Analysis Of Whitman's Poem 'Who Learns My Lesson Complete'

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. So is it really complete?
The last stanza allowed for the …show more content…
They all must crowd around to join each other and balance each other. The second diction is “It is no lesson--it lets down to bars to a good lesson” (line 5) stating that what Whitman is trying to convey is not so much a lesson as it is a lesson for you to figure out on your own. The third example is of the lines that state “ The great laws take and effuse without argument”(line 7) which places the whole emphasis on the word great. The laws he connects it to is the laws of the universe which explains why he uses great. He sees these laws as something spectacular. The fourth example is “I am of the same style, for I am their friend”(line 8) which shows the word style appears to mean something else in this sentence. This word means universe as it refers back to the laws of the universe. Since he is the same universe as others, he is a part of them. The fifth example is “I lie abstracted, and hear beautiful tales of things, and the reasons of things”(line 10). The words abstracted and beautiful to strengthen the power of his message from this quote. He simply listens to what other have to say because he appreciates others thought process, he even forces himself to listen. The sixth example is “ It is no small matter, this round and delicious globe moving so exactly in its orb forever and ever” (line 13). The symbols of circular objects or orbs convey the message that despite our efforts to question each single concept that we have faced, our universe has continued its cycle no matter what. The seventh example is “ I do not think it was made in six days, nor in ten thousand years, nor ten billions of years” (line 14). Whitman shows the readers that he doesn’t believe in what religion has to say about the creation of the universe nor the science part of it, and in fact reveals what he believes in is much more complex