Leaves of Grass Group

Question:

mikegwc
mikegwc
Student
College - Junior

In the poem "I celebrate myself, and sing myself" from Leaves of Grass, what does the first stanza mean?

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Posted by mikegwc on Monday September 24, 2007 at 10:11 PM and tagged with first stanza, leaves of grass, summary, themes.

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  1. sagetrieb Teacher
    Doctorate

    The opening lines of the poem celebrate the individual as well as the community to which he belongs—in “celebrating” himself, he celbrates “you” because all human beings are bound by their beautiful humanity.  The speaker celebrates all aspects of himself, good and bad, and claims the right to “loafe” so that he might invite his soul to participate in nature—to “observe a piece of grass.”  The poem was ground breaking for many reasons, one being a radical change in language that embraces a common vernacular, the bodily and quotidian aspects of life, and the earth as part of the experience of being human

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/leaves-grass

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    Posted by sagetrieb on Tuesday September 25, 2007 at 4:28 AM