The speaker's commentary on grass reveals that he is thoughtful and caring. The various interpretations he offers reflect a deep contemplation of nature and its significance, as well as an awareness of the interconnectedness of all people and life. His reflections show a concern for understanding the world around him in a meaningful way.
Excerpts from "Song of Myself": 1, 2, 6, 52
Walt Whitman
1855
A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands;
How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he.
I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven.
Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord,
A scented gift and remembrancer designedly dropt,
Bearing the owner’s name someway in the corners, that we may see and remark, and say Whose?
Or I guess the grass is itself a child, the produced babe of the vegetation.
Or I guess it is a uniform hieroglyphic,
And it means, Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow zones,
Growing among black folks as among white,
Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the same, I receive then the same.
The speaker's commentary on grass reveals that he is…
curious and pensive.
thoughtful and caring.
naïve and introspective.
shallow and self-centered.
1 answer
3 answers