Meaning and Texture of the Seventh Poem in Leaves of...

Meaning and Texture of the Seventh Poem in Leaves of Grass nbsp; Walt Whitmans seventh poem in his work, Leaves of Grass, displays the subtlety with which the poet is able to manipulate the readers emotions. In this poem there are no particular emotional images, but the overall image painted by word choice and use of sounds is quite profound. This poem, like many others written by Walt Whitman, is somewhat somber in mood, but not morose. It is serious, but not to the point of gloom. Whitman writes concerning the general idea that everything is merged together and is one. One cannot die without being born, just as one cannot be a mother without first having one. The purpose of the poem is to show those things that are real are†¦show more content†¦He makes many lines quite long, but only those that link ideas together. He speaks of death and birth in the same line in the second stanza, just as he talks of male and female in the same line in the third stanza. He does this to aid the reader in deciphering the meaning of the poem. Everything is truth; everything is unified, even those things we perceive as opposite. nbsp; Strong adjectives illustrating his point are also prevalent in the poem. He writes, I.../Am around, tenacious, acquisitive, tireless.... He uses these words to merely illustrate the concept that the soul, or omnipotent being, is always there watching. These adjectives make the poem more descriptive, and they paint a more vivid picture in the readers mind. Also, he chooses many words that have soft sounds with endings like -ss, -th, etc. These words include, pass, earth, birth, and many others. However, he then counterbalances these with harder sounding words like adjunct, immortal, and begetters. Even the words of the poem serve to illustrate his point of universal unity. nbsp; The repetition in the poem also aids in understanding the overall message of the poem. He only says what he is and what, For me... the world is. Whitmans manipulation of words portrays a more optimistic, positive view, not a