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Diction And Figurative Language In Walt Whitman's O Me ! O Life

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Walt Whitman uses diction and figurative language to find the purpose of life in his poem, “O Me! O Life!”. For the duration of the first stanza, a negative choice of vocabulary describes the problems of life. “The endless trains of the faithless” (2), displays a lack of hope that leads to a morose tone. Other words bring a depressed mood to the first stanza such as, “vainly…empty…[and] useless” (4,6). However, the second stanza grows into a purposeful mood through the words, “life exists and identity” (9). The metaphor used in the second stanza fetters the poem to finding the purpose. “The powerful play” (10), exemplifies our society and, “contributing a verse” (10), displays anyone fulfilling their purpose. The figurative language

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