Whitman describes his admiration for both the male and female body by stating that each is perfect. For example in Whitman's poem "Children of Adam" he used the lines, "The love of the body of man or woman balks account, the body itself balks account,That of the male is perfect, and that of the female is perfect" (9-10). Walt Whitman was saying that whether male or female the body is beautiful, and we should not be ashamed to be who we are, as far as gender is concerned. Whitman describes a woman approaching by saying "I pensive, love flesh tremulous aching," which implies that she is arousing him. "You would wish to sit by him in the boat so that you and him might touch each other" is how Whitman described the male. One might even say that Whitman was bisexual as he yearns to touch the man. Whitman goes on to describe the fireman's sexually, and masculinity as if he liked the males better than the woman. Whitman vows in "Children of Adam" that "Without shame the man I like knows and avows the deliciousness of his sex." .
Further, the poem repeats the beauty of both male and female by saying, "The man's body is sacred, and the woman's body is sacred." Based on Whitman's words, the bodies of both males and females not only perfect, but sacred and deserve to be revered and loved. Whitman could have used the word sacred because man and woman were created by God, but using such word choice would have been an unusual mix for a poem that included so much about sexuality. Whitman wanted and chose to write his poems expressing his beliefs, and public opinion did not matter. He would not let anyone censor or stop him from writing about his ideas in his way.Whitman wrote about many different themes using many different motifs and symbols, and he refused to conform to fit into the mainstream of other poets. Today, "Children of Adam" is not so shocking for many to read due to its theme on sexuality.
