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Song of Myself
The central image in section 46 of "Song of Myself" is that of the road, more specifically a traveler or a tramp making a journey along the road. The poet says early in the section: I tramp a...
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Song of Myself
Throughout Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, we find passages such as that quoted. While this quotation seems to come specifically from Justin Kaplan's biography of Whitman, it captures the spirit of...
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Song of Myself
Whitman's "Song of Myself" and his poetry in general represent an overturning of conventional thought and morality, and of organized religion. To say "I am the poet of the body" is a deliberate...
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Song of Myself
In "Song of Myself," Walt Whitman seeks to overcome two traditional beliefs: first, that the body and soul are separate, and second, that the soul is greater than the body. In Christian doctrine,...
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Song of Myself
There is simply no way to briefly summarize "Song of Myself". The poem is 52 stanza's of sensuality, vocabulary, rapture, and love. The basic principal that Whitman expressed in his...
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Song of Myself
Walt Whitman has a lot of things to say about America and what it means to be American. In his poem "Song of Myself," one of the ways in which he defines what it means to be American is his...
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Song of Myself
"Song of Myself" is a long and complex poem by Walt Whitman. In it, he jumps around and reflects on many aspects of existence, from Nature to humanity, to the meaning of God. There is no specific...
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Song of Myself
Throughout this series of poems, Whitman presents a view of life where humanity enjoys an incredibly close relationship with nature, so close, in fact, that even when he imagines himself dying in...
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Song of Myself
I can think of two sections in “Song of Myself” (1855) where the speaker’s optimism cannot fully answer some of the questions he himself poses. Before we look at the two sections, it’s...
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Song of Myself
This is a bit of an opinion question, but I will give you some ideas to run with. The entire point of Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is to celebrate one's self, and one's individuality. At the...
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Song of Myself
In section 2 of "Song of Myself," Whitman is at pains to "belch" words. He wants poetry to become immediate, to "belch" forth, not simply function as a kind of prettified, stale tradition such as...
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Song of Myself
Generally speaking, Walt Whitman's tone in this poem is celebratory and joyous. The guy is definitely happy with his station in life. He's happy to be who he is and he loves the world that he is...
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Song of Myself
Walt Whitman talks about the atoms that make up his tongue and his blood coming from the soil because they literally do. It's comparable to the more modern quote by astronomer and astrophysicist...
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Song of Myself
There may be no poem that so effectively embodies the concept of "nature poetry" than this one. This well-loved poem was controversial for some time after it was first published, because it...
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Song of Myself
Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" focuses upon Democratic ideals, among which are the value of the individual. Thematic of "Song of Myself" is the expression of the self and the love of nature. In...
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Song of Myself
There are almost countless examples of metaphor in Walt Whitman's long poem, "Song of Myself." Indeed, even if you were to narrow your options down to a single image - the central leaf of grass,...
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Song of Myself
The very nature of the title as one where there is internal reflection and an emphasis on the subjective makes Whitman's work decidedly Romantic. The notion of "myself" being so important a focal...
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Song of Myself
This beautiful passage continues Whitman’s “Song of Myself” as he associates his essence with Nature’s and Civilization’s rhythms, especially concentrating on the sounds of Nature (the...
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Song of Myself
Whitman analyzes the power of the eyes and the other senses and their ability to behold the majesty of the universe—in this case, the mesmerizing and hypnotic rise of the sun. This example goes...
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Song of Myself
I think one prominent truth that is established in section one (and carried out throughout the rest of the poem) concerning Whitman's view of "self" is that although he is speaking about himself...
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Song of Myself
In section 10 of Song of Myself, Whitman explores ideas of pastoral life, of being true to the life of a place, of living in such a way as to not deny natural impulses, and also of accepting the...
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Song of Myself
Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is a long sprawling poem in free verse that uses a narrative persona both specific in details such as age and place and mythic in its ability to incorporate the...
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Song of Myself
In section 6, Whitman explores first through the eyes of a child what grass is. They both venture mild conjecture that the grass has something to do with life, but the section quickly shifts to...
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Song of Myself
I think that the initial reactions to the Puritan writers like Bradstreet and Bradford would be to suggest that what Whitman sees as his reality outside of God is actually one that God creates....
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Song of Myself
"Two types" would be far too limiting for Whitman, who sought to contain "multitudes." In "Song of Myself," he uses himself and the wonders of his own body as a focal point from which he casts his...
