Whitman vs Tennis

Whitman vs. Tennis

Walt Whitman is known as an American poet in the nineteenth century that has transcended the concept of traditional poetry. Whitman’s poems includes bold and provocative use of language, which made him unpopular during his time. Because of his use in language, Whitman’s insightful knowledge was not  recognized until later years. The major themes that Whitman explores in his poems are the beauty of individuality and the cycle of growth and death. Compared to those of traditional poetry, Whitman had a unique style in his poems which set the model for modern poets. The sport of tennis can be compared to the ideas Whitman imposed in his poetry. The idea of individuality, the cycle of birth and death, and the concept of experiencing through action can be related to all parts of tennis.

The beauty of Whitman’s poems lie in his praise of individuality, and that beauty of individuality is valued in the game of tennis. In Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself”, Whitman says, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself,” which implies his praise in the self (Whitman, “Song of Myself”). For a tennis player, it is important for him or her to believe in his or her self. Confidence is a major factor that allows players to perform their best on court.Almost fifty percent of the game of tennis is mental, and the only one who can control the mental game is oneself. Like poets, tennis players need to be reflective of themselves. When the player is able to self reflect and learn from mistakes, the player then can improve. A player needs to have the confidence to reflect and accept the mistake he or she has made. Like how Whitman’s poems talk about the beauty in individuality, the beauty of individuality found in tennis is when there is only one and one’s self. Whitman’s poem can be further related to tennis with the cycle of growth and decay.

The cycle of growth and decay applies in the situation of tennis when it comes to the development of a player. Whitman in his poem mentions being alive and dead. His speaker asks in his poem, “What do you think has become of the young and old men?” (Whitman, Song of Myself). He then mentions that when someone dies, “They are alive and well somewhere, The smallest sprout shows there is really no death, And if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait at the end to arrest it, And ceas'd the moment life appear'd/” (Whitman, Song of Myself). Whitman’s idea applies to the idea of tennis in that the sport lives on. In the history of tennis, there were many players that have had set records. Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, and Pete Sampras are legends that had appeared in tennis history. When these players were at their prime, people would call them “The Greatest of All Times.” When these legends grew old, people thought that the game of tennis would die because no one could bring the same type of game to the history of tennis like them. Whitman addressed in his poem that the people that died are still alive and well somewhere. When the old players retire, there are also “young guns” that takes over and create history. The potential young players do not get recognized until later in their career. The young’s ability to play comes to surface when the old starts to decline. Like Whitman said, “All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses” (Whitman, Song of Myself). The game of tennis moves on like life: the new replaces the old and more history are yet to be made.

Whitman declares in his work “Song of Myself” that in order to truly comprehend something, one needs to experience it for him or herself. The act of experiencing is important in tennis as well. “I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person” (Whitman, Song of Myself). Whitman would go as far as to understand the pain of a wounded by becoming a wounded person. Whitman’s idea applies to tennis in that in order for one to learn the skills of a shot, it takes the action of actual experience and practice to truly master the shot. In order to get better as a player, it takes a long time of coaching, studying, and practicing to get better. In the process of learning, players would have to learn the shot from a coach, or even YouTube videos. However, that is taking things at second hand. Whitman claimed in his poem that, “You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books, You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self” (Whitman, Song of Myself). Whitman implies that one should not look at the world through the eyes of someone else; instead, one should look at the world with his or her own eyes. The same idea applies to tennis where one cannot learn how to hit a shot based on what he or she sees. It takes practice and hours on the court to develop a shot.

Whitman’s work in poetry reflects the game of tennis in that it praises the beauty of individuality, the cycle of new to old, and the act of experiencing. The poetry of Whitman does not only apply to the theme that he is trying to portray, death, life, nature, the self, but it can also be related to other topics such as tennis. Whitman’s insightful ideas in his poetry can be used in reference to the nature of tennis and the act of practicing to make perfect. Tennis itself is an individual sport and the cycle of new players taking over the old players reflects Whitman’s poetry. The action of doing instead of watching in tennis is also mentioned in Whitman’s poem for that Whitman wants not to look through the eyes of someone else, but to experience himself. Whitman’s unique style of writing redefined the standards of poetry, and his transdentalizing ideas also apply to an array of affairs in life.