English 4
Mr. Merrill
Jeffrey Baker
Literary Features:
- Repetition with the words, “see, O, and, and other simple
words, Haste, haste, haste (first page) Urge and urge and urge; Repeated
phrases (pg. 65 line 38) same endings (pg. 65 40-44)
- Personification: locomotive panting,
- Parentheses are used
Rhyme/rhythm: No real rhymes; not even slanged rhymes
Structure:
- 2/3 commas with 3 clauses
- Mostly not structured
- He almost narrates his life
Tone/mood: He does not give in to the pressure that society
puts on him such as the common social norms of the world.
Mood: Somewhat passionate yet dreadful of what he is telling
the reader or the listener
What is Whitman’s message and how does he go about pursuing
it?
Throughout the reading of this poem
that is spilt up into different sections, I observed that Whitman gives his
best effort when trying to convey a message. This message is society is forcing
social norms into the minds of everyone and sets the mentality to follow them.
The line, “ You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self,” (pg.
65 L. 37) speaks to this so clearly. The meaning behind this line is that you
can certainly listen to all these people who are forcing the social norms, but
you can let it go one ear and out the other and they will not know the
difference. Another line, “I have no mocking or arguments, I witness and wait,
“ (pg. 67 L. 82) is explaining that he does not have anything derisive to say,
so he will just sit back and observe. Given these two lines and many others, identifying
and essentially doing the same thing, a reader of the poem can assume that Walt
Whitman’s message is not only to sit on the sidelines every once in a while,
but additionally to listen while there because the best way to succeed is to
listen to other’s ideas and understand what they are trying to say.
Song of Myself- Trevor Krupp
ReplyDeleteI read the poem Song of Myself by Walter Whitman. When I read this there was no rhyme but lots of flow. The flow happened I think they repeated many words. I think he repeated many words just like life. It was a free flowing poem. With out any Rhythm or Rhyme. Walter Whitman also does not have a filter. He doesn’t care what people think about him and always says what he wants. I think he did this to think he celebrates life, just like the opposite as Emily Dickinson. I think he thinks life is a beautiful but has some awful things, which are also beautiful. An example of this is when he talks about the Texas war in Alamo. He talks about the 150 men who were murdered in cold blood. After he mention are how they were massacred and wrote, “Squads and massacred, it was a early summer, the work commenced about five o’clock and was over by eight”.
He thinks the cycle of life is beautiful no matter what happens. I think he adds this because no matter when, life can stop and awful yet beautiful things can happen.