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Figurative Language In Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

525 Words3 Pages

“Song of Myself” is part of the larger work of Leaves of Grass. Since most of his work did not have a title he titled his poems later. To understand poetry at a deeper level, it is essential to consider the background of the author. Author, Walt Whitman was born on May 31,1819 and died on March 26, 1892. During this time period, the Civil War took place and his experiences of being a witness to heinous acts of racism - a substantial issue is which is beautifully mirrored in his exceptional woven poem, “Song of Myself”. His poem consists of anaphora, celebrates diversity, unity and oneness, remarkable use of figurative language and it portrays his love for nature. The poem “Song of Myself” is elongated, filled with vivid imagery and significant detail. …show more content…

It is strange to notice Whitman contradicting himself in the poem. He eulogizes self and tells others to do so too in first stanza line 2, “and what I assume you shall assume”. Later, contradicting himself by talking about oneness and unity in first stanza line 3, “for every atom belonging to you belongs to me” (Whitman). That line means that we are all the same. It is rather bold of him to make a statement because of the turmoil that went around at that time. It can even be applied to today's scenario. At a glance, it may seem contradicting for him preach both but the concepts relate to each other because you cannot respect one unless you do not respect yourself. In the beginning of the poem, Walt Whitman establishes himself as a confident and unusual man. He starts off by saying, “I celebrate myself and sing myself” (Line 1). It is odd to make a statement even today. As a result, the tone comes of as a bit arrogant. This poem has repetition of the word - anaphora. Most lines start with “I”

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By doing this Whitman introduces himself and at the same time identifies with the reader. He also states that he should be celebrated not only by himself, but also by the reader because they are the same. He also gives off a feeling that his writing is true and good, we get the feeling he is one of us and at the same time a poet. This leads to comparing Whitman with a preacher or public speaker of some sort, he wishes to be

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Whereas Emerson believes the self strictly exists in your soul, Whitman believes that sense of self is found in both your soul and your body. Whitman sees your soul and body as a point of connection and that you cannot have one without the other and that the two are equal. For instance, Whitman says, “I have said that the soul is not more than the body, And I have said that that body is not more than the soul, And nothing, not God is greater to one than one’s-self is” (Whitman 51). Whitman is illustrating that the soul and the body are equal to one another and that one is not more important than the other.

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Comparing Individualism In Walt Whitman's Song To Myself

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Both of Walt Whitman articles are transcendentalism; Mr. Whitman shows individualism and nature in “Song to Myself” which are qualities of transcendentalism. In “Song to myself” he mostly uses individualism as you can tell just by the title he is describing himself in a song. Mr.Whitman uses repetition in his poem “I celebrate myself”(Whitman 1). Throughout the poem he uses the word “I” to describe himself which shows individualism which is a romantic quality. Mr.Whitman also uses imagery in his “Song to Myself”.

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Throughout his poem, he constantly talks about the importance of coming together and merging. Whitman says, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (Whitman 1). On the surface, this quote may appear to illustrate that Whitman thinks highly of himself, but it is more than this. The last part of this quote emphasizes that we are all connected and even though we are all individuals, we should not forget that we are connected to one another. Whitman also says, “Urge and urge and urge, Always the procreant urge of the world.

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He says that “The spirit of God is the brother of my own,” meaning that God, the divine creator, the person who stresses, ‘Love thy neighbor,” is his brother, and all people’s brother which indirectly suggests that everyone love each other and take care of each other because we are family. Whitman then goes on, saying that while America is great, life is not perfect, as everyone face challenges and tough times in our lives, “It is not upon you alone the dark patches fall/ The dark threw its patches down upon me also,” (Whitman 12). He discusses the fact that while America is an ideal society where people love each other, life is not so perfect, as the hardships we face are difficult to overcome.

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Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” employs a contemplative speaker to develop its theme, which implores the reader to look deeper into their perceptions and search for further meaning than what is on the surface. Whitman uses grass as a subject, which later morphs into death and rebirth, but his message remains consistent: the nature of the world and its inhabitants is complex, and that complexity deserves attention. His speaker, who appears to be a reflection of Whitman himself, directs his questioning towards himself and to the inanimate, instead of to the audience, and thereby creates a quiet and rhetorical tone. Despite the subject’s later turn towards death, he maintains the same tone throughout, focusing on the same respect and curiosity regardless of the subject

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To begin with, Whitman throughout the poem shows a lot about what he believes and what he's opposed to as the states that he is both the body and the soul. By providing the lines he provides, it reflects his individualism as well as gives ideas about the topic of his poem as the title says it clear that it is about himself. Whithmand in the poem relates to the Romantic era as he mentions nature a lot making it obvious of his love for it. Romanticism era shown by Whitman is expressed in the poem as he says ïn the beginning, second stanza ¨I loafe and invite my soul, I learn and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer

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His own identity is divided three ways: “the idea of the self” (Whitman’s identity), “the identification of the self with other selves” (Whitman identifying with others in the community), and “the poet’s relationship with the elements of nature and the universe” (Whitman’s soul, or the universe viewed as a whole) (Cliffs Notes). Whitman states, “I celebrate myself, and what I assume you shall assume, for every atom belongs to me as good belongs to you” (sec. 1). At first, the “myself” seems like it is

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This explains how he believed that the stars and the grass should be thought of as equal and man should show appreciation for grass as well. Moreover, Whitman implies that because the grass is so close in terms of touch, humans should enjoy it more since stars are completely out of reach. As it is evident that Whitman appreciates

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This poem was viewed as unorthodox when published because of its free discussion and exploration of the body. In the second stanza, Whitman clarifies that he is writing about both the male and the female body, saying, “that of the male, and that of the female is perfect” (Whitman 94). By joining the two clauses by “and”, it demonstrates equality since he is displaying the physical words, “male” and “female” on equal terms. This was a radical point of view during Whitman 's time, when women were accepted as socially, and sexually inferior to

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In Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself’, one can appreciate the poem properly by understanding the poem’s voice, imagery, figures of speech, symbols, word choice, and theme. To understand it though requires a great deal of thought to arrive to the meaning behind the writing. Especially since this poem was written in the nineteenth century and is written in a very loose structure and free verse. Firstly, the speaker of the poem is an individual, Walt Whitman himself, as seen by the repetition of “I” in the poem.

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