Cultural Values In Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

American poet Walt Whitman takes his self-appointed role as “American bard” very seriously. Whitman proclaims he will simply show the true America in its natural form and nothing more. His poem Song of Myself is truly a song of America. He examines the sheer volume of America while emphasizing the importance of nature in American culture. He reflects growing sentiment against the Fugitive Slave Act, a divider of peoples, and reminds readers that self-reliance is an important quality. The poem overall seeks to mirror America and its people, all while discussing cultural values. Walt Whitman successfully fulfills his duty as the “American bard” because he describes the diversity, unity, and stunning beauty of the burgeoning nation in stanza sixteen, permitting him to connect with the everyday American. Walt Whitman’s “Preface to Leaves of Grass” assists in analyzing his poem Song of Myself and understanding his view of the United States. Whitman expresses his desire to be the “American bard” in many ways throughout the “Preface”. He states most poetically, “The United States themselves are essentially the greatest

In the quotation, Whitman states that he is not an elite American and is just an average man who will tell the story of America. The language “stuck up” and “in my place” provides evidence that Whitman is not a dignified American, allowing him to establish his creditability with his audience of the common man. Whitman also tells his audience that he breathes the same air as them, putting him on an equal space with his reader. He then dives into one overlapping trait among most people, regardless of North or South, Americans love the natural world. He then uses the natural world to connect with his target of the average