Large Hope
What is Large Hope?
Large Hope is a phrase from Walt Whitman’s preface to the 1855 version of Leaves of Grass. While Whitman doesn’t explain the phrase — this bit from earlier in the preface1 sums it up for me:
The poet judges not as the judge judges, but as the sun falling around a helpless thing.
As the poet sees the farthest, she has the most faith.
The poet’s thoughts are the hymns of praise of things.
The poet never gives up believing and expecting and trusting.
Here’s what I take from those few lines.
Large Hope is gentle as the sun.
Large Hope sees far, and sees with faith.
Large Hope is the praise of things.
And the poet carrying Large Hope never gives up believing and expecting and trusting — no matter how confusing, vitriolic, or disappointing the rhetoric of the world becomes.
Large Hope does sound a little fanciful, even whimsical, if hope already feels in short supply. But what is it to be alive, if you can’t see the wonder of the world around you.
What To Expect
This is a place to seek, find, and make large hope — in books, trees, birds, crickets, kindness, relationships, lunch, stars, and so on, forever.
Tuesdays expect a book review.
Thursdays expect a reflection from the inside out.
Let’s Be Hopeful Together
Let’s find hope and spread it.
Small hopes get larger and larger the more we share them together.
Jes P. Scoville
I bring together the craft of a poet, the precision of an editor, and the curiosity of a lifelong learner to my writing. My career spans academia, publishing, marketing, and broadcasting, and I recently completed an MFA in Creative Writing to go with my MA in English. For me, attention is more than a skill — it’s a form of prayer, and I use it to shape stories that inspire, surprise, and connect.
I’ve changed the pronouns from “he” to “she.” I think Whitman would be okay with that.
