Abe, face to face

I like the way in which Whitman describes the president in his articles. He describes not only the features in Lincoln’s eyes but also describes his powerful gaze that always seemed to make eye contact with you. When he describes the way in which Lincoln would trot down to the Whitehouse he really conveys his own experience and connection with that time period and the scene, enough that you can picture what he is seeing.
You feel like you are in his shoes. The one thing about his entries is that although he can describe all the features on the president’s face, he also describes his expression of deep latent sadness.
It’s funny to me how the president seemed to try and live as normal a life as possible. He didn’t live in the Whitehouse rather commuted to work every day and although he was escorted by twenty or more it seems as though he would have preferred to have ridden alone. He was in the public eye and was genuinely a president of the people and for the people. I wonder what it would have been like growing up and seeing the president regularly out and about on the streets with his escort.