During a period of depression a musician may write heavier, less upbeat music, or a painter may shift to darker tones and more downcast themes. In any medium of art that is personal to the artist, a change in the artwork can represent a change in the artist. The medium of poetry certainly has the power to reflect the writer's moods and mental state, and the poetry of Walt Whitman demonstrates this power. The publication of Leaves of Grass, the book in which "Song of Myself" was published, is the most notable achievement of Walt Whitman's early career. Whitman required an enormous amount of optimism in his writing to be able to fill the role in society he felt he needed to achieve; he hoped to save America by bringing together a nation on the brink of civil war. Due to Whitman's bold and forward statements, his work received much criticism. Many believe Whitman's work speaks about the wrongs of society in terms of sexuality, and negatively portrays many cultural dichotomies. On the other hand, I believe that upon my close examination of "Song of Myself," it can be argued that anti-homosexuality is not an idea Whitman revealed in his writing. Before determining what Whitman's ideas on sexuality were, it is necessary to understand the mood Whitman projects about life in general, in his poem, through the use of bold statements.
Optimism in regard to humanity and life shows through in Whitman's earlier poetry. For example, the first line of "Song of Myself" reads, "I celebrate myself, and sing myself." This confident opening sets the mood for a poem that bursts with bold statements that could only be made by a person with great certainty in his statements and great confidence in the verisimilitude of his declarations. "Song of Myself" preaches universal oneness and beauty, and in the poem Whitman asserts the harmony of his life and of life in general. He is clear in his statements and is very sure of himself and his identity.