Transcript Text analysis “My heart leaps up”

Text analysis
“One’s self I Sing”
by Walt Whitman
Approaching Literary Genres p. 42
Millennium
ONE'S-SELF I sing
ONE'S-SELF I sing, a simple separate person,
yet utter the word Democratic, the word En-Masse.
Of physiology from top to toe I sing,
not physiognomy alone nor brain alone is worthy for the Muse, I say the Form
complete is worthier far,
the Female equally with the Male I sing.
Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power,
cheerful, for freest action formed under the laws divine,
the Modern Man I sing.
FOCUS ON THE
MEANING
1. What is the poet celebrating? Name three subjects of those mentioned in the poem.
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•
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He sings of the self , that is the individual in all its aspects. He sings of:
each individual, with no regard to his/her social status (“the word Democratic ….
En-Masse”, l. 2);
the body (“physiology”, l.3);
male and female; man and woman (“the Female equally with the Male I sing”, l.5);
life in all its richness and beauty (“Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power”, l.6);
in a word, he sings of what he considers to be “The Modern Man” (l.8)
ONE'S-SELF I sing, a simple separate person,
yet utter the word Democratic, the word EnMasse.
FOCUS ON THE MEANING
Of physiology from top to toe I sing,
2.
What do you think the poet means
not physiognomy alone nor brain alone is
by the line highlighted in yellow?
worthy for the Muse,
I say the Form complete is worthier far,
• The poet implies the idea that the whole
the Female equally with the Male I sing.
body, sex and physical life in general (see
Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power,
also “passion, pulse and power”, below),
cheerful, for freest action formed under the
not only just the mind , have to be
laws divine,
appreciated for what they are.
the Modern Man I sing.
ONE'S-SELF I sing, a simple separate person,
yet utter the word Democratic, the word En3.
Highlight in green the expressions
Masse.
that indicate that the idea of
Of physiology from top to toe I sing,
completeness, of unity runs through the
not physiognomy alone nor brain alone is
whole poem.
worthy for the Muse,
I say the Form complete is worthier far,
the Female equally with the Male I sing.
Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power,
cheerful, for freest action formed under the
laws divine,
the Modern Man I sing.
ONE'S-SELF I sing, a simple separate person,
yet utter the word Democratic, the word En- FOCUS ON
Masse.
4. This is both a poem of the self and of
Of physiology from top to toe I sing,
the universe.
not physiognomy alone nor brain alone is
Highlight in red the expression
worthy for the Muse,
which emphasizes individualism.
I say the Form complete is worthier far,
Highlight in blue the expressions
the Female equally with the Male I sing.
which emphasize a sort of cosmic force
Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power,
cheerful, for freest action formed under the
laws divine,
5. The poem is divided into three stanzas.
the Modern Man I sing.
Do you think this corresponds to a
progression to three different stages?
Give reasons for your answer..
• Yes, there is a progression in the development of the poem.
• In the first stanza the poet starts from the individual as part of society (“Democratic …
En-Masse”, l.2),
• then he continues contemplating the body, and the idea of the body leads him to
consider the basic distinction between man and woman (second stanza).
• This idea leads him to sing of Life as a divine entity, of which man and woman partake
(third stanza). In conclusion, we may say that there is a progression from the particular
to the general, from the individual to the universal.
THE MEANING
ONE'S-SELF I sing, a simple separate person,
yet utter the word Democratic, the word En- FOCUS ON
Masse.
6. This is unrhymed poem, yet three lines
Of physiology from top to toe I sing,
end with the same identical word (and
not physiognomy alone nor brain alone is
therefore sound). What is it?
worthy for the Muse,
• It is “sing” (ll3,5,8).
I say the Form complete is worthier far,
the Female equally with the Male I sing.
7. What effect do you think the poet tries
Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power,
to achieve by this? Give reasons for your
cheerful, for freest action formed under the
choice/s:
laws divine,
 a hymn-like rhythm
the Modern Man I sing.
 a triple rhyme
 to stress his role as a speaking voice
FREE VERSE
•
The poet may try to achieve a hymn-like rhythm, as if he were a preacher presenting his
religion: here the poet is expressing a sort of pantheistic religion of life (“formed under
the laws divine”, l.7). But …
•
he may also want to stress his role as a speaking voice, as a sort of interpreter of the
self, of each living individual, of the Modern Man .
FOCUS ON FREE
VERSE
ONE'S-SELF I sing, a simple separate person,
yet utter the word Democratic, the word En- 8. The rhythmic quality of the poem owes
a lot to certain repeated sounds.
Masse.
Highlight in grey the examples of
Of physiology from top to toe I sing,
alliteration.
not physiognomy alone nor brain alone is
Highlight in pink the examples of
worthy for the Muse,
assonance.
I say the Form complete is worthier far,
the Female equally with the Male I sing.
Underline the repeated key words.
Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power,
Repeated key words: “I sing” ll. 1,
cheerful, for freest action formed under the
3, 5. 8
laws divine,
the Modern Man I sing.
9. Try to scan at least three lines, indicating the number of beats for each line.
•
Line 1: One’s / self / I / sing / a / sim / ple / sep / (a)rate / per / son (12 syllables / 6 beats)
•
Line 2: yet / ut / ter / the / word / Dem / o / crat / ic,/ the / word/ En- / Masse (13 syllables
/ 6 beats)
•
Line 3: Of / phys / i / ol / o / gy/ from / top / to / toe / I / Sing (12 syllables / 5 beats)