Appreciation of
the poem
'Song of the
Open Road'
1. About the Poem, Poet and Title:
'Song of the Open Road' is a poem composed by Walt Whitman. He was an American poet who is called as ‘the father of free verse’. This poem is the first section of the poem taken from 'Leaves of Grass’. It is a beautiful blend of self-awareness, free will and tenderness of heart.
2. Theme:
The
poet in the poem is describing a trip on which he is embarking. He describes
himself as 'healthy and free'. He is in complete control of his life and
chooses his own destiny. He does not wish or hope for good fortune. There is
nothing he is lacking. He will reach his destination on his own, having
troubles and problems in life. The poet encourages being true to themselves and
living a free life.
3. Poetic Style/Language
/ Poetic devices used in the poem:
There are four stanzas of different length in the
poem. In the first stanza, there are only three lines and in the remaining four
lines respectively. The poet has used ‘free Verse’. There is no any kind of
regular rhyming scheme in the poem. First person narration technique has been
used. The poetic devices used in the poem are Anaphora, inversion, Paradox,
Repetition and Alliteration.
4. Special features / Novelties/Focusing elements:
The poet has used the poetic skill of Anaphora
at the beginning of the line 'I know' and the technique of parentheses to make
separate part.
5. Message / Morals in the poem:
The poem gives us a message of joy and delight
on the open road. The poet encourages the reader to be honest to them and live
a free and healthy life. The person should have a complete control on him to
behave in the private and public life
6. Your opinion
about the poem:
I think the
poem is very encouraging to us. It gives us advice to live a free life in the
complete control on the body. In spite of the problems we should go ahead to
utilize our potential and ability to prove ourselves.
