ESSAY

SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Read Walt Whitman’s poem Song of Myself. http://www.daypoems.net/poems/1900.html (click link below).

By Thursday 2/4 write a 350-400 word essay that conveys your impression of this poem. You are encouraged to offer your own insights, but might consider some of these thematic questions: What is Whitman’s view of the individual’s place in the larger world and in the universe? What is Whitman’s attitude toward nature? How does the poet’s view of nature compare with his view of human society? What is Whitman’s view of love, sex and the procreative impulse? What is the purpose of the poet’s mixed use of concrete and abstract language? How does Whitman use allusions to historic events? How does Whitman respond to the burning racial issues of his time? What mysteries is the poet seeking to understand? How does this text relate to current issues of interest to you and your generation?