Whitman, sentences, mythos: musing upon

As I suggested that I might, I am now reading Stanley Fish's How to Write a Sentence and I am enjoying his delight in the way words are put together in ways that create not only impressions, but also worlds.  (Of course I'm also made hyper-aware of my own sentences.)  Reading Fish after we just read Whitman's "Democratic Vistas," recalls Whitman's confidence that literature plays an essential role in creating the culture that under girds the democracy, the nation itself.

What good is freedom of the press and freedom of speech if citizens are unable to express themselves clearly?  All the more reason to be diligent in our efforts to think well and to pay one another the respect of presenting our ideas in attractive and understandable prose.

Yes, I know that Whitman seems convoluted and yet, in retrospect I regret that we did not follow-up on the suggestion that each of us select the quotation we'd put on a t-shirt or a poster.  Paying attention to his sentences might help us to appreciate his artistry.

Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself.  (

I am large and I contain multitudes)