Song of the Open Road
by Walt Whitman
- 13 Members Following
Follow a topic to see new activity, such as homework help questions and answers, in your personal feed on the homepage.
At a glance:
- Author: Walt Whitman
- First Published: 1856
- Type of Poem: Dramatic monologue
- Genres: Poetry, Dramatic monologue
The Poem
“Song of the Open Road” by Walt Whitman is familiar, widely admired, and often alluded to by later readers and writers. In certain respects, the poem is iconic, for it speaks symbolically of American mobility, restlessness, and love of freedom and open spaces. The poem’s 224 lines, which in 1881 Whitman arranged in fifteen sections, are divisible into two parts: sections 1-8, the persona’s exuberant description of the healthful lessons and benefits of open-air living on the road, and sections 9-15, the persona’s impassioned invitation to companions to join him...
(The entire page is 1828 words.)
Want to read the whole thing?
Subscribe now to read the rest of this article. Plus, get access to:
- 30,000+ literature study guides
- Critical essays on more than 30,000 works of literature from Salem on Literature (exclusive to eNotes)
- An unparalleled literary criticism section. 40,000 full-length or excerpted essays.
- Content from leading academic publishers, all easily citable with our "Cite this page" button.
- 100% satisfaction guarantee READ MORE
Popular Questions
See all »- In the poem "Song of the Open Road" by Walt Whitman, What does the 'road' stand for in the poem?
- I was reading "Song of the Open Road" by Walt Whitman and I completely did not understand the poem. Can someone explain it to me with lots...
- What does this quote mean from "Song of the Open Road" by Walt Whitman? "Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, ...
- Was "Song of the Open Road," poem by Walt Whitman, translated into other languages, or made as a film?
