American poet, essayist, and journalist Walt Whitman strove to expose his readers to his personal and unique reflections on the body, nature, and the human experience. Whitman was a humanist and integrated both transcendentalism and realism into his work. He is often considered the father of free verse. Whitman's most beloved work is Leaves of Grass: A Collection of Poetry, published in 1855. The poems in Leaves of Grass are considered Whitman's celebration of life and humanity. Whitman chooses to explore and praise the many pleasures that life has to offer, even those that may be considered immoral. The choice to write about such topics, both directly and indirectly, has allowed its readers to make many interpretations. One of the most repeated and explicit ideas drawn from his poetry concerns Whitman's sexual preference. There are several poems in Leaves of Grass that contain homoerotic imagery. Although the images are subtle, they are a part of his work that cannot be ignored. Through simplified and subverted wordplay, Whitman incorporates homoeroticism into his work without actually making a definitive statement about his sexual preference, without ever revealing whether he is homosexual or bisexual, and at the same time explores sexuality as a whole . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The majority of Whitman's poems that contain allusions to homoeroticism are part of a section of Leaves of Grass called "Calamus." Although this section contains most of the predominantly erotic poems, we must first ask why Whitman chose "Calamus" as the title for this collection. There are several reasons why this section can be seen as a reflection of sexuality and Whitman's views on sexuality. First, Acorus Calamus is a large perennial wetland monocot. It is a plant of the Acoraceae family, which grows in the same shape as an erect human penis. Many might assume that he chose this title for this section of Leaves of Grass because of the erotic imagery created by the plant. Second, in Greek mythology, Kalamos, the son of the river god Meander, loved Karpos, who was the son of Zephyrus and Chloris. When Karpos died by drowning, Kalamos was so grief-stricken that he himself turned into a reed (Calamus). The imagery and meaning of the word "calamus" can therefore be seen as an intentional choice made by Whitman to represent male homosexual love, both physical and emotional. We know that Whitman focuses on the physical and emotional aspects of human life in his poetry, so it is entirely appropriate that this could be considered why he chose this title. As we examine the poems in this section in more detail, it becomes more apparent that this is in fact his intention when writing this section. Whitman's poem "Behold This Swarthy Face", in "Calamus", is the first to allude to homoeroticism in this section. section. In this poem he talks about meeting a man in New York and the interaction between them during that meeting. Whitman will not fail to emphasize the masculinity of the individual he concerns. He assures the reader that the person he is interacting with is indeed a man, and confirms this to us with a physical description very early in the poem. “Here is this swarthy face, these gray eyes, this beard, the white wool, loose on my neck” (Whitman, 149). Whitman begins to use physical description to convey to his readers thereal nature of this piece. It shows very clearly what type of person should be loved in the poem. Whitman continues: "You come one, a Manhattanite, and always at parting time you kiss me lightly on the lips with robust love, and I, crossing the street or on the deck of the ship, give a kiss in return; » (Whitman, 149) Whitman is much less delicate here than he is at the beginning of the poem. Although this could be interpreted as an experience of his "connection" or assimilation with the town he finds himself in and its inhabitants, he is clearly writing about a physical, slightly erotic experience with this man he has met. In “Behold this Swarthy Face,” the homosexual aspects are implemented so subtly that it is possible to interpret them as something else. However, interpreting the writing directly brings Whitman and his work into an entirely different light. Not only does this writing reveal aspects of Whitman's sexuality and perhaps desires, but it defines him and his writing as very progressive and open-minded for the time period in which it was written. Also in "Calamus" we see physical interaction and subtle homoeroticism in Whitman's writing. poem “The one you now hold in my hand”. The poem is important because it takes the time to communicate directly with the reader. The poem is about a love that is both physical and spiritual. The one you hold in my hand now, without one thing everything will be useless, I just warn you before you attack me further, I am not what you thought, but very different. (Whitman, 135) The first lines of the poem can be seen as a sort of “confession” of Whitman’s sexual preference. When he says “whoever you are” (Whitman, 135), he is perhaps addressing someone unknown, defining them as a stranger or recognizing “whoever” as everyone reading the poem. The fact that Whitman says: “I am not what you thought, but very different” (Whitman, 135) may support the idea that he admits his homosexuality. The fact that we live in a heteronormative world, and that at the time that Leaves of Grass was written, heteronormativity was much more dominant, we can define homosexuality here as something that would be considered "different ". By saying that he is not what one might assume (heterosexual), we can see this sentence as a sort of “coming out” to his readers. Finally, we witness the true revelation of male interaction: "Who is he who will become my disciple?" Who would sign as a candidate for my affection? (Whitman, 135) The actual use of the pronoun "he", and again with the actual written action: "Here I permit you to place your lips on mine, with the long kiss of the comrade or the kiss of the new husband, because I I'm the new husband and I'm the comrade. (Whitman, 135) Whitman takes on the role of the other party's husband in the poem. Marriage is more than just a physical connection between two human beings, there is an infinite love and spiritual connection that is not always present in a casual romance. By desiring both a physical and spiritual connection with another man, or "comrade," we can assume that Whitman desires not just a casual encounter, but a full marital connection with a man. Finally, the references to bisexuality in "Calamus" begin to reach their peak in Whitman's poem "To a Stranger." In this play we see Whitman begin to talk about the pleasure and privilege of knowing both sexes: Passing stranger! You don't know with what desire I look at you, You must be the one I was looking for, or the one I was looking for, (it comes to me like.