Card Against Humanity- If Walt Whitman had an Expansion Pack

Whitman loved the human body. Especially his testicles. They were what made him a “creator.” And what he creates and what nature creates should be worshipped. You do not need religion to celebrate and honor life. The speaker mentions earlier in the stanza, “The bull and the bug never worshipp’d half enough, / Dung and dirt more admirable than was dream’d,” and what he means by that is that beautiful things don't always need to be what is worshipped. The dung and the dirt are more beautiful. They are products of nature and nature cannot create anything that is ugly. Just like a man gives life and creates a child, so too does the Earth. And honestly, you would never call somebody's child ugly, so why would you call any of the Earth's children ugly?

Are there actually 28 men having an orgy in this section? Not necessarily. But, what is important here is the exploration of female sexuality. The audience gets to examine what this woman thinks about and her fantasies, like on page 1031,

“The young men float on their backs, their white bellies bulge to the sun,
    they do not ask who seizes fast to them,
They do not know who puffs and declines with pendant and bending
    arch,
They do not think whom they souse with spray.”

Women’s sexuality was taboo. They were not meant to be sexual beings, yet here Whitman is saying that it happens! Sexuality is not a crime! Sex was meant to happen behind closed doors, not written down on the pages of book for anyone to pick up and read. Women can do what they, who they want (even if that means themselves), and whenever the heck they want to.

The human body is divine! The speaker explains how the human body, “inside and out,” is holy. Even the grosser aspects are still beautiful and celestial like, “The scent of these arm-pits aroma finer than prayer.” It is similar to the "life-lumps" idea but just taking it a step further. The human body's functions are natural, so why would we criticise that? Even B.O. should be considered beautiful! Sweat, spit, pee, or anything else that comes out of the human body is a product that we make. If we view ourselves as beautiful, then shouldn't every product we make be beautiful? While it’s a nice thought, I will still stick to my Degree deodorant.

Class system. Race. Gender. Sexuality. None of these things matter to Whitman. He cares about the soul of the person themselves, not how much money they have or who they are married to. In section 43, the speaker lists all sorts of people like a child who disappeared, a woman who died, an old man who has no purpose, and a man who has syphilis. Whitman wanted to include everyone. Humanity is not just one race. Humanity is full of all different colors, religions, shapes, sizes, beliefs, and values. He wanted to celebrate that! Why write poetry that is only about one kind of person? That does not do humanity justice. Write about the lows and the highs, the good and the bad, because that is what life is about.

In this section, the speaker is talking about evolution. With evolution, there is “Always a knit of identity, always distinction, always a breed of life.” Humans always find a way to live and with each new generation comes new traits. It is a mixture of the old and the new. The same identity but with new markings. Sometimes we get too stuck on the past. We romanticize what it was like back then instead of focusing on what is beautiful NOW. If everyone in the past was beautiful, then every generation should be even more so. The present is perfect and we should focus on that. Each of us are beautiful in our own way. What a nice thought, don't you think?

“I am silent, and go bathe, and admire myself.” BODY POSITIVITY! If the human body is divine, then shouldn’t we be worshipping it? Look at your clothed body and look at your naked body. Both are beautiful. Each of use were created in a unique fashion and the speaker wants to admire that! There are so many times where we tear each other down when we should really be telling our haters to BACK OFF! Take a long bubble bath with candles and bath bombs and celebrate your oh-so-beautiful self!

"Why should I wish to see God better than this day?
I see something of God each hour of the twenty-four, and each moment
then…"
I find letters from God dropt in the street, and every one is sign’d by God’s name,"
The beauty that God creates should always be admired, every second of every day. Not just on Earth Day or when it snows once, but when it is a regular day. When it is slightly cloudy or really sunny or just a miserable and cold day. Each of those days should be celebrated! Life happens 24/7 so why not enjoy every second of that? Why waste our time waiting for the days that we celebrate the Earth rather than just doing it right now. It should be routine, even mundane, to incorporate the beauty of life into our everyday actions. God is everywhere, in the streets, in nature, and in us. We always have the time and chance to praise him, so why not just do it? Insert Shia LeBouf gif

“And as to you Corpse I think you are good manure, but that does not
offend me,
I smell the white rose sweet-scented and growing,”

A decaying body is the worst smell in the entire world. But not according to the speaker. That smell of death means that there is life growing. A beautiful rose will spawn from this rotting body. Maggots, flies, worms all thrive with a dead body and each of those are beautiful creatures. Death creates life! There is beauty that surrounds the darkness (and the smell).

We all know that guy at the party who just stands and watches everyone. Little bit creepy, but you just pretend that he isn’t there. That is kind of like the speaker, but in a less creepy way and more of a lovable grandpa kind of way. He says,
“I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the
Wounded person,
My hurts turn livid upon me as I lean on a cane and observe.”

He just stands and observes. But what makes the passage special is the connect to John Keats’s idea of Negative Capability. That some people have the ability to not just relate to another person, but to feel themselves be filled with their presence. Their thoughts, feelings, and emotions become theirs. It is a way to write about other people’s experiences. The speaker is both observing and feeling at the same time, making it a truly unique experience to be a part of.

“A child said What is the grass?...
How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than
he.”
The grass could be so many things and who is he to declare what it is? Is it a “handkerchief of the Lord” or a “scented gift” or is it a child of the Earth itself? The Earth is a mystery that we both know and don't know. We don't have the answers to anything and everything. It is all our perception. We shouldn't be telling our children, the future generation, things that we don't even know the answer to. We shouldn't make something up just to say that we have an answer. Everything is the answer and nothing is the answer! A child admits and questions what they do not know. We should take that same humility and apply it to our lives.

“I do not ask who you are, that is not important to me,
You can do nothing and be nothing but what I will infold you.”

Well isn't that kind of rude? Actually, the speaker is saying that he is looking further into your soul. You are nothing but you are everything. The speaker can create whoever you are. Your soul is ever changing. You can be whoever you want to be! Who you are is not important to the speaker because he can make you into anything and you can do the same to him!

My absolute favorite line of Song of Myself is, “ I have no chair…”. Just kidding! My favorite lines should be painted on canvases and re-pinned on Pinterest boards. The speaker beautifully says,

“Not I, not anyone else can travel that road for you,
  You must travel it for yourself.”

The speaker has no chair and no philosophy. What he means is that he is not set in stone. He can change to whatever he wants. He can believe whatever he wants. He can travel whatever path he wants. It inspired me. It should inspire everyone! Be who you want to be. Do not be tied down by the things you cannot control. You can love who you want, be who you want, and chase what you have always wanted to chase. Travel the unmarked road. Travel the road that has the pot-holes and speed bumps. Make it difficult or make it easy, but whatever you choose, make it your own.