For one, this museum was extremely popular during part of
Whitman’s life leading up to the civil war. It was a museum that exhibited the
interests of society during a specific time; it is a cultural representation of
an epoch. The museum was supposed to be affordable and entertaining
for all ages, similar to the democratic notions of Whitman, but only under a
certain light. The museum displayed many “unequal,” “deformed” humans as freak
shows.
Both Whitman and Barnum were amazing advertisers. They
focused on their target markets and intrigued them. As a writer, Whitman
creates an alternate reality for readers who suspend their belief while
engaged. Whitman wanted his readers to ignore truth as a singular idea and
accept the plurality of it. Barnum also did this by giving customers the
spectacle of deciphering what had legitimacy and what did not (rather than
believing in one truth). The people enjoyed being conned- there is a pleasure
in the game- its not the final product- it’s the process of the illusion.
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