Song of the Open Road (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Walt Whitman
- First Published: 1856
- Type of Work: 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...
[The entire page is 1557 words long]
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