Walt Whitman's "Song Of Myself"

Read the quotation from "Song of Myself." I have no chair, no church, no philosophy, I lead no man to a dinner-table, library, exchange, But each man and each woman of you I lead upon a knoll, My left hand hooking you round the waist, My right hand pointing to landscapes of continents and the public road. Which statement best describes how these lines reflect the theme of the poem?

How do the images of travel in part 46 of "Song of Myself" contribute to the poem's theme?

Read the quotation from "Song of Myself." I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world. Which statement best describes how these lines reflect the general structure of the poem?

Read the quotation from "Song of Myself." It is not far, it is within reach, Perhaps you have been on it since you were born and did not know, Perhaps it is everywhere on water and on land. Shoulder your duds dear son, and I will mine, and let us hasten forth, Wonderful cities and free nations we shall fetch as we go. In this quotation, the first stanza has a different style from the second section. What does this suggest about Whitman's overall style in the poem?

Read the excerpt from "Song of Myself." Long enough have you dream'd contemptible dreams, Now I wash the gum from your eyes, You must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light and of every moment of your life. Long have you timidly waded holding a plank by the shore, Now I will you to be a bold swimmer, To jump off in the midst of the sea, rise again, nod to me, shout, and laughingly dash with your hair. What theme is suggested by this excerpt?

Read the line from "Song of Myself." 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?

What is the most likely reason the author chose a free verse structure for "Song of Myself"?

Which statement best describes the way the sections in the excerpt from "Song of Myself" are constructed?

Which statement best describes the theme of "Song of Myself"?

The sections of "Song of Myself" approach one subject from several different angles. How does this technique reflect the main theme of the poem?