Controversial Poem
To A Stranger
Analysis of the Love Poem by Walt Whitman
Passing stranger! you do not know
How longingly I look upon you,
You must be he I was seeking,
Or she I was seeking
(It comes to me as a dream)
I have somewhere surely
Lived a life of joy with you,
All is recall'd as we flit by each other,
Fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured,
You grew up with me,
Were a boy with me or a girl with me,
I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become
not yours only nor left my body mine only,
You give me the pleasure of your eyes,
face, flesh as we pass,
You take of my beard, breast, hands,
in return,
I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you
when I sit alone or wake at night, alone
I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again
I am to see to it that I do not lose you.
Literary Devices in Poem:
Tone: This poem has a tone of being comforting. Who ever Whitman is talking about, he is describing his feelings towards them in a soft and light manner.
Connotation: This poem is a positive poem. Though it is unsure of who Whitman is talking about, he is describing them as someone who means a great deal to him
Parallel structure: The last paragraph uses "I am" as the beginning to almost all of it's sentences.
Controversial ?
This poem is controversial. Whitman is known for having "gay" like characteristics in his poems and this is definitely one of them. He mentions in the first paragraph how it was a he, or a she. This implies that this poem could be about either sex. Despite this, you should still read this poem. It is a comforting poem any way you look at it. The great feeling and thought he presents about this person is highly detailed and easy to picture. He makes this person out to be one that is very special to him. The comforting tone in the poem is also good as well.
Analysis of the Love Poem by Walt Whitman
Passing stranger! you do not know
How longingly I look upon you,
You must be he I was seeking,
Or she I was seeking
(It comes to me as a dream)
I have somewhere surely
Lived a life of joy with you,
All is recall'd as we flit by each other,
Fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured,
You grew up with me,
Were a boy with me or a girl with me,
I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become
not yours only nor left my body mine only,
You give me the pleasure of your eyes,
face, flesh as we pass,
You take of my beard, breast, hands,
in return,
I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you
when I sit alone or wake at night, alone
I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again
I am to see to it that I do not lose you.
Literary Devices in Poem:
Tone: This poem has a tone of being comforting. Who ever Whitman is talking about, he is describing his feelings towards them in a soft and light manner.
Connotation: This poem is a positive poem. Though it is unsure of who Whitman is talking about, he is describing them as someone who means a great deal to him
Parallel structure: The last paragraph uses "I am" as the beginning to almost all of it's sentences.
Controversial ?
This poem is controversial. Whitman is known for having "gay" like characteristics in his poems and this is definitely one of them. He mentions in the first paragraph how it was a he, or a she. This implies that this poem could be about either sex. Despite this, you should still read this poem. It is a comforting poem any way you look at it. The great feeling and thought he presents about this person is highly detailed and easy to picture. He makes this person out to be one that is very special to him. The comforting tone in the poem is also good as well.