Nevertheless, the Library of Congress may monitor any user-generated content as it chooses and reserves the right to remove content for any reason whatever, The Library of Congress does not control the content posted. The content of all comments is released into the public domain unless clearly stated otherwise. By commenting on our blogs, you are fully responsible for everything that you post. These blogs are governed by the general rules of respectful civil discourse. Aim for students who are leaving your classroom or library to be conscious of the ways reading and writing poetry have enhanced their year. Ask students to share their compositions aloud or through an end of the year celebration on a physical or digital bulletin board. I, now forty-six years old in health go on,Ĭonsider writing your own celebration to model for your students and show them what you celebrate about yourself and the world. My eyes, every atom of my soul, form’d from verse, from words,īorn here of parents born here from parents of England, and their parents of Ireland, I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin, My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’d from this soil, this air,īorn here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same, Your most comfortable poets may instead choose to embrace the spirit of his work without mimicking his format.

These are also the three stanzas that can best serve as models for your students’ poems.ĭepending on their level of comfort with composing poetry, students can use the structure of and even some wording from Whitman’s stanzas, replacing significant words or lines with their own. Stanza 33 is another that illustrates Whitman’s observations of himself, nature, and his fellow humans. At a minimum, read stanzas 1 and 52 because they are excellent examples of Whitman’s celebrations. This might be a good teaching moment to share with students Whitman’s penchant for continual revision, even of previously published works.īegin by reading selected portions of “Song of Myself,” or even the entire poem, focusing on Whitman’s celebration, not only of himself but also the natural world and the America he inhabits.

The 1891-1892 “deathbed edition,” the last published during Whitman’s life, includes the “final” version of the poem. Walt Whitman revised his poem “Song of Myself” a number of times for publication in his oft-revised book Leaves of Grass. Why not use this as an opportunity to mark your year of poetry with a composition celebration? Feinberg-Whitman Collection, Prints and Photographs Division.At this time of the school year, many of us are preparing to send our students to the next grade level, the next school, or out into the world. The following guest post, part of our “Teacher’s Corner” series, is by Rebecca Newland, a Fairfax County Public Schools Librarian and former Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress. Celebrating Ourselves through Whitman’s “Song of Myself”

A song about myself poem