SCALING MOUNT WHITMAN: LEAVES OF GRASS AND AMERICA'S FIRST GREAT 'AWOKENING'.

This article focuses on a reader’s extended engagement with Walt Whitman’s *Leaves of Grass*, exploring the poet’s themes of radical inclusiveness, empathy, equality, and diversity as foundational to what the author terms America’s first great “Awokening.” Whitman’s poetry embraces marginalized identities—including racial minorities, women, and queer individuals—and confronts the polarized, turbulent democracy of 19th-century America without denying its complexities or injustices. The reader reflects on Whitman’s call for active, personal engagement with his work, resisting rigid interpretations, and highlights Whitman’s early articulation of “wokeness” as an awareness and embrace of difference, social justice, and democratic ideals. The article situates Whitman’s vision as both a product of his time and a precursor to contemporary discussions on identity and inclusion.