The Emotions In Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself

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. In the poem, Walt Whitman does not directly come out and say the word death specifically, but the evidence behind the word can be implied. For example, Whitman said, “ I do not know what it is- but I know it is in me” (1066). In other words, Whitman feels an emotion but is confused about it, since the feeling is unfamiliar to him. He does not know what the feeling is so Whitman logically connects the …show more content…
Even though the speaker is confused and is not too entirely sure of what he is feeling at the beginning of the poem, in the end he came to the realization that the emotion he was feeling was indeed happiness. Whitman feelings towards the emotion happiness sort of catches the readers by surprise since it is an emotion that has had been dormant in him for a while, which allows the audience to insinuate happiness was unfamiliar to him. For instance, Walt Whitman said, “Something it swings on more than the earth I swing on” (1066). The quote above shows the turning point of section 50 since it discusses that whatever the speaker is feeling is bigger than even the earth itself. In other words, the feeling Whitman is experiencing is greater than himself, that happiness can not be put into words or into any symbol. He believed that happiness could only be described as waiting for a friend ready to embrace the