In Walt Whitman's poem Song to Myself, he stresses the importance of people, but more specifically himself. This of one of egocentric poems in human history as he begins with "I celebrate myself" (1:1). In some form or another, Whitman elaborates on Me, Myself, and I in all fifty-two sections of the poem. He mentions that "Welcome is every organ and attribute of me, and of any man hearty and clean, / Not an inch is vile, and none shall be less familiar/ than the rest" (5:20-23). But as he is enjoying himself, he is also enjoying everyone in humanity and believes that each and every person is special and should be valued. He is very optimistic and believes that the world is not flawed. He encourages us to celebrate and appreciate ourselves, and no matter who we are. He believes that we are all equals in God's eyes and that we all should be happy about living in His creation that he has …show more content…
He illustrates time after time that life is such a wonderful gift and by not living up to the fullest is a waste. Whitman believes that God has created all men and women equal with each other and everyone should be treated the same. During the time that this poem was written, many tensions were rising and the preparations for the Civil War escalated and Whitman illustrates in this work about his own take on what is really means to be an American by showing that all different kinds of people and places are needed to work and fused together in order to become a strong unity. If people are able to have strong friendships and work together, despite their differences, a lot of good can result from it. God created the world for everyone, so because of this, everyone has the same rights to live life to its highest potential. Ultimately throughout this poem, Whitman wanted people to be able to understand the significance and specialty of life why it is worth
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.
This poem showed that anyone can be somebody no matter what background they came from or situation they're in. He then proceeded to say that people need
We are able to see this when Whitman says “The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck, The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands”(Whitman, 5-7). That quote shows how the people like doing there job. But in the poem “I, Too” it talks about racism and how he is going to overcome it, we can see this when Hughes states “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed(15-17)” this shows that he doesn 't care about what they think about him because he know that he is beautiful. This shows how the two poems are different by how they both have different stories and meanings behind the writing. They are different stories because the two talk about two different things like in “I Hear America Singing,” Whitman talks about how everyone loves what they do and want to sing because of it while in the poem “I, Too,” Hughes writes about racism and how he can overcome it, which shows how different the two poems
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
The poem continues with the next line that states, “Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)” (3). Whitman is talking about how he is not faithful or smart enough to judge other people for their flaws. The next line states “Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,” (4) This line means that people selfishly seek out worldly possessions and that this occurrence seems to be a never-ending cycle in the world. The next line states “Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,” (5) Whitman is saying that he sees countless people and yet, they are each boring or immoral and have nothing to show for their life.
Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman emphasize the importance of living true to yourself and developing complete self-acceptance. To live a genuine life and completely accept who you are, you must understand your identity and your sense of self. In Self-Reliance, Emerson explains that your identity and your sense of self are spiritual. Whitman argues, in Song of Myself, that your identity and sense of self are based on both your soul and your body. While both Emerson and Whitman allow for intimate connections and friendships, Emerson encourages people to have relationships with a select few, whereas Whitman encourages people to connect with everyone and anyone, due to their different views of self.
The majority of the poem has a very carefree tone about how joyous life is, but it becomes darker when he brings up society and its influence on individuals. Whitman uses this shift in tone to emphasize the positivity of individuals, which is a stark contrast to his tone when he brings up society’s hold on you. Whitman stresses the importance of remaining an individual despite society’s constant pressure to
In Walt Whitman 's "Song of Myself," the author desires to encompass the American identity within one poem, embarking on a
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.
In the very last segment of the poem, “All goes onward and outward… and nothing collapse / and to die is different from what anyone supposed and / luckier.” (45-47) Whitman’character that he chose finally shows how he has accepted death as a part of life. Accepting that death is a part of everyone’s life is one of the worst and most extraordinary things that a person can be willing to be at peace with death. The worst part about accepting death is that every single individual will die. The best part is that each individual has the motive to get up in the morning and complete goals.
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
One way that Whitman conveys his poetry is through the eyes of the everyday man. In this period of American history, the civil war was ongoing, and his poetry did not shy away from the everyday
He, unlike other poets of the time, he shines a positive light on women and glorifies their strength and power. Whitman makes the decision in “Song of Myself” to direct
Whitman, in the end, uses his poems to express his inner feelings that he did not want to share directly to the
Whitman 's idea of equality is so strong that he even devotes the very first lines of Song of Myself to it. He