ipl-logo

Walt Whitman Tone

706 Words3 Pages

Cole Teeter
Ms. Mathes
English 11-3
9 February 2023
Wild Whitman’s Poem
In the poem “A child said, what is the Grass?” by Walt Whitman, the poem tells a story about how the character is caught between life and death. The character Whitman uses begins to understand and accept the ideas and topics presented. Whitman’s key tones presented in his poem are confused/confusing, understanding, and acceptance. The story discusses a confused character about life, death, and nature. He expresses his feeling throughout the poem, starting very confused but finally understanding why these things happen, and later expresses his acceptance towards it. In this poem, Whitman generates a confusing tone toward life and death, which later shifts to understanding …show more content…

The phrase “I guess….” A confusing technique can interpret this. “I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful / green stuff woven” (5-6). With this quote, his tone as a character seems confused with questions. As a character, he begins questioning many things he used to know. The confused tone helps readers understand that he does not fully grasp the meaning of life and death. “Or I guess it is a uniform hieroglyphic /, and it means sprouting alike in broad zones and marrow / zones, / Growing among black folk as among white, / Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressmen, Cluff, I give them the / same, I receive them the same.” (13-18) This quote also shows how confused the character is at the poem’s …show more content…

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. “What do you think has become of the women and / children.” (38-39) The character accepts this idea of the quote but still has questions. Everyone has questions about topics they do not fully understand. It takes time and knowledge to grasp the ideas

Show More
Related

  • The Perils Of Indifference By Elie Wiesel

    483 Words  | 2 Pages

    He quotes pieces throughout his speech that gives the reader a chance to think a little deeper about what is being said. He states, “They feared nothing. They felt nothing. They were dead and did not know it.” This quotation succeeds in a way that allows the audience to realize that the death he is talking about isn’t quick and easy, but lingering and devastating.

    Read More

  • How Does Walt Whitman Show Transcendentalism

    840 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the poem, Song of Myself by Walt Whitman, he shows the reader exactly what he thinks life is about and the Transcendentalist way of thinking about life. “Now I will

    Read More

  • When I Heard The Learn D Astronomer By Walt Whitman

    722 Words  | 3 Pages

    His meaning was that you should never overwork yourself, otherwise you may lose your passion. In lines five to eight, Whitman wrote, “ How soon ,unaccountable, I became tired and sick/,” But then ended his poem stating, “Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.” To understand what this means, we need to look at lines three and four, which describe a learning experience. Hinting to the idea that the speaker in the story was an astronomy student.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Sight In Camp In The Daybreak Gray And Dim By Walt Whitman

    701 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whitman writes his poem as the main character. He tries to walk himself through the life of the character. Whitman writes, “As slow I walk in the cool fresh air the path near by the hospital tent.” Whitman uses his unique point of view to walk the reader through the story. He wants the reader to walk in the shoes of a soldier who has seen first hand the horrors of war.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Transcendentalism In Dead Poets Society

    1194 Words  | 5 Pages

    Whitman was more intimate and exposed in regards to the body and soul with his writing, so much that his poems were thought to be disgusting by old English readers. Mr. Keating taught a poetry class and frequently incorporated Whitman into his lessons. Mr. Keating made his students rip up their poetry books’ introduction because he believed that poetry couldn’t be interpreted through a graph of ‘greatness’ but rather through emotions and feeling, stating, “We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion...poetry, beauty,romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Grass In Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

    197 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Comparing Dickinson And Whitman's Poetry

    932 Words  | 4 Pages

    Whitman and Dickinson share the theme of death in their work, while Whitman decides to speak of death in a more realistic point of view, Dickinson speaks of the theme in a more conceptual one. In Whitman’s poems, he likes to have a more empathic view of individuals and their ways of living. For example, in Whitman’s “Song of Myself”, the poet talks about not just of himself, but all human beings, and of how mankind works into the world and the life of it. Even though the poem mostly talks about life and the happiness of it, Whitman describes also that life itself has its ending, and that is the theme of death. For Dickinson, she is the complete opposite of happiness.

    Read More

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson And Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

    1633 Words  | 7 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Walt Whitman Attitude Towards Death Analysis

    800 Words  | 4 Pages

    Walt Whitman is one of the leading mystic poets of death in the field of American poetry. Death is assigned a distinguished space in his poetic universe of Leaves of Grasswhich immensely colours his vision of life. This paper is an attempt to present Whitman’s attitude towards death vis-à-vis global mystic perspective. Reality of Death

    Read More

  • Summary Of Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

    2326 Words  | 10 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Emily Dickinson And Walt Whitman Analysis

    763 Words  | 4 Pages

    And whether I come to my own to-day, or in ten thousand or ten million years, I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness I can wait” (406-411). Whitman brings light to death. He not only encourages those to embrace death, but to not shy away from it. Bringing individuals face-to-face with reality is where Whitman excelled, his writings were vividly personal, and left nothing to the imagination. Whitman truly inspired those of his time period to face life realities as they

    Read More

  • I Sing The Body Electric Poem Analysis

    1116 Words  | 5 Pages

    Whitman, in the end, uses his poems to express his inner feelings that he did not want to share directly to the

    Read More

  • Democracy And Democracy In Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

    1125 Words  | 5 Pages

    In this grand poem, Whitman glorifies the unity of all people and life. He embraces the geographical diversity as well as the diversity of culture, work, as well as sexuality or beliefs. Whitman’s influence sets American dreams of freedom, independence, and self-fulfillment, and changes them for larger spiritual meaning. Whitman appreciates hard work as well as being simple and non-egotistical. His major ideas are things such as soul, good health, as well as the love of nature.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

    938 Words  | 4 Pages

    Secondly, Whitman’s use of imagery shows the power of his imagination and the extent of his sensory impressions. Line twenty-two for example brings forth the energy coming from nature and its spiritual affect on the self. In addition, Whitman uses the senses to draw a picture for the reader. Touch for example, is used in “a few light kisses, a few embraces…”(1150). Hearing is used in “the sound of the belch’d words of my voice…”(1150).

    Read More

  • Examples Of Transcendentalism In Walt Whitman's 'Song Of Myself'

    842 Words  | 4 Pages

    Once a Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The soul comes from without into the human body, as into a temporary abode, and it goes out of it anew it passes into other habitations… It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die, but only retire a little from sight and afterwards return again. Nothing is dead;… and there they stand looking out of the window, sound and well, in some strange new disguise." As Whitman was influenced by Transcendentalism, he believed in reincarnation which idea is permanent existence. The individual “soul comes into incarnation (birth) and withdraws from incarnation (death), cyclically to gain experience and evolve in consciousness, each time as a new personality” (“Evolution in Consciousness: Karma and Reincarnation” para 6), therefore, through lines 1288-1297 Whitman keep on referring to death and how he is not afraid of death.

    Read More

More about Walt Whitman Tone

Open Document