O Me O Life By Walt Whitman

In the poem “O Me! O Life!” by Walt Whitman he starts by saying that he has always questioned himself and life like most people regularly do. The fact that there are tons of others in this world like him, faithless and without direction and foolish, he admits he may be amongst the worst of them. He claims that he is always criticizing and analyzing himself in a negative light and how he along with other people long to become more and long to see the truth of what the meaning of life is. The poem was hard to choose because it is hard to understand but once it is broken down I feel like anyone can relate to it.

The reason I chose this poem is because of the truth that it contains to which I can easily relate. To be completely honest, I think anyone can relate to some part out of this poem. I selected this poem because when I read it I feel as if I connect with it on a personal level and feel as if I have a lot to say about it. In the poem, Whitman says “Of the endless trains of the faithless - of cities fill’d with the foolish; Of myself forever reproaching myself” (Whitman 2-3). While I was growing up I endured some hardships that caused me to become depressed. I
In fact, she was more than a friend. She was a mom, a mentor, and a best friend. In Whitman’s poem he asks us a series of questions and then eventually gives us an answer. He says “Answer. That you are here - that's life exists, and identity; That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse” (Whitman 9-10). When he says “powerful play” he is referring to life. I think Joanna was so stuck on the questions of life that she never reached the answer. I think she so stuck in this “negative light” that she couldn't help but get comfortable there. It truly breaks my heart but those who fail to look for the answer will just encounter misery and unfortunately for Joanna it was more than that. It was the end of her