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Who Is The Self In Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

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From the very beginning of Walt Whitman’s poem Song of Myself, it is apparent that he is giving the reader a sort of stream of self-presentations by stating, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself… For whatever atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (Whitman 24). With these lines being said it can be seen that Whitman views himself as having a type of connection with the person who reads him as well as indicating that he is rejoicing in who he is and is someone that is proud of who he is and the life that he lives. . Whitman also seems to give a sense of viewing humanity equally by stating, “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (Whitman 24), thus indicating that he believes everyone is born equally in a sense. Furthermore, it is apparent that Whitman is not only presenting himself, but is also referring to himself as being one with the world or nature by stating, “I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked” (Whitman …show more content…

Essentially, the poem expresses Whitman’s feelings and emotions of sorrow, pain, and loss towards Lincoln while asserting that it is natural to mourn for someone who he viewed as a deceased hero. Vivid imagery is used throughout the majority of this poem in order to indicate Whitman’s feeling of sorrow towards Lincoln by stating “When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d… I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring” (Whitman 79), thus indicating that as Lincoln fell from power and died, Whitman mourned and continues to mourn every spring as he sees blooming lilacs and the falling star. Based on the poems use of symbolism it can also be assumed that Whitman had feelings of fondness and admiration towards Lincoln by indirectly referring to Lincoln as the “great star,” which is seen a source of light, similarly to how Lincoln was seen

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