English Literature

Unit Three – Poems

I CELEBRATE MYSELF, AND SING MYSELF:
➢ Poet: Walt Whitman.
➢ Meaning: it marks as an introduction to the collection of “Song of Myself” as he
introduces himself in this poem.
➢ Structure: Type: free verse poem (no rhyme or regular meter)
Division: 13 lines, 4 stanzas.
Speaker: 1st POV.
➢ Tone: celebratory.
➢ Mood: happiness, optimism, joy.
➢ Theme: practical experience is more important than the theoretical one; nature is the
ultimate source of knowledge.

➢ Transcendentalist Beliefs: the poet is connecting himself spiritually with nature;

death is the beginning of another life; nature is the main source of knowledge.

Word Meaning Word Meaning

Assume Suppose/consider Ease Nature/calmness

Loaf Wander, roam, walk Lean Lean on/bend

Spear Grass Creeds Religious activities

Abeyance Suspension Harbor Abide

Check Doubt Hazard Chance/risk

Sufficed Enough Cease Stop (die)

1
L. Quotation Annotation

Metaphor: it is time to enjoy, celebrate and

have fun. (Compared himself to a song)

1st POV: repetition of the word I, reflects and

symbolizes a sense of pride as a human, an
American and a writer.
“I celebrate myself and sing
1 Romanticism: the use of “I” is a romantic
myself”
influence as it focuses on individualism and
self-discovery.
Symbol: self-discovery and pride.

Catalogue in parallel to create cadence

Enjambment (L.1-3)

Shift in pronouns: he connects with all people.

EG: he connects himself with all people by

saying what I understand, take on and learn
“What I assume, you shall
2 from this world, you shall do the same thing as
assume”
if he is inviting people to enjoy their lives as
well with him.

Parallel (Subject +Verb)

EG: he introduces the reason for celebrating

one’s self: that it is because we all connected;
“For every atom belonging to we are all the same, that is if there is anything
3 good to me, I have to inform you, to share this
me as good belongs to you”
goodness and happiness.
Sense of connection
Parallel (phrases)

Anaphora: to emphasize the word the line

begins with, and to create natural harmony.
4 “I loaf and invite my soul” EG: not only will he celebrate, but he will also
roam around, be close to nature gazing at its
beauty and invite his soul with him.

2

4 “I loaf and invite my soul”
“I lean and loaf at my ease
5 observing a spear of summer
grass”
“My tongue, every atom of my
6 blood, formed from this soil and
this air”
“Born here of parents born from
7 parents the same and their
parents the same”
Personification: soul represents spiritual
connection (transcendental) as if the soul is his
companion or friend.
Transcendental journey: connect yourself
spiritually with nature to find a truth.
Parallel (verbs) for melody and cadence.
Enjambment: run on
EG: he is not only walking but leaning closely
to the nature, flowers, birds to listen to them
and to enjoy their beauty. He is spending his
time gazing at the grass; he found out that it
symbolizes the cycle of life as it sprouts in
summer and dies out in winter and so on.
This endless cycle of life and death
Ease represents comfort and simplicity.
Symbolism
Parallel (v) and refrain
EG: my tongue and every cell in me is formed
soil as all creatures are formed from it.
Belief: He connected himself with nature and
found out that we are all same as grass formed
from soul as we all also breathe the same air.
Symbol: unity and connection.
Parallel and catalogue (to emphasize unity)
Synecdoche: the part represents the whole or
vice versa (tongue and atom).
EG: we are all the same as we all have the same
ancestors.
Symbol: equality
Purpose: idea of equality is conveyed through
parallelism and repetition.
3
 EG: he tells us about his age at that time and
how he is energetic, strong, healthy and happy
Some people younger than him may look older
than their actual age bc they’re sad as they don’t
8 “I now 37 years old in perfect
enjoy their lives and have fun.
health begin”
Elliptical construction: I am now
To break conventions of poetry as a hidden
message of breaking rules of society and living
life freely.

EG: he hopes to stay in this positive form,

9 “Hoping to cease not till death”
optimism and healthy life till he dies

Romantic influence: we need some time to put

10 “Creeds and schools in school, logic and science aside.
abeyance”
Parallelism

“Retiring back, a while sufficed

EG: but not always tho, as sometimes we need
11 at what they are, but never
to rely on books and science but not 100%
forgotten”

EG: I try, adventure and discover the truth by

myself as I have the courage to speak without
restrictions and at the end, I will find truth.
“I harbor for good or bad, I Symbolism: people can find truth by
12
permit to speak at every hazard” themselves if they tried in practical experience
rather than theoretical one (school)
Parallelism (harbor, permit)/(good, bad)

EG: nature with no doubt is the original source

of knowledge.
13 “Nature without check with
original energy” People can learn from experiences and life more
than they can learn at school.

Note: music/natural beat or melody are created in this poem by the use of cadence, sound devices, and repetition