Leaves of Grass · Chapter
Mediums explained
The poem envisions a new generation of mediums in the United States who will embody and convey the essence of nature, democracy, and the cosmos through their complete, healthy, and expressive lives.
What happens
The poem envisions a new generation of mediums in the United States who will embody and convey the essence of nature, democracy, and the cosmos through their complete, healthy, and expressive lives. They will be both makers and finders, transmitting gospels that include all aspects of existence, from materialism to death and faith.
Themes in this chapter
Democracy and Equality
The mediums are tasked with illustrating democracy and the kosmos, emphasizing a society of complete, equal individuals.
The Poet as Prophet and Unifier
The mediums act as prophetic figures who convey gospels, unifying nature, humanity, and the divine.
Characters to notice
- Mediums
The central figures of the poem, who arise to report nature, democracy, and the kosmos, embodying complete womanhood and manhood.
- America
Implied as the setting where the mediums arise, particularly referencing Chicago as a great city.
- Democracy
Mentioned as a subject the mediums will illustrate, alongside the kosmos.
- Death
Listed among the concepts to be conveyed by the mediums, along with the future and invisible faith.
Key passages
“They shall illustrate Democracy and the kosmos”
They will exemplify and explain the principles of democracy and the universe.
Highlights the dual focus on political and cosmic order.
“They shall be alimentive, amative, perceptive”
They will be nourishing, loving, and deeply aware.
Describes the holistic qualities of the mediums.
“poems and materials of poems shall come from their lives, they shall be makers and finders”
Their lives will generate poetry and poetic substance; they will both create and discover.
Emphasizes the active, generative role of the mediums.