Even though we may appear to be different in many ways from those around us—especially in physical appearance and race, personal taste, and belief—we are, in fact, very similar. Through the poems written by Walt Whitman and the short story by John McCluskey, a common theme can be recognized. Bridging these pieces together is the description of music and voice and its importance to the lives of everyone. Through the overarching theme of music and its connecting powers, the writers identify the similarities between all humans; both in terms of physical characteristics and core values. Recently, I too had the opportunity to realize the soothing, healing, and connecting powers of music within the setting of a rehabilitative hospital where I volunteer every week.
Walt Whitman, within his piece “I Sing the Body Electric,” structures his poem, a tribute to the characteristics of all things human, in the form of a song. Starting from broad to specific and literally from the top of our heads to our pinky toes, Whitman describes the human body—noting that, in essence, we are all the same. Within the line “I dare not desert the likes of you in other men and women, nor the likes of the parts of you,” (line 1) he concludes that we share the same body parts. More deeply, our human condition, where our souls experience the same pleasures and disappointments, signifies that we are not very different at all. Whitman calls on the reader to remember that our outward appearances are shared by all individuals within the human race and the thoughts that occupy our souls are akin.
Furthermore, Whitman provides another look into the similarities between humans within the poem “One’s-self I Sing.” Expressly, he notes that the differences that are characteristically established between individuals and genders, in actuality, do not exist. Once again, he uses descriptive diction and form to express his ideas in a songlike manner—presenting the idea that through the mechanism of song, humans are connected beings.
John McCluskey, although in the form of a short story, expresses a similar message. His story of a group of black musicians by the names of Billy Cox and Earl Ferguson, presents a situation in which the individual musical capabilities of these band members are unique apart but when put in concert, they form a kind of music that changes the lives of their listeners. Breaking down racial barriers, McCluskey reminds his audience that music has the power to reconnect individuals of all races and all backgrounds. Just as the notes on a page may be different on a most basic level, humans also have basic, unique qualities, that when put together, form a perfect, flowing symphony.
As I have been doing for the past six months, I volunteered yesterday at Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital. Coincidently, with regards to the connection to the connective power of music and the arts, my volunteer coordinator introduced a new method of therapy that we could try with the babies—music therapy. Besides having a calming effect, listening to music even as an infant helps a child to begin to feel the various rhythms and beats that characterize a song. Although they cannot understand or appreciate what music brings to the world, they can begin to understand that music will be something that they will be able to experience throughout their lives. Within the hospital setting, I have seen children from all different backgrounds and races. What is interesting, however, is the unifying power that music has on the individual children. One song has the same influence on almost all of the children of different backgrounds.