of internal direction. He requires no external validation; Whitman is a complete being in and of himself, with no need for outside support.The second impression Emerson imparted to me was the vision of the universe as a single entity, stemming largely from his idea of the "Oversoul." According to this concept, all life, indeed all physical reality, possesses only one, all-encompassing, collective soul. This Oversoul is shared by all people, all animals, all plants, and all objects, including even God. In Emerson's journals, he mentions that, "Blessed is the day when the youth discovers that Within and Above are synonyms." (53) He also states: "Don't you see you are the Universe to yourself. You carry your fortunes in your own hand. . ." (44) The phrase, "Universe to yourself," embodies the Oversoul concept, since if one's soul encompasses all reality, then the entire universe is contained within oneself. Emerson even put this concept in to practice as much as he could. Gilman says in his forward that one of Emerson's essential writing techniques was to "eliminate the personal or transform the personal into the universal, Emerson the person into Emerson the speaker for all men." (xx) This idea appeals to me through its inclusiveness, and also because it conveniently dovetails with my occasional, personal episodes of solipsism.Whitman reinforces this idea of unity in his poetry. His catalogs in "Song of Myself" especially impart a sense of inclusiveness. The images they deliver seem to form in concert a single picture, one that encompasses all of America. "The pure contralto sings in the organ loft,The carpenter dresses his plank, the tongue of his foreplane whistles its wild ascending lisp, The married and unmarried children ride home to their Thanksgiving dinner,The pilot seizes the king-pin, he heaves down with a strong arm,The mate stands braced in the whale-boat, lance and harpoon are ready,The duck-shooter walks by si...
