For You O Democracy

Scholars often refer to Whitman as the poet of democracy. In “For You O Democracy,” the speaker addresses democracy in direct, intimate, and affectionate terms. They refer to democracy as “ma femme!” (Line 11), which is French for “my wife.” Other translations of the phrase include terms of endearment such as “my girl,” “my woman,” “my lady,” or “my bride.” Thus, the speaker addresses democracy using verbiage typically associated with females and the feminine. In the poem, democracy is also the unifying force that brings everyone and everything together regardless of landscape, location, circumstance, and background. It is not merely a concept, but an evolutionary and revolutionary force that has many obstacles to overcome. In the poem, democracy is not simply a form of government. It is an aesthetic and principle that individuals must practice in their everyday lives. For the speaker, democracy is a word directly correlated with nature, and it is therefore a force that is a direct consequence of nature.

The speaker uses the word “comrades” four times in the poem (Lines 4, 5, 9, 10) with complex associations. At the core of Whitman’s poetic and personal life, the idea of companionship and camaraderie, according to scholars, was a multifaceted concept.