I really enjoyed reading some passages from Walk Whitman’s, “Song of Myself.” One thing I noticed while I was reading this, was the sense of calm that came over me. This could be because it is poetry and makes me feel a different way when reading it. However, I think a lot of it has to do with the truth that Whitman talks about.

My favorite sections that we read were the sections that were simply just lists. #15 and #33 especially. One was a list of different types of people and another was a list of animals and things in nature. I was astonished by how real Whitman made these individual people or animals seem. He gave a voice to those who might not normally be in literature and I appreciate that. Clearly, Whitman makes it clear that it is important to notice those things that surround you. Yes, you are your own person, but you are also who you are because of those around you. You are made up of your interactions with others and how you move throughout the world.

I appreciate Whitman’s ability to notice all the little intricacies of life. He reminds us that we can be wonderful and fulfill ourselves. However, unlike Emerson thinks, we all rely on each other to be our best selves as well. The only way to better understand ourselves is to better understand the world around us and how we fit into that. This has inspired me to simply try to notice more. I’m sure that we pass by so many things in our daily lives that are important, but we ignore. Whitman encourages us to stop and take all of these things in.