Manhattan

One of the settings of Whitman’s “Miracles” is Manhattan, which he mentions directly in the third line of his poem by its proper noun name. By situating “Miracles” in part in Manhattan, Whitman, who was born in New York City and spent much of his life there, emphasizes his poem’s focus on subjectivity and conveying the personal experiences of his everyday life. In addition to Manhattan being the place in which Whitman begins his exploration of the quotidian miraculousness of daily life, it is also the background for communal connection that Whitman highlights as necessary for the creation of a transcendent selfhood. While Whitman’s experiences are highly particular and specific to himself, they are also common to urban life, which creates a sense of person-to-person relatability. For example, presumably in Manhattan, Whitman experiences the interpersonal miracles of “[talking] by day with any one I love...