My favorite poem by Walt Whitman is probably “One’s Self I Sing.” Although I have not read all of Whitman’s poems, or even a good amount, I think this is a good one. It is his initial poem in Leaves of Grass, and it sets up the rest of the poems. The poem is short, but it presents important information that Whitman wants to convey at the beginning because it shows a lot of what he believes. The first two lines express how every individual is separate, but yet everyone is also ‘en masse.’ Next, he explains that it is not just appearance or just intelligence that matters; it is the culmination of all elements of a single person, making up their form, that matter. He also says that men are equal with women, so he has his own beliefs that may differ from the norm of the time. Then he ‘sings’ “of life immense in passion, pulse, and power…” Alliteration aside, he is saying that life forms, in part, from great experiences. Then he says “cheerful, for freest action form’d under the laws divine…”, which implies that freedom is very important to the self and necessary in understanding the self. This poem is good because it really lays the track for Leaves of Grass in its entirety. This is like a broad illustration for a few topics that he goes more in depth with throughout the rest of the poems. I think this is his best poem because it is so explicit but open. Many of his poems can be very complicated, but this one is much simpler. Aside from maybe using the word ‘physiognomy,’ this poem is pretty straightforward. Whitman just comes out and gives his preamble in a concise manner, while still maintaining a sort of eloquence. Although many of his poems are also short and well written, this one is more direct. Some may be more expressive than this one, but this covers his idea of what self is and why it is important.
http://whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1891/poems/2
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