Witty Whitman

Observations (numbered by page):

1. This is a very worn-out cover and I can't tell if that is because it has been used a lot or because it is old.
2. These look like names and places with an interesting stamp.
3. It seems like he is introducing the dialogue between himself and Abraham Lincoln. 
4. I'm terrible at reading certain handwriting so I can only make out a few words, two of which are "Greek" and "philosophy." These two words alone show that he is pondering the harder questions of life. What also strikes me about this page is how he is writing in a stream of consciousness state, and crossing out words as he goes along. 
5. On this page, he is posing certain questions, but I wonder who these questions are asked to. Are they things he asks himself and wishes he had the answers to?
6. What strikes me about this page are the last two words-- "and you." This seems to be addressed to Lincoln, but the phrasing makes it seem like Whitman doesn't know what he thinks about this "you" person, and like his thoughts are incomplete. 
7.  I think that hear Whitman is making a metaphor to compare a ship on waves to the country and the world in the current state, though I could be very wrong.
8. Now he is calling for the winds to blow, and I see the same word that appears to be liberty. Is liberty the wind pushing the country forward?
9. From what I can make of this page, it appears as though he is welcoming the "ships of liberty" with joy, meaning that he supports freedom, I assume, of all people (so he opposes slavery). This would make sense for a guy who dreams of imaginary conversations with Lincoln. 
10. Here I think his metaphor about the ship is broadening to the whole world, and there is another interesting stamp.
11. I think this is a self-portrait? Though it is from the profile view, which is hard to see in a mirror so perhaps he could be drawing a friend or imaging what Lincoln looks like. 
12. This is the same face but now with a body, though it looks more like a cartoon in proportions than a person.
13. Now the face has a top hat on like Lincoln, so maybe Whitman is imagining what Lincoln looks like?
14. This image is of a man who's hat is shadowing his face so he can barely be seen.
15. This looks like a lyre, which is a symbol of Apollo and forms of art. (yay Latin class!)
16. This could be the title of an imaginary newspaper he wants to write? I'm not exactly sure what the word is either.
17. On this page, Whitman seems to have scribbled down a poem without many thoughts, and it makes me wonder if normal thoughts for his could come in the form of poems. 
18. This image took me by surprise. It is a skeleton with a large heart that has been stabbed, and behind it, there is a setting sun. I have no doubt that there is some larger meaning and significance to this image, though all I can conclude is that Whitman's outlook on life might be slightly pessimistic. 

Response:

After reading the notes, I realize that I was right about some things and very wrong about others. For instance, the ships and waves were a metaphor for America, but the images were drawn by Whitman's friends instead of him. This shows me that Whitman was fascinated with the idea of himself and loved to reflect on his thoughts and what he knew. In these reflections, he often wondered about  Civil War, philosophy, and religion.

All in all, there was most certainly a lot going on in Whitman's mind. If this notebook is a reflection of his thoughts, then I believe that he saw the world in metaphors and comparisons rather than colors. He questioned his own thoughts and the state of his country, while still wanting the perspective on how other people viewed him. This shows that he was a deeply reflective and philosophical person, which have the makings for a gifted author.