Walt Whitman’s use of anaphora in this passage from “Song of Myself” emphasizes the ideas he is expressing by confronting the reader again and again with his ideas. The repetition of phrases like "If they are not" and "This is" serves to reinforce his belief in the universality of thoughts and experiences. This technique draws the reader's attention to the significance of shared human experiences and the connections between all individuals, thus highlighting the themes of unity and commonality.
Read the passage.
These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages
and lands, they are not original with me,
If they are not yours as much as mine they are
nothing, or next to nothing,
If they are not the riddle and the untying of the
riddle they are nothing,
If they are not just as close as they are distant
they are nothing.
This is the grass that grows wherever the land is
and the water is,
This is the common air that bathes the globe.
How does Walt Whitman’s use of anaphora in this passage from “Song of Myself” emphasize the ideas he is expressing?
They contradict themselves to throw the reader off balance.
They ask the reader to suspend personal opinions for a moment.
They cause the reader to pause and reflect with each line.
They confront the reader again and again with his ideas.
1 answer