Walt Whitman's Poem: Animals and Their Serenity

 
POEM-AN
I
M
A
LS
POET-WALT
 
WHITMAN
undefined
 
ABOUT 
THE
 
POET
 
Walt 
Whitman is a major 
figure 
in 
American
 
poetry.
 
He 
was 
a 
nonconformist 
man in all
 
respects
,
including 
his 
social
 
life
.
 
A
s a matter of fact
, 
i
n 
an 
age 
when all poetry 
was
rhymed 
&  
metrical
,
 
Whiteman 
made a 
break 
with
tradition 
&  
wrote 
a 
revolutionary new 
kind of 
poetry 
in
free  
verse.
 
 
(1819-1892)
undefined
 
ABOUT THE
 
POEM
 
In this 
poem, 
the
 poet
 
expresses 
his 
feelings 
about 
animals .
The poet
,
 
being 
an 
animal-lover 
, 
compares 
his 
life 
at 
home
with  animal 
& 
that with 
a 
human
. 
He finds human 
to 
be more
complicated 
& 
false
, 
as 
against 
animals
, 
which 
are 
according  
to
him placid 
& 
self-contained
. 
Animals 
do 
not 
dissatisfy 
their
condition
, 
nor 
do 
they 
have mania of 
owning 
things 
compared
to 
the 
humans. No animal is 
unhappy over his 
mis-condition.
The 
writer
, 
in the ends
, gives a 
sarcastic reference symbolically
trying 
to 
say that animals remind him of his childhood things.
The
  
poet
 
wonders these memories of childhood 
as 
token 
which
he  
feels to 
have fallen by 
him 
long
 
ago.
 
We 
would 
learn about :-
A 
revolutionary 
new 
kind 
of poetry 
in 
free
 
verse.
The 
intimate feelings 
of animals 
towards
 
human
& 
that of 
a human 
towards 
the
 
same.
 
The 
feeling 
of self-sufficiency that 
animals 
have
for
 
themselves.
 
Never 
to 
be 
unhappy 
over 
mis-condition 
from
animals.
Various 
literary 
devices 
& 
poetical 
words
 
.
 
What would 
we 
get 
to 
learn
from 
this poem
 
?
undefined
 
I think I 
could 
turn & 
live 
with 
animals, 
they
 
are
  
so placid &
 
self-contain’d,
I 
stand 
& 
look 
at 
them long & 
long
 
.
Meaning - 
The 
poet
 expresses 
his 
feelings that 
he is thinking about  his
decision 
to 
live 
with 
animals because 
they 
are 
docile & suffice . 
He  
says
that 
he 
can 
see animals 
very 
long or 
may 
live 
with 
them  
compared 
to
humans 
for 
a 
longer 
time
 
.
Poetical 
idea - 
The 
whole 
stanza 
has 
enjambment 
[ 
literary 
device 
]  used
into 
it . 
The 
writer 
uses 
unrhymed 
words 
to 
explain 
his 
feeling  better 
.
He has 
also 
tried 
to 
use 
abbreviations 
to 
reduce 
the 
scribe  
Labor
 
.
 
READING
 
THE
POEM
 
They 
do 
not sweat 
& 
whine about 
their
 
c
ondition,
They 
do 
not 
lie 
awake 
in the dark & 
weep 
for 
their
 
sins,
 
They 
do 
not 
make 
me 
sick 
discussing their duty 
to
 
God,
Not one 
is 
dissatisfied 
, 
not one 
is 
demented
 
with
   
     
the mania 
of 
owning 
things,
Not one 
kneels 
to 
another 
, 
nor 
to 
his 
kind
 
that
lived 
thousand years 
ago
 
,
Not one 
is 
respectable 
& 
unhappy 
over 
the 
whole earth
.
Meaning – 
The 
poet
 
tries 
to 
express 
his 
feelings 
about
 
animals
 
that
 
they 
never
condemn 
their condition , 
never do they weep 
for 
their sins lying 
awake 
in
 
the
 
dark . 
They 
also do not
disrupt the writer 
talking about God . No one is
 
dissatisfied
, nor 
have 
the mania 
of 
owning things . No
animal ,according 
to 
writer, 
kneels 
to  
another . Also , 
they never 
kneel 
to their ancestor 
or God. No
animal is  
respectable 
& 
unhappy over the 
whole earth.
Poetical 
idea - The whole 
stanza 
has 
enjambment 
{ 
literary device 
} used in it . The  
poet 
tries 
to
compare the behavior 
of animal 
with that 
of 
human. 
He 
deliberately  
tries 
to enhance the behavior 
of
animal 
to be 
better 
than 
that 
a 
human 
has . 
The  
poem has simile { 
literary device 
} used in 
the whole 
.
The poet 
says 
that the  behavior 
of 
human 
has no satisfaction & self – 
respect 
.The 
human 
even 
kneels
to  
another.
 
