ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Grass, a central symbol of this epic poem, suggests the divinity of common things. The nature and significance of grass unfold the themes of death and immortality, for grass is symbolic of the ongoing cycle of life present in nature, which assures each man of his immortality.

Detailed explanation-2: -Each leaf or blade of grass possesses its own distinct beauty, and together the blades form a beautiful unified whole, an idea Whitman explores in the sixth section of “Song of Myself.” Multiple leaves of grass thus symbolize democracy, another instance of a beautiful whole composed of individual parts.

Detailed explanation-3: -There are three important themes: the idea of the self, the identification of the self with other selves, and the poet’s relationship with the elements of nature and the universe. Houses and rooms represent civilization; perfumes signify individual selves; and the atmosphere symbolizes the universal self.

Detailed explanation-4: -In the poem, grass is made to symbolize equality and the eternal cycle of life and death. As implied in the line, “Growing among black folks as among white, ” grass symbolizes equality because it grows everywhere, irrespective of the type of person that resides in that area.

Detailed explanation-5: -The mocking bird symbolizes love, the hawk democracy and hermit thrush is a symbol of religion. The heavenly bodies, the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars have symbolic significance. These symbolize order and balance in the midst of chaos and disorder.