Question

read poem 16 from \song of myself\ by walt whitman

16

i am of old and young, of the foolish as much as
the wise,
regardless of others, ever regardful of others,
maternal as well as paternal, a child as well as a
man,
stuffd with the stuff that is coarse and stuffd with
the stuff that is fine,
one of the nation of many nations, the smallest
the same
and the largest the same.
a southerner soon as a northerner, a planter
nonchalant
and hospitable down by the oconee i live,

part b
which line from poem 16 best develop the theme
in part a?
\a kentuckian walking the vale of the
elkhorn in my deer-skin leggings.\
\stuffd with the stuff that is coarse and
stuffd with the stuff that is fine,\
\the moth and the fish eggs are in
their place.\
\at home in the fleet of ice boats,
sailing with the rest and tacking.\

Explanation:

To determine the line that develops the theme (assuming Part A's theme relates to equality, unity, or inclusivity as seen in the poem's lines like "I am of old and young...", "One of the Nation of many nations..."), the line "The moth and the fish eggs are in their place" emphasizes that all elements (small/large, different entities) have their rightful place, mirroring the theme of equality and unity. Other options focus on specific identities (Kentuckian, ice - boat fleet, coarse/fine stuff) rather than the universal equality theme.

Answer:

"The moth and the fish eggs are in their place."