What does my tongue every atom of my blood form'd from this soil this air?

My tongue, every atom of my blood, form'd from this soil, this air, Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same, I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin, Hoping to cease not till death.
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What is the meaning of the poem Song of Myself?

As Walt Whitman, the specific individual, melts away into the abstract “Myself,” the poem explores the possibilities for communion between individuals. Starting from the premise that “what I assume you shall assume” Whitman tries to prove that he both encompasses and is indistinguishable from the universe.
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What is the meaning of Whitman's notion that the United States is not merely a nation but a teeming nation of nations?

In the poem "Leaves of Grass", What is the meaning of Whitman's notion that the United States "is not merely a nation but a teeming nation of nations"? Whitman refers to the cultural diversity of the American people.
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What is the theme of Song of Myself by Walt Whitman?

There are three important themes: the idea of the self, the identification of the self with other selves, and the poet's relationship with the elements of nature and the universe. Houses and rooms represent civilization; perfumes signify individual selves; and the atmosphere symbolizes the universal self.
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What is the meaning of I celebrate myself and sing myself?

There is a reason Walt Whitman, writes “I Celebrate Myself, and Sing Myself,” to show the importance of loving yourself and cherishing your own personal qualities as a human being. He speaks of himself, hoping to grab his readers' attention.
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"Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman



What does I loaf and invite my soul mean?

This opening chapter proclaims his famous line, "I loaf and invite my soul." This perfectly reflects Whitman's sensibilities: on the one hand, it suggests a languorous sensuality while, on the other hand, his "loafing" can be understood as spiritual rest, the stillness that genuinely invites the sacred experience.
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What does Walt Whitman mean in Song of Myself When he says for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you?

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. What is the effect of the word "atom" in this line and later in the poem? It emphasizes the narrator's belief that every parcel of the Earth belongs to everyone.
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What is the major symbol in Whitman's Song of Myself?

The major symbols, used here are 'I', 'the grass', 'the journey', 'body', 'soul', 'plants', 'animals', 'heavenly bodies', etc. The 'I' or self is perhaps the single most important symbol in 'Song of Myself'.
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What are three major themes that surface as you read Whitman's Song of Myself?

Song of Myself Themes
  • Identity. The word "identity" occurs only a couple of times in "Song of Myself," but it is easily the central theme of this vast epic. ...
  • Visions of America. America was not just a place to Whitman, it was also an idea and a goal to shoot for. ...
  • Friendship. ...
  • Spirituality. ...
  • Sex.
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How is nature presented in Whitman's poetry explain?

Whitman's universal purpose of nature is to connect not only the human living self but the dead as well. He achieves this by giving the dead a purpose and explaining how they help nature. For example, one of the lines in the poem is “And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves” (line 101).
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What is the main purpose of Whitman's preface?

Walt Whitman's Preface to the first edition of Leaves of Grass is a text manifestly highlighting the bond between esthetics and politics. This programmatic statement, expressing Whitman's utmost self-confidence as well as his faith in compatriots, has a double focus: poetry and nation.
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What does Whitman mean when he calls America a nation of nations How does he develop the idea in I Hear America Singing?

In the poem “Leaves of Grass” What is the meaning of Whitman's notion that the United States “is not merely a nation but a teeming nation of nations”? Whitman refers to the cultural diversity of the American people. … Whitman replaces lines with land and words with human beings.
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What according to Whitman preface to Leaves of Grass should be the theme of the poem?

In his “Preface to Leaves of Grass,” Whitman declares that America encloses the past and the future, and that Americans “have probably the fullest poetical nature.
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What is the effect of the word atom in this line and later in the poem?

What is the effect of the word "atom" in this line and later in the poem? It emphasizes the narrator's belief that every parcel of the Earth belongs to everyone.
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What is the meaning of I Sing the Body Electric?

I Sing the Body Electric is the title of a 2011 song by the trip hop band Arms and Sleepers. What does it mean? She is evoking Whitman's praise of the body and its sensuality, the oneness of all people.
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How does the form of Song of Myself help the poem communicate its theme?

How does the form of "Song of Myself" help the poem communicate its theme? By moving forward without formal restraints, the poet justifies expressions of freedom in the work.
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What ideas of Whitman's use of imagery do you get from a study of his poem?

Whitman's use of imagery shows his imaginative power, the depth of his sensory perceptions, and his capacity to capture reality instantaneously. He expresses his impressions of the world in language which mirrors the present. He makes the past come alive in his images and makes the future seem immediate.
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Which of these is a poetic device Walt Whitman often uses to emphasize certain ideas in his poems?

Which of these is a poetic device Walt Whitman often uses to emphasize certain ideas in his poems? Personification.
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How does Whitman use stanzas to convey a change in the speaker's persona?

Whitman use stanzas to convey a change in the speaker's persona by describing the main building block of apoem dividing the lines to express more to the audience2. Whitman's word choice makes the women a sympathetic figure because the words he uses have apowerful meaning.
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What do you make of grass as a symbol throughout the Song of Myself What does grass mean to Whitman and how does he use this symbol?

Whitman continues the metaphor of seeing grass as the rebirth of the dead into the cyclical nature of life. He makes this a hopeful message by saying that death is actually “luckier” than life. The way that Whitman speaks about matter never disappearing just being reused and reformed feels almost scientific.
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What is it about Whitman's poem that makes it a clear expression of American democracy?

1. Song of Myself is a hymn to Democracy, to America, and to America's diverse working people. In the poem, Whitman travels America to express solidarity with the experiences of many different Americans in many different regions. He depicts Americans as a new kind of people, unique in the history of the world.
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What does the grass signify in Song of Myself and why would Whitman choose Leaves of Grass for the title of his entire life's work?

Each leaf or blade of grass possesses its own distinct beauty, and together the blades form a beautiful unified whole, an idea Whitman explores in the sixth section of “Song of Myself.” Multiple leaves of grass thus symbolize democracy, another instance of a beautiful whole composed of individual parts.
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What is the best interpretation of this excerpt from Song of Myself?

What is the best interpretation of this excerpt from “Song of Myself”? These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, they are not original with me, / If they are not yours as much as mine they are nothing, or next to nothing…. Whitman admits that he has borrowed poetic ideas from writers of the past.
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What does Whitman remark that the reader should assume Song of Myself?

I celebrate myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
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Which statement best describes how these lines reflect the general structure of the poem Song of Myself?

Which statement best describes how these lines reflect the general structure of the poem? Just as the poem has a loose, open structure, these lines display personal freedom.
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