Question

Explain three ways walt Whitman reflects romantic thinking in his writing using quotations from the excerpt song of myself

Answer 1

• "The sniff of green leaves and dry leaves, and of the shore and dark-color’d sea-rocks, and of hay in the barn,/ The sound of the belch’d words of my voice loos’d to the eddies of the wind"

In this quote, Whitman reflects Romantic thinking as he talks about the nature that surrounds him. Like most Romantic thinkers, Whitman finds a chance to reflect when surrounded by nature. Moreover, he finds a type of wisdom and inspiration in natural settings, and sees them as intrinsically connected to him.

• "You shall possess the good of the earth and sun, (there are millions of suns left,)/ You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books"

In these lines, Whitman refers to the "good of the earth and sun," to "the eyes of the dead," and "the spectres in books." All of these statements refers to cultural and traditional sources of inspiration and knowledge. A common trait among the Romantics was an interest in rediscovering such sources of knowledge.

• "I celebrate myself, and sing myself,/ And what I assume you shall assume,/ For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you."

A characteristic of Romantic literature is a focus on the author's inner world, inner feelings and personal experiences. In this poem, we see that Whitman mostly focuses on the feelings that exist within himself, and that make him reflect on his place in the world.