For starters, "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman celebrates the theme of democracy and the oneness of mankind, specifically the American people. As well, it represents Transcendentalist thought concerning mankind's common soul. The poem also focuses on the theme that life is a journey to uncover one's self, one's identity. Whitman wrote his verses without a regular form, meter, or rhythm. His lines are highly rhythmic, and they have a mesmerizing chant-like quality. Few poems are as fun to read aloud as this one. The poem has also helped shape the idea of what it means to be an American.
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Yes, I do believe that Whitman's use of free verse in "Song of Myself," helped him to better connect with his readers. Whitman's use of free verse enables him to talk to his readers in a new way that is not constricted by rhyme or meter parameters. Also, his use of language sounds more like spoken language and helps readers to not only understand what he is saying, but also to better connect with the complex and emotional themes that Whitman was discussing in "Song of Myself." More than one hundred fifty years later, the themes he uses in "Song of Myself," as well as his exciting use of language still speaks to a new audience in a new generation, which shows how well thought out and carefully pieced together his poetry was, and I believe that the use of free verse aided significantly in Whitman's ability to make the poem into exactly what he wanted it to be.
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