33 pages • 1 hour read
Walt WhitmanI Sing the Body Electric
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1855A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Free Verse
Walt Whitman is largely credited as being the father of free verse. He writes unrhymed, irregular sentences that mimic regular speech. Though it does make use of repetition, the repetition of phrases is also irregular. The purpose of using free verse is to make the poem relatable and accessible to common people. Whitman writes about regular people who may not have sophisticated academic educations, and it follows that he writes in a language and form that they would be able to understand and would reflect their typical mode of expression.
Repetition
Repetition in the poem enhances the song-like quality of “I Sing the Body Electric.” As a song has repeating phrases, the poem repeats ideas over and over to create a sense of rhythm. The repetition of key ideas also emphasizes those ideas, making them easier to understand for the lay person. Whitman emphasizes more than once that the body gives expression to the soul, that those who corrupt the body also corrupt the soul, that parts of the body are beautiful and meant to be seen and touched, and that the body is the soul. Each repetition is varied, restated in a new way, or using different examples to illustrate the speaker’s philosophy. This also enhances the argument the speaker makes, demonstrating the multiple ways in which his beliefs are manifest in the flesh.
Direct Address
Throughout the poem, the speaker switches from the “I” point of view to “You.” He writes “you would” (Line 43) and informs the reader you would want to “touch him” (Lines 44). This creates a sense that the speaker is talking directly to the reader, inviting them to see the world through their eyes. It is conversational, tearing down the boundaries between the poet and the listener. This on its own is democratic, creating a sense of equality. It also reflects the speaker’s desire to touch others, to involve them in his life and vice versa and create a sense of shared experience. Returning again to the “I,” however reflects an awareness that he, the speaker, is an individual separate from the rest of humanity. The back-and-forth rotation from speaker to reader, individual to collective, creates the rhythm of the “song,” and emphasizes the capacity of the speaker to be an individual an then a part of a larger collective.
Related Titles
By Walt Whitman
