![]() ![]() The speaker says that he does not have to pray for good luck because he is the maker of his own luck. Strong and content, I travel the open road. Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,ĭone with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms, Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune The second stanza continues the thoughts expressed in the first three lines. He will choose where the path will take him on his journey. Secondly, he is light-hearted and open to all he is about to experience. Additionally, the speaker recognizes that it is he who is in control of his journey. The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.”įrom this stanza, the reader is able to glean several important points: first, the speaker is setting out on the open road on foot. Whitman writes:Īfoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, In the first stanza, the speaker begins his journey. It reads: “Strong and content, I travel the open road”.Īnalysis of Song of the Open Road Stanza One Take for example line four of the second stanza. Take for example the words “no,” “need,” and “nothing” in line two of stanza two as well as “complaints” and “criticisms” in line three of that same stanza.Ĭaesura is another formal technique that involves splitting a line with punctuation. This is quite important in free verse poetry. Alliteration is another common device, but one that works to create a feeling of rhyme and rhythm. One good example is the transition between lines one and two of the second stanza. The first, enjambment, is a common and useful poetic technique that allows the poet to control how fast a reader moves through the lines of verse. Whitman makes use of several literary devices in ‘Song of the Open Road’. These include but are not limited to enjambment, alliteration, and caesura. His use of this style of writing paved the way for generations of poets after him. Whitman is often referred to today as the “father of free verse poetry”. Song of the Open Road is told from the first-person point of view, and the speaker, perhaps Whitman, knows himself very well. The poem utilizes free verse the lines are unrhymed and of varying lengths. With the exception of the first stanza, which contains only three lines, the other stanzas contain four lines of verse. ‘Song of the Open Road’ is separated into four separate stanzas. This will allow him to achieve a new perspective on his own abilities and a new knowledge of what he values. He believes that he’ll come to fully depend on himself for everything. The journey he undertakes s also going to tell him about himself. There is a whole line of freedom right in front of him that he’s going to tap into. ![]() Whitman engages with important themes of freedom, the self, and nature in ‘Song of the Open Road’. His speaker, who is very likely Whitman himself, describes a journey he’s embarking on. Rather than worry, however, the speaker has decided to take those burdens with him and deal with them as they arise. ![]() This is not to say that the road he is taking is not paved with imperfections and burdens. ![]() He will reach his destination on his own, and the earth will provide him with anything extra that is necessary. He attests that he, himself, is his own good fortune, and that is all he needs. Because of this realization, he does not have to wish or hope or pray for good fortune. He describes himself as being “healthy and free,” and he realizes he is the only person who is in complete control of his life he chooses his own destiny. The speaker of the poem is describing a trip on which he is embarking. ‘Song of the Open Road’ by Walt Whitman describes a trip the speaker takes in order to learn about himself and enjoy the journey to an unnamed destination. ![]()
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