So Far and So Far, and on Toward the End
So Far and So Far, and on Toward the End - context Summary
Leaves of Grass Project
Whitman frames this short piece as a statement about the ongoing project of Leaves of Grass and his ambition to create a definitive, transgressive national poem. He acknowledges his work is unfinished and uncertain, casting its completion as contingent not only on his own growth but on the support and direction of contemporary America—its patrons, presidents, governors, and lawmakers. The poem reads as a civic appeal and artistic manifesto.
Read Complete AnalysesSO far, and so far, and on toward the end, Singing what is sung in this book, from the irresistible impulses of me; But whether I continue beyond this book, to maturity, Whether I shall dart forth the true rays, the ones that wait unfired, (Did you think the sun was shining its brightest? No—it has not yet fully risen;) Whether I shall complete what is here started, Whether I shall attain my own height, to justify these, yet unfinished, Whether I shall make THE POEM OF THE NEW WORLD, transcending all others—depends, rich persons, upon you, Depends, whoever you are now filling the current Presidentiad, upon you, Upon you, Governor, Mayor, Congressman, And you, contemporary America.
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