in which he resides: Just as you feel when you look on the river and sky, so I felt, Just as any of you is one of a living crowd, I was one of a crowd, Just as you are refresh'd by the gladness of the river and the bright flow, I was" (23-26).

This same motif follows through to the next stanza, as he continues to emphasize how things are the same to him as they are to those of us interpreting the poem. By tracing this motif, we see that no matter where we are or how far away from Brooklyn and Manhattan, the images that Whitman saw will live on long after his passing. This deepens the understanding of the poem and assists the reader to comprehend Whitman's state of reasoning when composing this poem. He, in fact, was writing this poem to be read long after he was gone. He "consider'd long and seriously of you before you were born" (88). He realized that certain constants would stay the same, including people and the roles they take in their lives. In stanza six, the idea of playing roles develops: Lived the same life with the rest, the same old laughing, gnawing, sleeping, Play'd the part that still looks back on the actor or actress, The same old role, the role that is what we make it, as great as we like, Or as small as we like, or both great and small. (82-85) This demonstrates how we all play a part in our life, but yet we all experience the same feelings. We are trying to play a role we are not. We hide behind our roles and hurry, not taking the time to notice what Whitman noticed. He stood and watched, writing about what he saw, presuming that we will watch and perceive the same. There is yet further mention of how we play roles in stanza nine: "Live, old life! Play the part that looks back on the actor or actress!"(110). This deepens the understanding of the point he is trying to convey. We are all playing the same old roles and taking on the same parts again and again. The role is enormous or small, depending on the depth of one's imagination. As the poem is further examined, we see Whitman's recurring images of nature. Very frequently there is mention of water, red and yellow light of the sk

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Approximate Word count = 2224
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English