“Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” by Walt Whitman is a poem that not only exposes the differences within people and in the geography of the nation, but also shows the theme of equality that unites these differences. Incorporating his experience with the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution of the United States, Whitman unites past and future, promoting equality not only across time and distance, but in his attitude and thinking. By examining the use of parallel structure and repetition, Whitman plays with the relationship between difference and equality. By focusing on the imagery of rhetorical questions, imagery as well as the pace of action and movement, Whitman shows how equality can be established against the passage of time and the advance of the nation. Ultimately, by examining the structure and tenses used in the poem, Whitman shows how each part of the difference, be it people or landmarks, contributes to the perfect unity of the whole. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay By focusing specifically on the first two sections of Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," one can see how the poet uses the repetition of specific phrases to create a sense of overwhelming inequality, but also establish a feeling of unity and equality. By repeating “how curious you are to me” in two successive lines, the poet reveals the two different scenes and subjects; not only are there “crowds of men and women,” but there are also ferries “crossing from shore to shore” (lines 3-5). However, although the poet is fascinated by the differences in the subjects he sees on the “tide beneath [him],” he argues that people and ferries both create the same effect of curiosity. Likewise, when the poet thinks about his role in relation to the world, he expresses that even in the “simple, compact and well-joined scheme” he finds himself “[himself] disintegrated, each disintegrated and yet part of the scheme” (line 7). Although the repeated word “disintegrated” means separation from the whole, the word creates unity as it follows the subject of the poet himself as well as everyone else in the universe. Therefore, although it is a separate entity, it is also part of all the others, participating in “part of the scheme”. The repetition of specific word choices and phrases establishes a bond between the poet and everyone else in the world, thus blurring the relationship between differences and equality and weaving the differences into something unifying. Not only that, the parallel structure of the form also plays with the relationship between difference and equality. In lines 13-16, the poet begins each line with the phrase "others will" and follows it with an action verb: "enter the gates," "watch the rush," "see the expedition." Even after the passage of time represented by “fifty years from now” and “one hundred years from now,” the repeated phrase “others will” shows that despite different groups of people and generations passing, eventually, they will all experience the same view as seeing the ferry crossing. The poet transcends time and place by showing how “others” are united by the same vision even with the passage of time and the rise of many generations. By examining the symbols, images, metaphors, and rhetorical questions Whitman asks in “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” one can see that Whitman's loyalty to the democratic ideal of equality seems to go against that specific era. Since the poem was written during the time of the Second Industrial Revolution, one can see the technological and economic progress of the United States through the development and advancement of steam-powered ships and railroads. One of the most transparent images used is the ferry, whichIt symbolizes not only the continuous action of "crossing from shore to shore", but also the invisible movement of time passing. The vivid images of the river “with the swift current” and the “bright stream” then parallel the movement of the ferry, unifying nature's response to the Industrial Revolution (lines 23-24). More importantly, Whitman shows that equality can be established against the passage of time and the advance of the nation by purposely not differentiating between natural elements and artificially created advancements. In describing the scenery of New York, Whitman details “the river and the sunset and the scalloped waves of the tide, the seagulls swinging their bodies, the hayboat at dusk, and the late lighter,” thus putting the ferries and buildings on the same level as crashing waves and seagulls (line 94). On the other hand, in Lydia Maria Child's Letters from New York, the revealing delineations of New York City as the nation's major urban center do not exude the same glory and majesty revealed by Whitman. Indeed, Child's letters address poverty among women and children "it is the misery of a city like New York, where a gentle spirit not only suffers continual pain, but is obliged to do itself a perpetual wrong" (page 1093). While Whitman argues that there is a unifying effect of nature and industrial progress, Child argues that there is a divisive effect that the lower class suffers from due to the repression of sympathies. Similarly, the technique of rhetorical questions is used by both Whitman and Child, but again it produces a different effect. When speaking of “acts of kindness and mercy,” Child asks, “Why are such scenes so rare? Why do we thus repress our sympathies, and cool the genial current of nature, by formal observances and restrictions” (1093-94)?” Feelings of loss, hopelessness, and hopelessness seem to arise from these rhetorical questions as the city is portrayed as selfish and self-centered. However, for Whitman, the use of rhetorical questions, such as “What then is there between us?” What is the count of scores or hundreds of years that separate us?” becomes more frequent, there is a feeling of comfort that produces a calming effect for readers. The poet reassures his readers that years, distance, and place will not separate him from generations to come, through the repetition of the phrase “me too” because equality has been established through shared experiences. Finally, Whitman specifically uses symbols, images, and rhetorical questions, to show how equality is established against the passage of time and the advance of the nation in the era of the Second Industrial Revolution. Finally, by analyzing the structure and tenses employed in “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” one can see how Whitman intentionally generates a paradoxical case of motion and stasis to ultimately reflect the ideal of transcendent equality throughout the poem. The beginning of the poem begins with the present tense as the poet declares, “I see you face to face” (line 1), but quickly shifts to the future tense of “others will” (line 13). Similarly, there is a subtle transition of tenses from the present tense of "I am with you," to the past tense of "I too many times have crossed the river of the past" within a section (lines 21, 26 ). By constantly changing tenses in each of the nine segments of “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” the poet blurs past, present, and future, to show not the passing of time, but rather the overcoming of time. As readers, we know that with “the men and women of a generation, or even many generations to come,” there will be changes and developments in culture and way of life. In reality, nothing remains.