| This thesis, through an analysis of Whitman's poetry, argues that, for Walt Whitman, metonymy functions more than a mere rhetorical device to craft his poetry; metonymy becomes a form of consciousness, a psychological or ontological understanding of the world. Whitman's metonymic consciousness allows his poetry to transcend boundaries, divisions, classes and to achieve a commensurate and democratic view of life. The first part of the thesis focuses on defining metonymy and distinguishing it from metaphor. This section also establishes how Whitman, as poet, deviates from many of the conventions associated with traditional poetry, particularly Romantic poetry. In the following sections, different theories, by Jacques Lacan, Helene Cixoux and others, are applied to specific poems by Whitman, to demonstrate how he incorporates metonymical consciousness into his poetry. |
