Walt Whitman
1I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I loafe and invite my soul,
5I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.
My tongue, every atom of my blood, form'd from this soil, this air,
Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same,
I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,
Hoping to cease not till death.
10Creeds and schools in abeyance,
Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are, but never forgotten,
I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard,
Nature without check with original energy.
Question
What are the implications for the reader in the line, "For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you"?
Responses
A The reader and the speaker are both the same age.The reader and the speaker are both the same age.
B The reader is invited to take the speaker's possessions.The reader is invited to take the speaker's possessions.
C The reader and the speaker share the same physical body.The reader and the speaker share the same physical body.
D The reader and the speaker share the same essence.The reader and the speaker share the same essence.
1 answer
The best response to the implications of the line "For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you" is:
D The reader and the speaker share the same essence.
This line emphasizes a fundamental interconnectedness between the speaker and the reader, suggesting that they share a common existence and essence, which transcends individual identity and ownership.
