An Analysis of Chant 21 of Whitman's Song of Myself

Résumé du document

The 21st chant of Song of Myself can be basically divided into four main parts. The blanks the poet leaves actually mark the transitions from theme to theme. The first two lines function as an introduction of the basic themes, which are developed throughout the rest of the chant. The next three lines ( that is line 3 to line 5 ) focus on the theme of the night, or rather the Night. Lines 6 to 13 develop the theme of the Earth and finally, the last two lines synthesise the whole in a notion of universal Love.

Extraits

[...] We have a whole nightscape by the end of the third part with the image of the “full moon” and the “dark tide of the river”. He proceeds from a description of a landscape to the creation of a more imaginary one, of a poetic landscape ( “liquid trees” It is also intensely personal, we have the unclear vision of a dreamer, it is partly surreal and distorted. The description is freed from control of reason and consciousness. The visual notations are very lightly coloured. [...]

[...] Ezra Greenspan, Routledge Whitman Walt. [...]

[...] An Analysis of Chant 21 of Whitman's Song of Myself The 21st chant of Song of Myself can be basically divided into four main parts. The blanks the poet leaves actually mark the transitions from theme to theme. The first two lines function as an introduction of the basic themes, which are developed throughout the rest of the chant. The next three lines ( that is line 3 to line 5 ) focus on the theme of the night, or rather the Night. [...]

[...] The three lines present a kind of parallel structures. The two exclamations and the statement are divided into two by three caesuras respectively. They create a very peculiar effect of depicting the Night by recurring repetitions ( “Press close”, ) and alliteration ( we have alliteration on the sound first on line 3 and then on line 5 “nourishing”, In the third line, the persona implores and begs the Night as if it were a living soul by twice calling out to it “Press close In the fourth and fifth line then, the Night is further developed as an awe-inspiring and magnificent image. [...]

[...] The whole is animated by movement and the forms ( “nourishing”, “slumbering”, etc. There are, actually, several types of movements in the chant. We have an upwards and a downwards movements of the growing night, leading to the mountain tops, sky and stars and then leading to the earth and sea. This is not at all geometrical and is a rather encircling movement, which embraces and unites every element into a larger whole, it connects the of the universe. Hence, the impression of union with Nature the persona is a part of the landscape and unites with it. [...]