What Does Whitman Mean When He Says What I Assume You Shall Assume?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

What does Whitman mean when he says what I assume you shall assume? The poet will “sing myself,” but “what I assume you shall assume,/For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” The poet loafs on the grass and invites his soul to appear.

He relates that he was “form'd from this soil,” for he was born here, as were his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.

Contents hide

What does it mean I celebrate myself and sing myself and what I assume you shall assume For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you?

Read the line from “Song of Myself.” For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. What is the effect of the word “atom” in this line and later in the poem? It

emphasizes the narrator's belief that every parcel of the Earth belongs to everyone

.

What does Whitman remark that the reader should assume Song of Myself?


I celebrate myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

What does the first stanza of Song of Myself mean?

Whitman begins the poem by asserting the idea of self and its identification with all selves, and its identification with all selves and emphasizing his belief in the interrelationship of all beings and all matter. This is the first indication of its theme of

unity of all life and nature the inherent transcendence

.

What is the meaning of the poem Song of Myself by Walt Whitman?

As Walt Whitman, the specific individual, melts away into the abstract “Myself,” the poem

explores the possibilities for communion between individuals

. Starting from the premise that “what I assume you shall assume” Whitman tries to prove that he both encompasses and is indistinguishable from the universe.

What is the meaning of the poem I celebrate myself and sing myself?

There is a reason Walt Whitman, writes “I Celebrate Myself, and Sing Myself,”

to show the importance of loving yourself and cherishing your own personal qualities as a human being

. He speaks of himself, hoping to grab his readers' attention.

Which statement best describes the theme of Song of Myself?

Which statement best describes the theme of “Song of Myself”?

There is room for many experiences and, indeed, selves within one self.

How Whitman answered the question what does it mean to be an American?

Whitman answered the question “What does it mean to be an American?” in his poem “Song of Myself” with his themes of

American Identity, democracy, and equality

that he developed throughout the essay.

What does perfume symbolize in Song of Myself?

“Perfumes” are symbols of

other individual selves

; but outdoors, the earth's atmosphere denotes the universal self. The poet is tempted to let himself be submerged by other individual selves, but he is determined to maintain his individuality.

Is Walt Whitman an egotist?

Some critics confuse Whitman's use of self and soul to be egotism through his use of the pronoun ‘I';, but he uses ‘I'; as a universal, a part of the angelic world (God), and therefore

he is not an egotistical man

.

Why is Song of Myself important?

He used ‘Song of Myself' to explore those ideas while preaching self-knowledge, liberty and acceptance for all. With its free-form and loose structure, its compelling rhythms, multiple themes and shifting narrators, ‘Song of Myself' is

widely considered one of the first truly modern

.

What does the second stanza in from a Song of Myself mean?

The second stanza contains

four main thoughts defining the relationship Whitman has with Nature

. First, he uses rich imagery–“I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked”–to proclaim that in Nature he is able to truly achieve pure honesty.

What kind of poem is Song of Myself?

The term “

free verse

” was popularized by 20th century poets like William Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsberg whom Whitman inspired. The term means “a poem with no regular form or meter.” If that's the definition, then “Song of Myself” is free verse.

What is the major symbol Whitman works with in Song of Myself?

The major symbols, used here are ‘I', ‘the grass', ‘the journey', ‘body', ‘soul', ‘plants', ‘animals', ‘heavenly bodies', etc.

The ‘I' or self

is perhaps the single most important symbol in ‘Song of Myself'.

Why does the poet celebrate his own self in the poem Song of Myself?

In “Song of Myself,” Walt Whitman celebrates the self. The speaker of the poem speaks not just for himself but for all mankind,

praising the joy and wonder of experiencing nature

. In this 52-part poem, Whitman celebrates the human body and its ability to become one with the self and with nature.

Who is the self in Song of Myself?

“Song of Myself” celebrates the poet's self; the ‘I' of the poem is

the poet himself

, and at the same time it is universalized. In . Section 1, the poet says; “I celebrate myself”.

What is the meaning of I understand the large hearts of heroes?

This poem is about

Walt feeling empathy for the heroes that we dont always consider heroes ourself

. He looked deeper then we do, not just considering the people who fought in war as heroes, but people who did heroic things.

