guthrie and whitman (dana fucich)

There is definitely a relationship between art and politics and I think that relationship is one of awareness.  Art is an engaging medium when it comes to questioning political agendas, it can be a powerful way of opening up the public's eyes.  Their correlation isn't harmonious, but politics propels a lot of artists and ideas, in turn, propelling action against injustices and the misuse of power.  Politics inspires art: art informs us of political corruptness.
In regards to this relationship, Whitman and Guthrie have similar themes while having noticeable dissimilarities in their approaches.  They both focus on the subject of America, the working class and address the idea of equality amongst all men.  And, yet, at the same time their use of political subject matter is handled differently.  Whitman raises questions; he addresses the reader and forces them to understand their own political standing.  He also juxtaposes the class differences in an attempt to equalize them:
   "Here the profound lesson of reception, nor preference nor denial,

    The black with his woolly head, the felon, the diseas’d, the illiterate person, are not denied;

    The birth, the hasting after the physician, the beggar’s tramp, the drunkard’s stagger, the laughing party of mechanics,

    The escaped youth, the rich person’s carriage, the fop, the eloping couple,"
The road is a shared space that does not discriminate, and does not acknowledge the differences of its travelers.
Guthrie, on the other hand, is forceful with his political themes.  There aren't too many questions or implications, the delivery of these themes are more forward and direct.  His political standing is evident; he is informing his listener rather than asking them to consider their own stance and what that means to them.
   "Every state in the Union us migrants have been 
We'll work in this fight and we'll fight till we win"
   "In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people, 
By the relief office I seen my people; 
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking 
Is this land made for you and me?"
Guthrie visualizes his retaliation, and, his desire for equality is comprehensible, but he understands that it isn't a reality.  Both Whitman and Guthrie try to break the barriers of social status, but only Guthrie uses inequality as a means of translating the rights of men to be equals.
As for their mediums, Guthrie's is, by far, more accessible than Whitman's.  Both have the ability to effectively use the unique nature of art to take a stand against or call attention to American politics and social structures.  But the opportunity each one has to reach an audience do not match.  The poetry audience is more limited, while music has a greater compass.  But even if that is the case, neither Whitman nor Guthrie can unify the country if the country isn't listening.  As ideal as it would be for their ideas to bring America closer, they are progressively becoming less influential as artists.