ENG1DB Poetry Analysis Unit:
Exploring Identity through Poetry
O Me! O Life!
BYWALT WHITMAN
Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
Poetry Analysis Questions:
- Please respond to the following poetry analysis questions in complete sentences on a separate sheet of lined paper.
- What is the speaker’s tone in this poem? How does the speaker view himself/herself and the world around him/her? Provide specific evidence from the poem (direct quotations) to support your assertions.
- Select twofigurative languageorpoetic devices used in the poem (i.e. metaphor, rhetorical question, anaphora, apostrophe, etc.) and examine their ultimate purpose and effect on the poem as a whole.
- In the midst of all our daily struggles, disappointments, and the sordidness of life described in this poem, what does the speaker identify as the ultimate point of our human existence? Explain this pivotal message using specific evidence from the poem (a direct quotation) to prove your observations.
- Using your response to question #3 to help inform your answer, what is the theme of this poem (remember to express a theme in more than one word)?
- What emotions does this poem elicit in you as a reader? Explain your emotional connections thoughtfully by connecting two lines of the poem to two different emotions (one emotion for each line) and examine why each line stirs this specific emotion within you. Be reflective!