Finish reading and discussing Whitman
a. “Song of Myself,” among other things, is a meditation on “the individual’s relationship with the universe.” What do you think is your own relationship with the universe? Have you thought about this before? What kinds of questions do you think Whitman will seek to answer?
b. Whitman has been called the “father of free verse,” but what is free verse? What are the distinctions of free verse, compared to some other formal styles of poetry? What examples of free verse poetry can you think of?
c. The preview mentions that Whitman’s time was marked by “a growing self- awareness, the search for identity [and] the evolution of morality.” What was the historical and social context of this poem? What was happening in America in 1860? In what social issues and upheavals can you see evidence of this shift in thought?
i. Whitman’s poem begins with a statement of purpose: “I will celebrate myself, and sing myself.” Why does Whitman want to celebrate himself? Which aspects of his “self” do you think he wants to celebrate?
ii. Why might the “celebration of self” have been a bold subject for a poem in
the 1850s? How was Whitman attempting to subvert the status quo? Why was this concept somewhat controversial in its day?
iii. Though it might not seem so dramatic by today’s standards, what “rules” of rhyme and verse is Whitman breaking in “Song of Myself? How does this poem compare to poems you may have read from earlier in the 19th century?
iv. Why does Whitman speak directly to the reader in the first stanza? How does Whitman see his relationship with readers of this poem? What is the relationship between the “self,” as he puts it, and everyone else?
v. How are Whitman’s ideas, descriptions and language poetic? If there are no rhymes, conventions, formal rules, etc., what makes this a poem? Do you like this style of poetry? Why/why not?
vi. What is Whitman’s overall worldview, as judging from this excerpt? Speculate on Whitman’s beliefs about life and the meaning of existence, as well as our role in the universe as individuals.
HMWK: Read and annotate Emerson's Self-Reliance for discussion tomorrow
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