Rhetorical Analysis of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself (1892 version)

Rhetorical Analysis of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself (1892 version)

Writers and orators throughout generations have made use of a diverse range of rhetorical devices to communicate and effectively impact their audiences. These rhetorical devices play different roles ranging from creating emphasis, persuading, entertaining, informing, making the pieces musical and memorable, and so forth. The use and application of these devices is the hallmark of every creative and successful writer. Walt Whitman is an example of a successful writer/ poet who made use of a wide range of rhetorical devices to accomplish his objective. This paper aims to undertake a rhetorical analysis of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself (1892 version). The report will specifically seek to examine the poet’s use of Anaphora, epistrophe, and anadiplosis. It will explore the goals of the poet in using these three techniques, exemplify them, and show their effectiveness.

Anaphora

Anaphora refers to a technique where the writer repeats the first few words in a line or phrase.  Generally, the goal of the writer is to use this device is to achieve emphasis (Burman, n.d). In “song of myself,” Whitman has successfully used this device on several occasions. In the second section, Anaphora is richly used to create emphasis and draw the reader’s attention.  Examples include the use of the phrase “have you,” where he says, “Have you reckoned a thousand acres much? Have you reckon’d the earth much?” and on and on. In this section, the poet questions their readers on several issues. He also makes use of the phrase “you shall” approximately four times informing the reader of what they shall get if they were to stay with them for the day and night.

Epistrophe

Epistrophe, on the other hand, refers to a technique wherein writing, repetition of the word happens at the end of the sentence, of the phrase of the clause.  The goal of using this technique is to achieve emphasis (Bureman, n.d). In Whitman’s writing, epistrophe has also been richly used as the poet makes the emphasis of various themes in third section Whitman (1892) make use of the epistrophe “there is now.” This phrase appears at the end of four of the sentences to draw emphasis on the richness that he believes exists in the presence. He emphasizes that inception, youth or age, perfection, and heaven or hell abounded in the present than ever before.

Anadiplosis

Anadiplosis refers to a technique where the writer picks the last word in a clause and uses it to start the next clause. This form of repetition doubles the term creates emphasis, and increases its significance. Further dues the fact that the repeated word changes its position; it is very useful. It can also be used to show a chain of events chronologically.  In the poem “song o myself,” Whitman makes of this technique to emphasize and put a sign on what he offers. He says;

“Behold, I do not give lectures or a little charity,

When I give I give myself.”

In this portion, the poet puts an emphasis on the phrase I give to amplify the fact that he does not merely give portions in the form of charity or lectures, but he gives his whole essence.  He also says

“Stop this day and night with me, and you shall possess the origin of all poems,

You shall possess the good of the earth and sun, (there are millions of suns left,)”

In this section, he repeats the phrase you shall possess, which is used at the end of the clause and starts the next one. In doing so, the poet draws significance to the claim  made on what the individual shall possess

 Conclusion

Walt Whitman is a successful writer/ poet who made use of a wide range of rhetorical devices to accomplish their objective. In the Song of Myself, Whitman successfully and richly makes of Anaphora, epistrophe, and anadiplosis emphasize and put a sign on various issues ad subjects that the poem addresses.

References

Bureman, L. (n.d). Anaphora and Epistrophe: Two Rhetorical Devices You See Everywhere. Retrieved from https://thewritepractice.com/anaphora-and-epistrophe-two-rhetorical-devices-you-see-everywhere/

Literary Devices (n.d). Anadiplosis. Retrieved from http://www.literarydevices.com/anadiplosis/

Whitman, Walt (1892) Song of Myself (1892 version). Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45477/song-of-myself-1892-version