Question

part b which of these passages from \song of myself\ best supports the answer to part a?
a. i loaf and invite my soul, / i lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.
b. my tongue, every atom of my blood, formed from this soil, this air.
c.... i harbor for good or bad, i permit to speak at every hazard, / nature without check with original energy.
d.... i jump from the crossbeams and seize the clover and timothy, / and roll head over heels and tangle my hair full of wisps.

1. what is the best interpretation of this excerpt from \song of myself\?

a. these are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, they are not original with me, / if they are not yours as much as mine they are nothing, or next to nothing....
b. whitman admits that he has borrowed poetic ideas from writers of the past.
c. whitman thinks that his poetry is valuable only if his readers agree with him.
d. whitman believes that his observations are, in some sense, universally shared.
e. whitman predicts that people who read his poetry in the future will appreciate it.

1. what is the \singing\ that the speaker hears in \i hear america singing\?

a. the language of different ethnic groups in the american melting pot
b. the songs from foreign lands brought to america by immigrants
c. the individuality of americans in various walks of life
d. the poetry of whitman and other american poets

Explanation:

1. For the first question about "Song of Myself" passage - without knowing Part A, we can't be certain, but the poem often emphasizes self - connection with nature. Option b shows a connection between the self and the environment.
2. For the interpretation of the excerpt from "Song of Myself", the line "These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands" implies that Whitman believes his observations are universally shared.
3. In "I Hear America Singing", the "singing" represents the individuality of Americans in various walks of life as Whitman celebrates the different workers and their unique contributions.

Answer:

1. b
2. d
3. c