Which statement would Walt Whitman most likely agree with?

With which statement would Walt Whitman most likely agree?

Death doesn't necessarily mean the end to one's existence.

What are the main themes of Song of Myself?

There are three important themes:

the idea of the self, the identification of the self with other selves, and the poet's relationship with the elements of nature and the universe

. Houses and rooms represent civilization; perfumes signify individual selves; and the atmosphere symbolizes the universal self.

Which statement best describes the rhyme of Song of Myself?

Which statement best describes the rhythm of “Song of Myself”?

The rhythm is very similar to the rhythm of everyday speech.

What did Walt Whitman believe?

Whitman believes that

there are two parts to the soul; one is the body, and the other is the soul

. Abase means to humble yourself and bow down to others. He believes that the body should not bow down to the soul.

Does Whitman believe that?

Whitman believes that

animals and humans are essentially similar

. Animals have the moral values and those values which humans had .

What is Walt Whitman impact on society?

Whitman worked to capture the vividness of visual art in language, and he

mimicked the mental and emotional stimulation of an exhibition space in his organization of Leaves of Grass

.

What does it mean to speak at every hazard?

The last line reads, “I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard, Nature without check with original energy. “ The speaker describes

the use of intelligence outside the boundaries of knowledgeability

. The speaker reveals experience and action out of one's awareness as the highest use of intelligence.

What does the love of Whitman poetry represent?

It shows

Whitman's love of life and of experience

. It indicates Whitman's perception that he is above others' judgment. It reflects Whitman's ideas about the capacity of the human spirit.

What is the tone of Song of Myself?

The dominant tone of “Song of Myself” is

joyous and mystical

. The cycle of life renews itself constantly, and so conquers death. If each person absorbs this knowledge, each may feel kinship with all life, and so gain a sense of victory over mortality.

Why was Leaves of Grass controversial?

Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass created an uproar from the moment it was first published in 1855 and all through its subsequent nine editions. This classic work of was deemed “obscene,” “too sensual,” and “shocking”

because of its frank portrayal of sexuality and its obvious homoerotic overtones

.

Which of the literary movements best represents Song of Myself?

Summary & Genre. Quite simply, Whitman's poem is an unabashed celebration all about himself, exemplifying the

Transcendental Movement

to a “T.” The poem had no title when first published in his collection, Leaves of Grass (1855).

Is Leaves of Grass an epic poem?

Leaves of Grass' Still Growing, Inspiring Author Diane Ackerman writes that Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass is

an epic journey of self-discovery

.

What best describes death in because I could not stop for death?

Because I could not stop for death,' Dickinson's best-known poem, is a depiction of one speaker's journey into the afterlife with personified “Death” leading the way. In her poem ‘Because I could not stop for Death', Emily Dickinson describes

a close encounter with “Death” and “Immortality”

.

How the leaves are falling fast?

1. What does the poet mean when he says ” Now the leaves are falling fast”? Ans- The poet means that

the leaves of the branches of the tree are falling and the trees are becoming leafless

. It is also meant by a person who slowly goes to its death and at last in a grave.

Why do you think he called his life's work Leaves of Grass?

Leaves of Grass


This pun represents the poetic voice contained within the pages of the book, which appears preoccupied by visible, physical things such as the human body

.

How does the poet describe the path in the first stanza?

2. How does the poet describe the path in the first stanza? Ans: The poet describe the path as

a long brown path

in the first stanza.

Which song did Whitman finally introduce himself by name?



Song of Myself

” is a poem by Walt Whitman (1819–1892) that is included in his work Leaves of Grass. It has been credited as “representing the core of Whitman's poetic vision.”

Why is Song of Myself free verse?

What is the most likely reason the author chose a free verse structure for “Song of Myself”?

Free verse allowed for the expression of expansive ideas

. How do these lines reflect the poet's general style? They show the poem's relaxed, candid tone.

Which image does Whitman use to symbolize the person who has passed away?

As the speaker mourns the loss of Lincoln, he drops a lilac spray onto the coffin; the act of

laying a flower on the coffin

not only honors the person who has died but lends death a measure of dignity and respect. The title Leaves of Grass highlights another of Whitman's themes: the beauty of the individual.

Emily Lee
Author
Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.