Symbolism In Whitman's Song Of Myself By Walt Whitman

Superior Essays
During the Poem “Song of Myself” Walt Whitman examines the complex idea of belonging in society by using sly commentary and symbols alike, while writing with a seemingly egotistical style. This piece was one of the twelve poems from the original collection of “Leaves of Grass” published in 1855, which was shortly before the Civil War started. This was a time of despair for Whitman because he was living in a fractured union. During this piece Whitman used many evocative situations to capture the readers imagination. The piece was written with mid-level diction, yet each line is crammed with significant detail. Whitman describes many issues that belong to society by telling a story about his own struggles with life as well as trying to belong …show more content…
The first symbol during “Song of Myself” by Whitman can be found in the first line. Whitman said, “I celebrate myself” Whitman seemed nothing more than arrogant at first glance. Yet if you continue to read throughout the piece you will discover he was celebrating not only himself, but also all of humanity. Hesitant, Whitman was not, as he displayed his ground rules to the audience in the second line by saying, “And what I assume you shall assume.” By this he means his audience should take on the roles and personalities he takes on. This was an extremely clever use of diction by Whitman to underplay the idea of belonging to his audience. During the third line Whitman writes with great passion to get closer to his audience. The third line of the piece states, “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” This single line by Whitman establishes the theme for the entire poem. He selflessly compares every atom in his body to every atom in the body of his audience with hopes to become one with his audience. Walt Whitman displays himself as no better than anyone else, even from the most basic unit of life on Earth. He shows the audience that we are all the same no matter how much we differ in appearance, property, and culture. This line was another major example of the sly commentary Whitman used to convey his desire to belong. Through this text Whitman confirmed his belief that …show more content…
Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson had significantly different reasons of why they wanted to belong; yet they both shared a burning passion to fit in with their societies. Whitman simply wanted to fit into his society. When he came to recognition that he could not do so he then accepted his differences and embraced them. Similar to Whitman, Dickinson also longed to fit in with the world around her. Though in contrast to Whitman, Dickinson found herself to become spiteful and isolated from the society she longed to be apart of so deeply. Dickinson seemed to want to oppose those against her and relate to the individuals that supported her. In modern day society individualism is considered to be socially unacceptable. Those who show individualism are usually considered to be “weird” in the world we live in presently. Our modern society influences individuals to be like everyone else. If you refuse to follow the current trends in our current society, then you are likely to find yourself isolated as Emily Dickinson was. On the other hand, Whitman found delight in his individualism. He learned to enjoy the little things in life and decided to stray from the trends. Walt Whitman wanted to change the society he was apart of so that everyone could belong. All in all, we should stop making such a great effort to belong in our modern society as Walt Whitman did. I connote that we make a push to live by

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    However, Whitman makes this poem about both himself and the reader. Obviously the poem is about Whitman’s beliefs—just look at the title. But in the poem, he does something so simple yet revolutionary for poetry that also emphasizes a balance of individualism and community, private and public thoughts: he directly addresses the reader. For example, in lines 1207-1208, “Not I, not anyone else can travel that road for you, / You must travel it for…

    • 1385 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Whitman's use of metaphor comparing his past surroundings to himself show the theme that one's identity is formed during their adolescence and is effected by their environment. Throughout one's life, a person is surrounded by people and situations that can, and will, have an effect on their identity. Whitman conveys through the metaphor…

    • 1538 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Also it shows what it is to be a true American. The Norton Anthology World Literature Volume E, it states “Walt Whitman left an astonishing legacy. ”(Puchner, 2012) “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, and for what I assume you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. ”(Puchner,…

    • 248 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Leaves Of Grass Sparknotes

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Almost every noun in this stanza symbolizes some part of America and almost everything can be read in more than one way, allowing Whitman to paint a much larger picture of America than he otherwise would have been able to do. The “place” Whitman repeatedly refers to is likely America itself, regardless of region. The majority of the second stanza is devoted to naming various geographic regions while asserting that every region is equally as valuable to Whitman; he calls himself “A Southerner soon as a Northerner” (6) and says that he is “[a]t home in the fleet of ice-boats… on the hills of Vermont or in the woods of Maine, or the Texan ranch” (11-12). He then declares, “I… am in my place” (20-22). To Whitman, America is the rightful place for all of its residents, represented here by the natural and celestial worlds.…

