from Song of Myself

The speaker in “Song of Myself” reflects Walt Whitman’s optimism and philosophy. Whitman wrote in an afterward to Leaves of Grass that he was satisfied with his life’s work and that it had “been the comfort of my life.” Choose your favorite section of “Song of Myself” and think about what may have influenced Whitman to write these particular lines. Then write your own poem in free verse about something that has had great influence over you, using lines from Whitman’s poem as a model.