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Song of Myself
In this section, Whitman expresses a unity and comraderie with everyone else on the planet; he feels connected to them, at one with them, and as much a part of them as they are of him. He...
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Song of Myself
Much has been said about the end of "Song of Myself" here. It is true that Whitman is asserting his essential unity with everything, not just nature. From the beginning of the poem he asserts his...
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Song of Myself
Well, when Whitman says you, he means you, as in, "You there, holding the book, reading these words." That would seem to be the case, at least, for most of the poem -- when he says, "And what I...
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Song of Myself
In Part 16 of "Song of Myself," Walt Whitman lists a number of paradoxes. All of them can be used to illuminate Whitman's thematic concerns, which are part and parcel of Whitman's...
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Song of Myself
One of the critical elements in "Song of Myself" is the idea of transcendence, the ability to identify an essence within a human being that is universal and knows few, if any, boundaries. In this...
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Song of Myself
This section of Whitman's poem is filled with sensory writing; imagery is the most predominant poetic technique found throughout. Many of the visual images are those of nature: "Where the panther...
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Song of Myself
I think that one of the most basic questions that can be raised out of Whitman's "Song of Myself" is whether or not there is a larger configuration that binds the individual. While the poem...
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Song of Myself
This amazing insight from Walt Whitman is an encapsulation of his philosophy – that we are not so much individuals as “leaves of grass”; superficially we appear to be individual, unique...
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Song of Myself
In Song of Myself, Whitman glorifies the self, but the self has a broader application. His "self" also applies to mankind. So, when he says: I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume...
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Song of Myself
The poem that begins Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself opens with the line “I celebrate myself, and sing myself.” This poem seems characteristically American in a number of ways, including the...
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Song of Myself
In Whitman's "Song of Myself," one should know each of the devices listed so as to rule out the incorrect answers, especially if choices seem similar, or a response does not immediately come to...
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Song of Myself
In the opening lines of this epic poem, Whitman is declaring his intentions (cf. Virgil’s “Of arms and the man I sing”)—he is going to “sing” this poetic song of himself for the rest of...
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Song of Myself
In Section 6 of "Song of Myself" Whitman uses the imagery of grass to explore the theme of death and rebirth. The child asks the speaker what seems like a fairly simple question: "What is grass?"...
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Song of Myself
I think the easiest way to think about Whitman's concept of love is to say that poetry and love are the same thing. In "Song of Myself," the poem opens with Whitman's assertion that he and the...
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Song of Myself
In Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself," there are many aspects to ponder, but the one that strikes me is that of universality. Whitman notes that he is one with nature, one with all the men and women...
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Song of Myself
Whitman's diction is poetic and free. His line that begins "I sound my barbaric yawp" celebrates his own power and freedom and liberates him from both poetic and societal conventions. His poetry is...
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Song of Myself
One of the major themes in "Song of Myself" is Whitman's celebration to the spiritual connections he believes ties him to other human beings, to nature, and to the universe. “For every atom...
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Song of Myself
I would say that it would be appropriate to focus on the time period or literary movement in which both works are immersed. Both works help to enhance the notion of self within literature. The...
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Song of Myself
It is more difficult to identify metonymy in Whitman’s work than you would think, because of his literary habit called “listing,” which is almost the opposite of metonymy. According to...
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Song of Myself
This section of "Song of Myself" is a commentary on the many fallen heroes that fight battles for us in war, and never come home to the victory parades, bands and marches that are thrown in honor...
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Song of Myself
I would suggest a couple reasons. Perhaps the most obvious is the form. Song of Myself is written in a new and unique type of free verse, in some ways closer to the cadence of the human voice...
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Song of Myself
In this poem Whitman seems to put himself in the center, but the "self" of the poem's speaker - the "I" of the poem is farm more expansive. "I pass death with the dying,...
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Song of Myself
The "perfect health" referenced in the poem belongs to the speaker in the poem, not directly to the reader. Of course, the speaker, the "myself" who is the voice heard saying the words of the poem,...
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Song of Myself
The first half talks about his travels; he lists different experiences he has had. The first is going out hunting, "wandering amazed at my own lightness and glee" as he does. It is obvious that...
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Song of Myself
Elements on which you will want to focus: Free verse Epic Tradition Prisoners Sexuality Nature Slavery Spirituality & Faith Senses Transcendentalism Grass(es) Democracy Whitman's verse reads...