This poem caught my eye, maybe all just because I love New York City and have been to Brooklyn I could see my self, sitting somewhere on the bench and watch people like the author describes to us in this poem.
While reading "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" I could not help but picture myself on a Ferry in New York. Brings back memories from 2007 when my friends and I went to the Elis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It was great reading this poem and not only hearing but being able to see what Whitman is talking about.
Whitman not only is talking about the present he is also talking about the future. In a way he is talking to his future readers more. He wants the readers to see how different the world will be but yet same. Section 2 of the poem this line: “Will enjoy the sunset, the pouring-in of the flood-tide, the falling-back to the sea of the ebb-tide.” Years can go by the sunset will always be the same… During the 1850's the southern and the northern regions weren't getting along, maybe that's one of the reasons he says in section five "What is between us?" to me it seems he wants everyone to see how at the end of the day we all are the same. Whitman wants his reader to be as happy as he is about life.
Right off the bet in the first section Whitman starts with “flood-tide below me!” It’s a very strong beginning it captures the readers attention. This poem is very hard to stay focused on its almost like tongue twister. The repetition here also adds to the somewhat hard to read list. For example in section two Whitman uses the word “others” over and over again. We go down a few sections and you see he uses “look’d, look’d, look’d.” I had to slow down and re-read those lines a few times to make sure I was reading the correct one. I think as a poet you want to have the readers attention and I think he was doing this repetitive thing to make us slow down and think about it and really hear what he was saying. Whitman uses repetition not only in Crossing Brooklyn Ferry but also in his other works such as Song of Myself. For example in section six of Song of Myself, Whitman repeats “It may be” three times, also in same section he writes “or I guess” few times also.
Something that was string to me in this poem is in sections seven it begins with “Closer yet I approach you,” it was almost scary he’s watching people for a second you might think he is stalking someone. If someone were to read that section only that is probably what they would get out of it. But we know that he is only watching closely.
