Question

1. explain what walt whitman is referring to when he states: \this is the grass that grows wherever the land is and the water is, this is the common air that bathes the globe.\

Explanation:

In "Song of Myself", Whitman's grass symbolizes universality and interconnectedness. The grass grows wherever land/water is, representing the shared, common element (like air) that unites all of Earth. Grass is a democratic, omnipresent life - form, and the "common air" further emphasizes a universal, unifying force that envelops the globe, linking all places and beings.

Answer:

Whitman uses grass as a symbol of universal, democratic life that exists everywhere land or water is. The "common air" represents a unifying, omnipresent force (like a shared natural element) that surrounds the globe, emphasizing interconnectedness—all parts of the world (and all life) are linked by these universal, accessible elements (grass, air) that exist across boundaries.