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Whitman's "Song of Myself" positions the individual at the center, and the individual (at least Whitman as the individual) is a multi-faceted, inclusive being. In "I Hear America Singing," Whitman refers to "the varied carols" of different workers ("mechanics" [2]), "the carpenter" [3], " the mason" [4], "the boatman"…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Walt Whitman Controversy

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages

    He heralded equal gender rights when he penned “ And I say it is as great to be a woman as to be a man” (21). This was before women even had the right to vote, and yet, here is Walt Whitman being the champion of women’s rights. Furthermore, he refers to race relations when he referred to grass….…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    (line 3) can be viewed as Whitman understanding that every person is equally important. Whitman is basically saying that being yourself is what makes each one of us unique and we should embrace our individualistic…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The title of this poem “Who Learns My Lesson Complete” develops from several ideas that Whitman expresses throughout the poem. Whitman goes from topics of time, religion, your own thoughts, and others to make them into one big lesson. As said in line 4, “It is no lesson-- it lets down the bars to a good lesson” whatever you take out of these ideas or the concept sharing of knowledge he is enforcing, that will be your lesson. Although Whitman tries to stir up thoughts for you to learn your lesson, it is you who will be the one to reach the fulfillment of your lesson. However, many may think that although the word is complete, you still may not learn completely everything you know.…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Song of Myself is a poem by Walt Whitman’s. This poem introduces a constant stream of human awareness, where he attempts to dissect death as common and transformative process, which should strike everyone. Walt Whitman was an American artist conceived in 1819 and passed on 26th March 1892. The artist was conceived around the local area of Huntington, Long Island, New York, U.S.In one of the sections from the poem, “Song of Myself” Walt Whitman starts out with a child asking a question, “What is the grass?” Grass is a symbol of life.…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Finding Self, Whitman’s Way: The One Among the Crowd “The impalpable sustenance of me from all things, at all hours of the day; The simple, compact, well-join’d scheme-myself disintegrated, everyone disintegrated, yet part of the scheme” (Whitman. “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.). Walt Whitman was a graceful, yet outlaw poet that pushed the boundaries ink and paper. Whitman’s works were a journey of finding self through the natural world and his relation to the world, along with cleaver wording that test the limits of his time.…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    1. In a sentence or two, what is the specific argument of "I Sing the Body Electric"? Why does this argument seem so important to Whitman (e.g., what is he speaking against?)? Overall, the specific argument made in Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric” is that every single human life is sacred. Whether you’re a man or woman, black or white, Whitman argues that we are all comprised of the same organs and body parts, and are all equal at the end of the day. He writes, “Each belongs here or anywhere, just as much as the well-off—just as much as you” (Whitman 86), arguing that despite race, gender, or nationality, each individual human being has their own place in the world and deserves to have a life just like anyone else.…

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” is about self-identification and experiencing certain emotions in life. Walt Whitman uses symbolism, metaphors, and philosophical thought to set a sense of creation for the readers. The poem also connects theses topics with specific objects in nature and leaves the audience thinking about their own lives. In section 50 of “Song of Myself” major themes such as a death, happiness, and a sense of purpose can all be found. In general, the themes show what the speaker is thinking and feeling at this point in his life and in the poem.…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As previously discussed, a desire for connections is one trait Whitman points out which most other authors do not, despite its pivotal role in our lives. Early within the poem “Whoever you are holding me now” Whitman provides an example of such, questioning, “Who is he that would become my follower? Who would sign himself a candidate for my affections?” (Whoever 5-6). Clearly and openly addressing this topic of companionship and connectiveness, Whitman shows his obvious interest and suggests how affections ‘work’ at the same time.…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Whitman is giving himself to nature eternally, he is showing the true love between a man and his American roots (Wiggins…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In A Song of Myself, Whitman writes that “there is really no death, And if ever there was it led forward life ,” which conveys his opinion that death shouldn’t be regarded negatively as it is essential to allow new life. Perhaps Whitman’s use of free verse helps to convey his positive and fearless attitude towards death as it allows his poem flow freely without being constricted by regular meter, which could translate to the idea that life is isn’t constricted by eternal death. The use of free verse therefore, gives Whitman’s poem the characteristic of being organic and ongoing which corresponds to the idea that death is similarly part of the ongoing process of life. It is important to question Whitman’s positive views on death considering his numerous encounters with people dying throughout his life such as family members and soldiers her tended as a nurse in the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. William J. Scheick describes how Whitman’s poetry “ not only reflects his century 's awareness of death and his own negotiation of apprehensions relating to mortality, they also reveal the poet 's deliberate effort to revise his culture 's attitude toward dying .”…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays