Question

excerpt from \song of myself\
walt whitman

section 6

what do you think has become of the young and old men?
and what do you think has become of the women and children?

they are alive and well somewhere,
the smallest sprout shows there is really no death,
and if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait at the end to arrest it,
and ceasd the moment life appeard.

all goes onward and outward, nothing collapses,
and to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.

why does whitman include the observation about sprouts in the highlighted line?

• to show his view that life continues eternally through nature
• to express fear of mortality and the end of the individual self
• to limit the discussion to plant biology rather than spiritual ideas

Explanation:

Analyze the highlighted line

The highlighted line in Section 6 of "Song of Myself" reads: "The smallest sprout shows there is really no death,". This line directly connects a small, growing plant (a sprout) to the concept of eternal life and the absence of true death. This reflects Whitman Poetic Themes regarding the cycle of life.

Connect to Transcendentalist philosophy

In Transcendentalist Philosophy, nature is viewed as a living, continuous cycle where physical decay merely feeds new life. The "smallest sprout" is tangible evidence of regeneration, showing that life continues eternally through the natural world.

Evaluate the answer choices

• Option 1 ("to show his view that life continues eternally through nature") directly aligns with our Poetic Analysis of the text and Whitman's philosophical framework.
• Option 2 ("to express fear of mortality...") contradicts Whitman's optimistic view that "there is really no death" and that dying is "luckier" than one supposed.
• Option 3 ("to limit the discussion to plant biology...") is incorrect because Whitman uses the sprout as a metaphor for spiritual and metaphysical ideas, not to limit the discussion to science.

Answer:

• to show his view that life continues eternally through nature (Correct answer)
• to express fear of mortality and the end of the individual self
• to limit the discussion to plant biology rather than spiritual ideas