Song of Myself 26-29
Whitman Line 26-29
1. The First Line- The speaker decides to do nothing but listen and be attentive to the sounds around him to appreciate them more. There is a threefold repetition of “I hear” in this section and that “I” is referring to Whitman’s speaker, to show his own experiences with sound and touch but the sounds he hears relates to everyone. “I” is the kind of person who is fascinated with the simple things people do in their everyday lives and he wants to experience these things with only using touch and hearing. * Relates to Romanticism since he is celebrating individualism and the simplicity of human activity. 2. Techniques- Diction is very informal since the verses don not have a regular form, meter, or rhythm. Repetition of “The” and “I” is appropriate to list the things he is actually hearing. This listing gives the poem a rapid pace when being said. Uses of imagery when talking about “ring of alarm bells” and “The cry of fire” which also shows his use of personification. 3. The tone switches from amused to jubilant when he refers to violoncello and orchestra which represents the most pleasant sound of all to him. This is when he shifts into his own personal feelings. He searches through everyday sounds just to reach that fulfillment. The speaker goes back to using “I hear” as an anaphora also giving this section a rapid pace. * Transcendentalism is connected since the speaker sees the spiritual joy in music which connects him to happiness. 4. Toward the end of 26, the tone switches from jubilant to confusion. The music he loves to listen to takes him back to a state of death and he begins to question reality. He uses the phrase “puzzle of puzzles” to refer to the “Being”. The Being symbolizes mysterious and questions he has about life and our purpose on this earth. 5. When we enter part 27, the tone goes back to jubilant and also curiosity while moving on to a new type a sense called “touch”. He starts off with a
1. The First Line- The speaker decides to do nothing but listen and be attentive to the sounds around him to appreciate them more. There is a threefold repetition of “I hear” in this section and that “I” is referring to Whitman’s speaker, to show his own experiences with sound and touch but the sounds he hears relates to everyone. “I” is the kind of person who is fascinated with the simple things people do in their everyday lives and he wants to experience these things with only using touch and hearing. * Relates to Romanticism since he is celebrating individualism and the simplicity of human activity. 2. Techniques- Diction is very informal since the verses don not have a regular form, meter, or rhythm. Repetition of “The” and “I” is appropriate to list the things he is actually hearing. This listing gives the poem a rapid pace when being said. Uses of imagery when talking about “ring of alarm bells” and “The cry of fire” which also shows his use of personification. 3. The tone switches from amused to jubilant when he refers to violoncello and orchestra which represents the most pleasant sound of all to him. This is when he shifts into his own personal feelings. He searches through everyday sounds just to reach that fulfillment. The speaker goes back to using “I hear” as an anaphora also giving this section a rapid pace. * Transcendentalism is connected since the speaker sees the spiritual joy in music which connects him to happiness. 4. Toward the end of 26, the tone switches from jubilant to confusion. The music he loves to listen to takes him back to a state of death and he begins to question reality. He uses the phrase “puzzle of puzzles” to refer to the “Being”. The Being symbolizes mysterious and questions he has about life and our purpose on this earth. 5. When we enter part 27, the tone goes back to jubilant and also curiosity while moving on to a new type a sense called “touch”. He starts off with a