Walt Whitman And Neruda Analysis

Walt Whitman and Pablo Neruda were both authors of great transcendental and humanist works that emphasized both the beauty and ugliness of the human spirit and nature (plato.stanford.edu). Neruda’s work was inspired by Whitman’s ideas and Neruda is able to transform Whitman’s ideas about nature and humanity through looking at the subjects and their destruction. Although, indicated by his optimistic tone, Whitman saw more beauty in life than Neruda could-they demonstrate through their imagery and diction that human life and nature are incredibly powerful natural forces that should be respected and appreciated for its existence and power. Through their imagery and diction, Whitman and Neruda both demonstrate a deep care and appreciation for …show more content…
In the beginning of his poem, Whitman discusses being in pure contact with nature. Whitman writes, “I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked, / I am mad for [the atmosphere] to be in contact with me” (Whitman). Through his sensual language, Whitman demonstrates his desire to be in direct, raw contact with the atmosphere and therefore he becomes closer to himself by becoming closer to nature which had bore him. Neruda demonstrates how humans are intertwined with nature because nature rules our lives and we cannot go against its power. Neruda writes, “Give me silence, water, hope. / Give me struggle, iron, volcanoes. / Fasten your bodies to me like magnets. / Hasten to my veins, to my mouth. / Speak through my words and my blood” (Neruda, XII). Neruda believes that humans allow nature to “speak” through our struggle and hope. Neruda demonstrates that humans are capable of harnessing the power of nature to express themselves. The water gives us peace and hope because of its endless and formless shape, while the volcanoes and iron give us strength but also struggle because those are the components of