I did not read through all of Whitman's poems but a specific one caught my eye. The poem was called "To You." This poem was short and very simple but it had a way of making you think. He speaks about two people that are strangers. If one person wants to say hello and meet the other than why shouldn't he? And if you want to speak up to the other person then why not do it?
I think this poem holds a lot even though it is so short and simple. In society it is not the most common thing to do to just stop while passing somebody to talk to them. In fact I can't think of a time I've seen someone randomly and just decided to talk to them. But why is this? If you see someone that looks interesting or looks like your kind of person then why not say hi? Most people wouldn't because this is considered "weird." The person you start to talk to would label you as nosey or too friendly. The world should not be this way. Being friendly is one of the best things you can do and if you feel like doing something, such as talk to someone, then why not do it? I think this is what Whitman is trying to say in this poem. Society should not get to decide on what we do and what we don't do. If you want to do something even though it is not considered normal then you should just do it anyways. Do what makes you happy or do whatever you have the urge to do. I think this is what Whitman was trying to say in these few short lines.
I really enjoy this poem because the first time you read through it you don't really think much of it. But then it starts to process and you realize it really is genius. Why don't people do things that they want to do? This type of situation happens pretty much everyday.
Whitman, Walt. "To You." The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.
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