Question

"I think I could turn and live with animals,they are so placid and self-contain'd,I stand and look at them long and long."a. What is the mood of the speaker?B. What does the word ‘turn' mean in this context?C. Why does the speaker wish to live with animals?D. Identify and explain the impact of the literary device used in line 3.

Answer 1

Answer:

1. The speaker is in a contemplative mood.

2. The word 'turn' in this context means being born into the fold of animals instead of humans. It is a sort of reincarnation.

3.  The speaker wishes to live with animals because they are calm, not easily upset, and contented.

4. Alliteration was employed in the words- long and long.

Explanation:

1. The poet Walt Whitman was likely contemplating or thinking to himself of all the attributes of animals which made them pleasing to him.

2. As a human, if he was to turn and live with animals, that would mean no longer being born as a human but rather being born into the fold of animals.

3. The speaker wishes to live with the animals because they are 'placid and self contain'd' which means that they are calm and not easily upset. They are also contented and do not drag each other for worldly possessions.

4. Alliteration is the repetition of the first letters or sounds of a string of words in a phrase. The letter repeated by the speaker is 'l'.