Although Whitman’s arguably most famous poem is entitled “Song of Myself‚” it speaks of more than just the poetic “Walt Whitman” identified early in the poem. Rather‚ Walt Whitman expands his subject in order to talk about things greater than himself and about his ideal America‚ one that is unified and free. In Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” he defines his ideal America through his decision to speak not only about the relationship between people and nature‚ but about lowliest in American society
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<center><i>Divinity‚ Sexuality and the Self</i></center><br><br>Through his poetry‚ Whitman’s "Song of Myself" makes the soul sensual and makes divine the flesh. In Whitman’s time‚ the dichotomy between the soul and the body had been clearly defined by centuries of Western philosophy and theology. Today‚ the goodness of the soul and the badness of the flesh still remain a significant notion in contemporary thought. Even Whitman’s literary predecessor‚ Emerson‚ chose to distinctly differentiate the
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writing “Song of Myself” was to bring Americans together and end many hostilities by spreading the idea that even with all their differences‚ they’re all human and must embrace each other as equals. In pre-Civil War America‚ a time when the country was tearing itself in two because of their differences‚ this message was needed more than ever. Though to what degree of success Whitman actually had on the state of the nation at the time is arguable‚ the message in the poem‚ specifically section 22‚ is
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about nature closely ties to the theme of Walt Whitman’s poems. In section 42 of the poem‚ “Song of Myself‚” Walt Whitman uses language to convey the idea that everything is connected to him. Whitman first writes how people are connected to him‚ then how everyone has similar experiences as one another‚ and finally‚ Whitman structures his poems in a particular fashion to connect everything together. Section 42 of “Song of Myself” expresses many ideas that Walt Whitman would like his audience to think
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Whitman’s Style In the poem “A song of myself #10”‚ he tells the audience that he sees things that most people don’t see every day‚ and isn’t afraid to say what he thinks about some things. Like when he takes in the runaway slave‚ he is not afraid of the slave‚ and is willing to protect him from any potential danger. In Whitman’s poems‚ he talks to us about things that happen daily‚ but no one really notices the beauty or meaning of the actions. In the poem “Song of myself #52”‚ he compares himself to
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nature as an opportunity in their poems to allow the reader to better interpolate the message of the poem. Walt Whitman does not portray structure throughout his writing. He writes in a free-verse form and an example of this is Song of Myself. In the Song of Myself‚ he expresses a large variety of moods an inspiration in the poems.
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type of beauty and self-confidence which Whitman admires and strives to emulate. Just as we applaud that which is blatantly beautiful and wonderful‚ Whitman makes the effort to do the same with things that may not be so obviously good. He says in line 52‚ “Clear and sweet is my soul‚ and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul”. This phrase emphasizes that self appreciation which we all hope to achieve in our relationship to ourselves‚ and then carries that idea out into the world as a whole. In
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What is our purpose in life? What makes our environment around us different than everywhere else? Walt Whitman answers this in his poem “Song of Myself” by analyzing the importance of all the small‚ inconspicuous details of our lives and the connection it has to our Earth. In “Song of Myself”‚ every small thing (down to the atom) makes up the world and all the people inside of it. Walt Whitman makes it known that the way we live here shapes the earth and everything around us. Whitman uses symbolism
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In "Song of Myself" Whitman links his identity to all humankind and does so right off the bat. In the first section‚ first line‚ he says that he is celebrating himself and leads the readers to understand that he is speaking of the human race. ""For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you." He is saying that everything that he is made of (atoms)‚ we are made of as well. If he chooses to celebrate himself‚ he is‚ by default‚ celebrating all humankind. In the third line‚ still in the first
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Walt Whitman’s bold uptake of revolutionizing American poetry makes him one of the most important poets of the 19th century (Whitman 20). In one of his poems‚ “Song of Myself‚” Walt Whitman molds himself to ideals that he believes can be branded as the “ideal” American. This poem is a very long one and it essentially is a compilation of life experiences of his. In a way‚ it is almost as though he is talking to himself. He questions himself several times through this work‚ and in a way it feels as
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