Miracles by Walt Whitman, 1819 – 1892

Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the
water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night
with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer
forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so
quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the
same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.

To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves—the
ships with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?

 

This poem is titled “Miracles” and was written by Walt Whitman. The book it is being connected to is called The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini. This poem is a deep look into the miracles we take for granted every day. It displays the simple things in life, walking the streets of a city, having someone to love, and watching the sunset. It points out how lucky we are that we can experience these everyday miracles. The writer is trying to convey how grateful he is for what he has and for what he can do. For instance, since he is able bodied and lives in a very developed city, he can walk through the streets of beautiful Manhattan. This reinforcement that he is so lucky to have what he does compliments the simple ideas of the poem. I think that at two points in the story, this is something Amir would agree with and would believe. Both when he is young, living in Afghanistan, and when he is happily married to Soraya many years later. At these points in the story, he is absolutely on top of the world. Everything to him is a miracle, a blessing. This poem connects to the story because it talks of miracles, and of the simple things in life that can be considered as such. It is important to note that although this poem connects to The Kite Runner, it also differs because the poem is all very happy, and light. In the novel, there are many parts that are very sad and don’t reflect the themes of the poem.

 

This picture reflects the theme of the poem as well as one of the themes of the book. Feeling on top of the world, like shown in the picture, is how Amir feels when he marries Soraya, and is living safely and peacefully in California. It is also how he feels as a young boy, carefree and loving life. When we feel like we are on top of the world with happiness, we make ourselves bigger, displaying our confidence. In this photo, the man is making himself look big, showing his happiness and how he feels.