In Walt Whitman’s “A Noiseless Patient Spider,” the poet begins with a first person narration describing the constant and strenuous activities of a spider. He notes that the spider is solitary, dedicatedly spinning its web. Suddenly, the narrator is struck by how -- much like the spider’s web as it is extracted from the spinneret -- his own soul is searching for something to cling to. Using an introspective tone, Whitman makes use of numerous literary devices in order to convey a sense of crisis felt within the narrator. Seeking more from his surroundings, the poet expertly highlights people’s need for both foundation and community, similarly to a spider trying to catch its prey.
The introduction of the poem describes how the spider, high up and alone, is surrounded by nothing; the second stanza then reveals how the narrator’s soul is surrounded by, yet detached from, “measureless oceans of space ” (Madden). This metaphorical contrast between the spider and the narrator’s soul enables the reader to recognize both the similarities and differences between the two and, as a result, determine what Whitman may be uncovering of himself as both a writer and an individual. In highlighting the solitude of spider and soul, Whitman artfully describes the feeling of isolation and his experience with it; therefore, he reveals how, despite being an established poet, he too feels the burden of loneliness.
The narrator then goes on to describe the spider’s successfulness in spinning its web as, “It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament out of itself, / Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them” (Madden). Personifying the spider with patience and tirelessness, Whitman is able to reveal the requirement of attachment in creating a web. Parallel to this, the following stanza describes the soul “Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them,” as it makes -- probably futile -- attempts to latch onto something. Much like the spider’s need to make connections in order to build a successful web, the speaker reveals the soul's yearning and need to become bonded. Therefore, through the use of parallelism, Whitman is able to effectively illustrate to the reader this inclination toward creating lasting connections and, as a result, building meaning through creativity.
Certainly, when describing the spider’s work in his first stanza, Whitman’s use of repetition demonstrates the spider’s steadfastness in accomplishing the goal it set out to attain. Alternatively, though, he uses a more indefinite verbiage in the poem’s final stanza, possibly alluding not only to his aspiration to inspire, but also the uncertainty that comes with creating. As, “each performer hopes his ‘gossamer thread’ will catch somewhere” (Huff), it is revealed that the uncertainty of either has an equal capability of causing distress for both.
Seemingly insecure, Whitman’s word choice leaves the impression that without humility and patience -- as the spider has shown -- he cannot also be a success. In stating, “Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold,” Whitman makes an implication of his yearning to leave a lasting impression by means of his own hard work. Straying from his usual humanistic technique, this naturalistic approach further emphasizes the poet’s appetite to be heard and inspire.
In writing this poem, Whitman is able to accomplish his purpose in expressing an urgency common amongst all living things. Here, both spider and soul extend themselves through “oceans of space” for means of security -- searching for any kind of stronghold that can satisfy their inherent needs.
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Reference
A noiseless patient spider,
I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated,
Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,
It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself,
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you O my soul where you stand,
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them,
Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold,
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.
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Works Cited
Casale, Frank D. “How to Write about "A Noiseless Patient Spider"” Bloom's How to Write
about Walt Whitman, Chelsea House, 2017. Bloom's Literature,
online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=257473&itemid=WE54&articleId=45967.
Huff, Randall. “"A Noiseless Patient Spider"” Encyclopedia of American Poetry, 2-Volume Set,
Second Edition, Facts On File, 2013. Bloom's Literature,
online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=257473&itemid=WE54&articleId=24691.
Madden, David, editor. A Pocketful of Poems: Vintage Verse, Volume I. Boston, MA, Michael
Rosenberg, 2006.
Oliver, Charles M. “"A Noiseless Patient Spider"” Critical Companion to Walt Whitman, Facts
On File, 2005. Bloom's Literature,
online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=257473&itemid=WE54&articleId=23171.
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