Read the poem.

Question

Song of the Open Road

by Walt Whitman

Afoot and light-hearted, I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune—I myself am good-fortune;
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Strong and content, I travel the open road. . . .

From this hour, freedom!
From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,
Going where I list, my own master, total and absolute,
Listening to others, and considering well what they say,
Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,
Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me.

I inhale great draughts of space;
The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine.

I am larger, better than I thought;
I did not know I held so much goodness.

All seems beautiful to me;
I can repeat over to men and women, You have done such good to me, I would do the same to you.

I will recruit for myself and you as I go;
I will scatter myself among men and women as I go;
I will toss the new gladness and roughness among them;
Whoever denies me, it shall not trouble me;
Whoever accepts me, he or she shall be blessed, and shall bless me.

Question
Read this line from "Song of the Open Road."

Strong and content, I travel the open road.

How do the words strong and content affect the tone of the poem?

Responses

They add a calm tone to the poem.
They add a calm tone to the poem.

They make the poem sound sarcastic.
They make the poem sound sarcastic.

They give the poem a humble tone.
They give the poem a humble tone.

They give the poem a confident tone.
They give the poem a confident tone.

Answer 1

The correct response is: They give the poem a confident tone.

The words "strong" and "content" suggest a sense of self-assurance and satisfaction with one's circumstances. This contributes to the overall confident tone of the poem, as the speaker embraces freedom and the possibilities of the open road without hesitation or doubt.