Question

Read poem 1 from "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman.

1

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

I loaf and invite my soul,
I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.

My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’d from this soil, this air,
Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their
parents the same,
I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,
Hoping to cease not till death.

Creeds and schools in abeyance,
Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are, but never forgotten,
I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard,
Nature without check with original energy.

Part A

What theme does Whitman develop in poem 1 of “Song of Myself”?

Responses

Despite its diversity, humankind shares the same origins.
Despite its diversity, humankind shares the same origins.

Those with experience have much to teach those who have none.
Those with experience have much to teach those who have none.

The key to a long life is an active mind and body.
The key to a long life is an active mind and body.

With ingenuity, humans can control natural forces.
With ingenuity, humans can control natural forces.
Question 2
Part B

Which line from poem 1 best develops the theme in Part A?

Responses

“Hoping to cease not till death.”
“Hoping to cease not till death.”

“And what I assume you shall assume,”
“And what I assume you shall assume,”

“Nature without check with original energy.”
“Nature without check with original energy.”

“For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”

Answer 1

The theme in Walt Whitman's poem 1 of “Song of Myself” is that all humans share the same origins. The line that best develops this theme is, “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”

Step-by-step explanation:

In poem 1 of “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman, the theme that is developed is the idea that despite its diversity, humankind shares the same origins. Whitman emphasizes the interconnectedness of all people, suggesting that each individual is linked to every other through a shared essence. He uses his own experience and being as a metaphor for a universal connection, exemplified in lines like, “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”

Looking at Part B, the line from the poem that best develops this theme is “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” This line poetically affirms that every part of the speaker's being is equivalent to that within every other person, thereby reinforcing the theme of a fundamental human kinship.