Walt Whitmans Song of Myself Essay -- Song of Myself Essays

Walt Whitmans Song of MyselfWalt Whitmans Song of Myself is, on the most elemental descriptive level, a re entirelyy long poem. Whitman is clearly a poet with a lot to say, or at least with a lot of various ways to say it. He meanders from the micro to the macro, from atoms to the whole earth. Thither are obviously myriad ways to explain what the poem is about, and myriad keys to its accepted meaning. In what became slit 6 of the final edition (lines 90-121 of the 1855 edition ) Whitman himself addresses this variant of meta- wonder of interpretation. By doing so in one of the quieter, more straightforward fractions of the poem, Whitman invites us to use the section as one such key. In Section 6, Whitman lays out a (possible) microcosm of Song of Myself and gives a very kind prompt that here is a place where befuddled readers stinker ease their way into the poem. Whitman signals from the fount of this passage that it is more accessible than most of his others. The first line tells us simply of a question asked by a child ?A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands?? (90). In course to some of the earlier lines--the challenge of line 22 (?Have you reckoned a thousand acres much? Have you reckoned the earth much??) or the confusion of lines 30-31 (?I have heard what the talkers were talking?.the talk of the kickoff and the death,/but I do not talk of the beginning and the end?.?) --this information is easy to process. We are likely to pause and enjoy the gratifying image of an inquisitive child, hands full of grass. Although Whitman goes on to catalogue all kinds of similar brief, simple sketches, for the moment we only have to deal with one. This whiz child is a messenge... ... (as determined by the 1891-1892 edition). Whitman?s answer to the question he posed to us earlier is now just what we major power expect. ?They are alive and well somewhere/The smallest sprout shows there is real no death? he tells us (116). This seems almost to say ? ethical job?you followed my clues correctly, you too substructure read poetry.? By setting this section up, Whitman gives us one of his main themes that we can proceed to follow finished this poem. At the same time, he shows us that one poem can be about many different ideas, and so cautions us against beingness too adamant about our newly discovered lens. His multitude of ?uttering tongues? can be confusing, but he does not leave us desert?he gives us a map that shows one way to travel this poem, and also the freedom to discover others at will. Works CitedWhitman, Walt. Song of Myself. 14 Nov 2006 .