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They 
bring me 
tokens 
of 
myself 
, 
they
 
evince
them plainly in their possession
 
.
 
I 
wonder 
where 
they 
get 
these 
tokens 
,
did I pass 
that 
way 
huge 
times 
ago 
& negligibly 
drop 
them
 
?
 
Meaning 
 
The poet
 
says 
symbolically that 
animals 
remind 
him of  his 
childhood
things 
or 
morals. 
They 
also show them 
with 
great  affection 
& no 
arrogance 
.
The 
poet
 wonders where 
did they  
come 
to 
know about it ? He 
feels 
that 
he has
passed their long
 
time  
ago 
& 
accidentally 
fall 
them as 
tokens 
. 
This 
is the
sarcastic  
reference 
in the end of
 
poem.
Poetical 
Idea – 
The 
writer 
uses 
various symbolical 
words 
&  
literary 
devices
like 
enjambment 
in the 
stanza 
. 
The 
writer
 
also  
gives 
a 
sarcastic 
reference
in the end of poem
 
.
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Walt Whitman's poem explores the tranquility and simplicity of animals compared to the complexities of human existence. He marvels at how animals do not dwell on dissatisfaction or material possession, finding solace in their self-sufficiency. Through vivid imagery and free verse, the poet reflects on the peaceful nature of animals and the contrast with human behavior.

  • Walt Whitman
  • Animals
  • Poetry
  • Free Verse
  • Tranquility

Uploaded on Jul 25, 2024 | 0 Views


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  1. POEM-ANIMALS POET-WALT WHITMAN

  2. ABOUT THEPOET (1819-1892) Walt Whitman is a major figure in American poetry. He was a nonconformist man in all respects, including his social life. As a matter of fact, in an age when all poetry was rhymed & metrical, Whiteman made a break with tradition & wrote a revolutionary new kind of poetry in free verse.

  3. ABOUT THE POEM In this poem, the poet expresses his feelings about animals . The poet, being an animal-lover , compares his life at home with animal & that with a human. He finds human to be more complicated & false, as against animals, which are according to him placid & self-contained. Animals do not dissatisfy their condition, nor do they have mania of owning things compared to the humans. No animal is unhappy over his mis-condition. The writer, in the ends, gives a sarcastic reference symbolically trying to say that animals remind him of his childhood things. The poet wonders these memories of childhood as token which he feels to have fallen by him longago.

  4. What would we get to learn from this poem ? We would learn about :- A revolutionary new kind of poetry in free verse. The intimate feelings of animals towards human & that of a human towards the same. The feeling of self-sufficiency that animals have for themselves. Never to be unhappy over mis-condition from animals. Various literary devices & poetical words .

  5. READING THE POEM I think I could turn & live with animals, theyare so placid &self-contain d, I stand & look at them long & long. Meaning - The poet expresses his feelings that he is thinking about his decision to live with animals because they are docile & suffice . He says that he can see animals very long or may live with them compared to humans for a longer time. Poetical idea - The whole stanza has enjambment [ literary device ] used into it . The writer uses unrhymed words to explain his feeling better . He has also tried to use abbreviations to reduce the scribe Labor .

  6. They do not sweat & whine about their condition, They do not lie awake in the dark & weep for their sins, They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, Not one is dissatisfied , not one is demented with the mania of owning things, Not one kneels to another , nor to his kind that lived thousand years ago , Not one is respectable & unhappy over the whole earth. Meaning The poet tries to express his feelings about animals that they never condemn their condition , never do they weep for their sins lying awake in the dark . They also do not disrupt the writer talking about God . No one is dissatisfied, nor have the mania of owning things . No animal ,according to writer, kneels to another . Also , they never kneel to their ancestor or God. No animal is respectable & unhappy over the whole earth. Poetical idea - The whole stanza has enjambment { literary device } used in it . The poet tries to compare the behavior of animal with that of human. He deliberately tries to enhance the behavior of animal to be better than that a human has . The poem has simile { literary device } used in the whole . The poet says that the behavior of human has no satisfaction & self respect .The human even kneels to another.

  7. So they show their relations to me and I accept them, They bring me tokens of myself , theyevince them plainly in their possession. I wonder where they get these tokens , did I pass that way huge times ago & negligibly drop them? Meaning The poet says symbolically that animals remind him of his childhood things or morals. They also show them with great affection & no arrogance . The poet wonders where did they come to know about it ? He feels that he has passed their longtime ago & accidentally fall them as tokens . This is the sarcastic reference in the end of poem. Poetical Idea The writer uses various symbolical words & literary devices like enjambment in the stanza . The writeralso gives a sarcastic reference in the end of poem.

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