Poem Analysis Facing West from Californias Shores by...

â€Å"Facing West from California’s Shores† – an analysis with respect to world history When I read a poem, I get an idea of what the author is trying to convey. When I read it again, it touches something within. The more times a poem is read, the more it grows within, until its very idea takes ground in some part or other in our mind, and only then is it fully understood. But because we all have different holds for the poem to grab on to, we all come from different backgrounds and even different times, how can we ever say â€Å"this is the correct way (to interpret it)†? The answer is we cannot, and so I can only do my best to argue my point of view in the following text, and hope that you, the reader, will bear with me. After having read Facing†¦show more content†¦What can we take pride in? In answering this, it is rather obvious that not all of history is equally relevant, at least not if you want a particular perspective. Further, which parts of history one includes may define our identity. Do we want to be defined as those who come from the ancient Greeks; the very cradle of western civilisation? Or do we want to be of the ancient warriors from China? Whitman does neither. In his days, Asia was considered to be the birthplace of civilisation; he starts there. What he tells us of is exotic: â€Å"from the vales of Kashmere†, â€Å"from the flowery peninsulas, and the spice islands†. However, what he doesn’t include is just as important: Whitman excludes everything that has to do with Europe, even though most Americans emigrated from thence. Why would he do this? Why does he not want to give the reader a European feeling of identity? To me, the answer is far from obvi ous. He could be trying to facilitate a more exotic feeling, as Asia often feels to Europeans; or he could simply omit it to promote a separate American identity, as America wanted to be independent from Europe. Either way, with no reminders of Europe and its greatness—America had as of yet not had many great accomplishments of their own—the American identity is stronger. Identities are important, and how we perceive and analyse a conversation or a poem depends on who the