This is the essay:
Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony.
- Ancient Jedi Code
No matter what one thinks of Walt Whitman, whether one thinks him to be a mad, overrated, perverted, homosexual, pseudo-writer or a master of words, one has to admit the major impact that he has had on the world, physically, emotionally, and culturally. While many of these influences are quite overt and sure to be pointed out by screaming masses of rabid essayists, there is one that is quite often often overlooked. As the well educated have probably already deduced, the hidden influences that Walt Whitman's voluminous “Leaves of Grass” has on the Jedi, and indeed, the Star Wars universe in general, are quite pronounced. Allow one to attempt to address this in sections, mainly the Jedi Code, Jedi Mindset, and the existence of the Jedi altogether.
First, one must look to the famous Jedi Code, which all are sworn to. While it is doubtful that any do not have it's eloquent paradigms memorized already, it will be quoted thusly. “There is no emotion, there is peace. / There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. / There is no passion, there is serenity. / There is no chaos, there is harmony. / There is no death, there is the Force.” ( Taken from the Meditations of Odan-Urr.) The first thing that jumps out of this to all but the most insipid of marsupials is the repetition of the first words in the lines, a technique known as anaphora. If one spends even a cursory amount of time on “Leaves of Grass,” they would find the thing to be stuffed to the brim with examples of anaphora. Take, for instance, “Thoughts”, a poem enclosed in the “From Noon To Starry Night” section. All ten of its lines start with 'Of' and has no other rhyme, just as the Jedi Code starts always with 'There' and rhymes nowhere else.
Perhaps one literary technique is not enough to convince that the former influenced the latter. To answer that, one must look to the context. Of all of the Jedi Code's lines, the last is the most important. “There is no death.” In the sixth section on “Song of Myself,” Whitman states the same, saying “The smallest sprout shows there is no death.” If he were still alive today, at least, physically, as he most certainly believes that he still is alive despite his body's passing, Walt Whitman might consider taking up legal action against Odan-Urr for stealing his views for his own benefit.
Speaking if the views held by the Jedi, one of those views is the unity and harmony of the universe, how every thing is balanced and of one matter, made up by the midichlorians. Walt Whitman clearly states that “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” Does this really require further explanation, or have the doubting fools been kind enough to leave lest there ignorance be robbed from them.
Let us move to another point. Please be kind enough to examine the sub-poem “Mediums”, which can be found in the “From Noon To Starry Night” sections of the Death-Bed version of “Leaves of Grass.” Is there anything there that may pertain to my topic? Yes, the lines use anaphora, but try to look deeper, as anaphora has already overused to the point that harping on it any more would seem to be a redundant and overtly insulting attempt to use up space. (Something that many suspect Walt Whitman did with his over-exaggerated descriptions and rambling tangents.) By now, any person with a hint of intelligence will probably have noticed how the poem “Mediums” is clearly a description of the Jedi. The 'States' symbolizes the bustling political hub of Coruscant which is the main home of the Jedi Order. “Nature, laws, physiology, and happiness” are all fields in which the Jedi have shown extreme amounts of attention. By “ illustrate Democracy and the kosmos (sic),” Whitman clearly defines the Jedi's role as the protectors of the Galactic Republic, the largest known democracy, rumored to have existed for over a thousand years. Jedi do not drink alcohol, as he points out (their drink water), and are composed of both men and women. Training to become orators is obviously a simplified way of explaining that the Jedi will often be called upon to be galactic ambassadors for the many nations. They are makers, as they make tools and train new padawans, and they are finders, as often the Jedi are called upon to track down someone who is missing or a threat to galactic stability. Death, the future, the invisible faith, they are all bright, neon, flashing signs that point to the Jedi as open and free as Lindsey Lohan is said to be after a few too many drinks. The Jedi believe in physical death with a Force guided eternal life. The Jedi constantly predict the future, using visions that the force brings to them, sometime in their sleep and sometimes consciously. Some Jedi have even found a way to cloak or make themselves invisible for short amounts of time.
When all of the evidence is laid out and examined, it is clear that “Leaves of Grass” is Whitman's attempt to subtly predict the coming of the Jedi. Only fools or liars could dare say otherwise. Now, it is granted that most of the rest of the books and poems in leaves of grass have either no secret messages of the Jedi, but they are still all examples of the types of thoughts that the Jedi will produce and popularize. Drum-Taps is all about the soldiers and healers, fighting the good fight, following the pennant of honor. The Jedi are the warriors, who fight the good fight, and use the force to heal, fighting not for the government of nation, but an ideal, a pennant and banner. The child is shown to be led away from the pennant by his father, which is why most Jedi are either orphans or young children who are removed from their families at a very early age.
Now, some may try to convince the world that this was not Walt's aim, and that his works in no way influenced the Jedi. Be wary, for these men lie to further their own selfish agendas. Some may point to the fact that the Jedi supposedly “a long time ago,” meaning that Walt Whitman's book came long after them and did not influence them but instead the other way around. (Something that, to be frank, just occurred to this author.) In response, one must ask, what is time? It is not a line, but a circle. That is why clocks are round. So, if something happened before another thing, go far enough around the circle one will eventually find it again, thus making it after “Leaves of Grass.” Ha, take that, conventional thinkers! They would have probably argued some boring thing about how the Jedi are merely a creation of George Lucas and that since he created them in the twentieth century “Leaves of Grass” could very well have been a source of influence on his creation of them. Wait a minute, that actually sounds like a better argument.
All quotes are taken either from “Walt Whitman's Guide to Jedi Philosophies” (formerly called “Leaves of Grass”) or various pages from the Jedi Archives (also known as Wookiepedia). Any complaints or comments from offended readers can be engraved with gold on a three by five card made out of porcelain and mailed to the author. Cards may not be returned. Author not liable for postage charges or theft.
