1. Walt Whitman’s Section 9 of Songs of Myself is one of the shortest sections of the 52 section poem. There are only three others that are similar in length. In this section, we transition from the hustle and bustle of the urban city to the rural countryside. Whitman focuses on the economy and beauty in the nature world while maintaining the clear lens of a child. The section takes us on a hayride and reminisces about jumping off the wagon to explore and celebrate the “clover and timothy” during childhood; a happy time so different from the demands of the industrialized city outlined in section 8. 2. Well, I believe that the short the sections 1, 9, 29 highlight the overall message of healing and unity one needs with oneself, your neighbors, countrymen, all …show more content…
Whitman states, “The past and present wilt—I have fill'd them, emptied them. /And proceed to fill my next fold of the future” (51.1309-1310) The lines are quite personal, he provides a reason for humoring himself and other people in general political correctness, tolerance, how the diversity and experiences mark you. Whitman further states, “Do I contradict myself? / Very well then I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes)” (51.1314-1316). He re-emphasizes the idea of the reader continuing the story, hoping it is not too late to heal and embrace the diversity surrounding you to touch it and be touched by it. He eludes to finding the balance between two ideas, this compromise and the pursuit of understanding happiness is made up of not only your dreams but all that have come before you. The last stanza section 52 just as he began the novel he starts with the character Its persona Me and the all-inclusive, yet elusive you. You referring to intimate friends, strangers, sometimes single other times plural
Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." The Norton Anthology of American Literature.. Gen. ed. Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: Norton, 2012. 24-67. Print.
A literary catalog is considered a long list of events. One of the works that it is demonstrated in is “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman. Whitman writes over 52 sections within his poem, which clearly he mastered the technique. He informs the reader that it is time to celebrate himself which then he transmits different episodes of his experiences. The main concern is that his poem is universal in America and can encourage self-reliance.
Whitman, Walt. Song of Myself. Dover Thrift ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2001. Print.
The Heath Anthology of American Literature repeatedly refers to Walt Whitman and his poetry in terms of being American, yet as I read Song of Myself, my thoughts are continually drawn to the philosophies and religions of the Far East. Like the Tao Te Ching ideas are expressed in enigmatic verse and each stanza is a Zen koan waiting to be meditated on and puzzled out. Even Emerson called Whitman's poetry "a remarkable mixture of the Bhagvat Gita and the New York Herald" ("The Whitman Project"). Song of Myself contains multitudes of passages that express Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist thought.
To begin with, Whitman uses figurative language to portray the ideas of Transcendentalism. He expresses his Transcendental views of happiness and identity. In “Song of Myself” he states, “Who has done his day’s work? Who will soonest be through with his supper?...Will you speak before I am gone? Will you prove already too late?” (“Song of Myself”). Whitman questions the daily routines of
In stanza six of the poem "Song of Myself", by Walt Whitman, he poses the question "What is the grass?" I believe that grass is a metaphor for the cycle of life. Throughout the poem Whitman points out images that grass could represent. All of these images stem from the life and death that we come to expect in our lifetime. During your life you will experience death, it at times surrounds you, but if you look past the grief and look to the beauty you will see that it is a cycle that keeps our world in balance. The images of flags, tears, children and older people that are torn from the ones they love, but only to soon return to other lost ones are all parts of Walt Whitman's poem.
Stanza 33 of “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman is a beautiful poem. In the poem, Whitman describes a multitude of examples of people he considers heroes.
*Whitman, Walt. Song of Myself. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 3rd ed. Ed, Paul Lauter. Boston,NewYork: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
The poem Repondez, by Walt Whitman, first published in 1856 had the title Poem of Propositions of Nakedness. The title used today only appeared as such in the 1867 and 1871-72. This essay, I shall analyze this poem based on Ball, T and Dagger’s entries from The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Political Thought, more specifically the entries on Radicalism and Philosophic Radicalism. I will attempt to do this in order to see how much does this poem is inclined to be a radical poem based on the theoretical background outlined by the authors.
Explication Through a multitude of literary devices and techniques, Walt Whitman's poem, "Song of Myself," is one of his most famous contributions to American literature. He uses simile and metaphor, paradox, rhythm, and free verse style, to convey his struggle between the relation of the body and soul, the physical and the spiritual being. He continues to disobey all social restrictions of the romantic time period. From the beginning, Whitman begins by stating, "What I shall assume, you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you," proposing that the reader listen to him, for he possesses all of the answers to life. The setting is somewhat naturalistic, and offers an image of the speaker, relaxing, possibly sprawled out across a blanket, philosophizing about life, while in the middle of a peaceful meadow. As the poem later shifts in tone, and setting, Whitman starts to think about the answers to life he has come up with, based upon the past, and decides that the reader should hear him out, one final time, as his ideas have changed. This brings us to #44 of "Song of Myself." In section #44 of, "Song of Myself," Whitman's first stanza begins: "It's time to explain myself…let us stand up. What is known I strip away…I launch all men and women forward with me into the unknown. The clock indicates the moment…but what does eternity indicate? Eternity lies in bottomless reservoirs…its buckets are rising forever and ever, they pour and they pour and they exhale away." Whitman is simply stating that he wants to tell the purpose of his madness. The madness that Whitman expresses is that of power and self-confidence. Whitman has written this based upon his experiences in life. Through these experiences, he has grown to know certain things about life and tries to pass them down to the reader. Throughout the beginning of the poem, Whitman takes the reader by the hand and demands that he follows Whitman and his ideas, because based on his own life Whitman holds the answers to the reader's questions. But now, he asks the reader to erase everything that he has previously said - forget the past. Why don't we try something new? We have to focus on the present, not on the past, but also to focus on what we are going to experience in the future, what can we expect?
Philosophers, poets, song writers, novelists, even your parents have been trying to figure out the meaning of life for ages, or more so how to live life to the fullest. In class we have been reading writings from Whitman, Thoreau and Emerson, all of which believe they understand what it truly means to live. In order to live a life well lived, and truly be alive one must open their eyes and stop being afraid to live. In the song “Wake Up Time” by Tom Petty, the lyrics “and it’s wake up time, time to open your eyes, and rise and shine” express exactly what it means to live.
Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is a vision of the American spirit, a vision of Whitman himself. It is his cry for democracy, giving each of us a voice through his poetry. Each of us has a voice and desires, and this is Whitman's representation of our voices, the voice of America. America, the great melting pot, was founded for freedom and democracy, and this poem is his way of re-instilling these lost American ideals. In this passage from "Song of Myself" Whitman speaks through his fellow man and speaks for his fellow man when his voice is not socially acceptable to be heard.
While the poem can be termed to be democratic, both in subject matter and its language, Whitman is viewed to be cataloging the ‘new’ America that he is seeing around him. The poem includes subject matter such as relationships, patriotism, heroes, family and ancestors, and a view on social commentaries too.
In “On the Beach at Night Alone,” Walt Whitman develops the idea that everyone has a connection with everything else, including nature. Whitman uses a variety of writing techniques to get his point across. First, the repetition and parallel structure that his poems contain reinforce the connection between everything in nature. The usage of “All” 11 times emphasizes the inclusion of everything in the universe. The sentence structure remains the same throughout the poem, without any drastic change; however, the length of the lines in the poem vary. In addition, Whitman’s’ extravagance with his words further illustrates his idea of the Over-Soul. For example, “A vast similitude interlocks all” (4) shows his verbose nature. Whitman does not do directly to the point, but gives every little detail. Most importantly, Whitman’s’ use of catalogues stands as the most recognizable Whitman characteristic that illustrates his beliefs. These long lists that he uses set the mood of the poem. “All spheres, grown, ungrown, small, large, suns, moons, planets,” (5) shows the idea that everything is connected in nature. Similarly, “All nations, colors, barbarisms, civilizations languages.” (10) furthermore emphasize Whitman’s belief in the Over-Soul.
Society shapes human beings into what they think is perfection. People in today’s society follow the world’s rituals as they continue to conform to fit in to the latest trends. Today, implants, plastic surgery, and weight loss treatments are the reason people have money set aside in their savings accounts. The pressure of others claims to be the main reason people change their hair, skin, and size, and often forget about their own special characteristics. There is a reason Walt Whitman, writes “I Celebrate Myself, and Sing Myself,” to show the importance of loving yourself and cherishing your own personal qualities as a human being. He speaks of himself, hoping to grab his readers’ attention. Throughout the poem, “I Celebrate Myself, and Sing