SONG OF THE OPEN ROAD

‐ WALT WHITMAN

ABOUT THE POET

Walt Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. He is often called the
father of free verse. He was born on Long Island in 1819 and grew up in the New
York area. He had very little formal schooling, but he considered himself to be a
lifelong learner. Whitman died at the age of 72 after suffering stroke in 1892. His
poem 'O' Captain, My Captain' and his poetry collection 'Leaves of Grass' are his
remarkable literary works.

SYNOPSIS OF THE POEM

The poem begins with poet’s journey on foot on the open road. Here the road means
the road of life. He expresses that he is very cheerful to take the journey in this
healthy and free world. In addition, the poet has a control over the journey as he is
free to choose the brown path wherever to travel.
Next, the poet continues the thoughts in earlier lines by saying that he does not
ask for good fortune and considers himself the creator of his own fortune. He adds
that he will not cry or hesitate to do anything without postponing it and expects
nothing. He is no longer satisfied being confined in the four walls. He is strong and
happy enough to travel on the open road having unlocked himself from several
complaints and arguments in his past life.
In the next lines, the poet tries to free himself from the worldly pleasures and
relations. Even though he has a great faith in them and knows that they are doing
well and happy with them, no more he likes to engage himself in friends and other
people as he thinks that the mother earth is now enough for him to travel.
Whitman’s use of parentheses here makes the stanza more of an aside than its own
separate being; it is almost an afterthought that the speaker decides to throw in, but it
is still important to Song of the Open Road. Here, the speaker admits that he is not
without his own problems, but instead of fretting, he relishes them. His use of the
word delicious is no accident; through that word, Whitman conveys the sense of
relish the speaker feels for his burden. In the second line of the final stanza, the
speaker admits to all that he carries them with him wherever he goes; this thought is
continued in the final two lines of the poem. The speaker declares that he cannot rid
himself of them; instead, he and his burdens share an interdependent relationship of
sorts: he is filled with his burdens, and in return, he fills them. The speaker is stating
here that his burdens do not define him; rather, he accepts them and carries them with
him wherever he goes.

THEME (to be written in the notebook)

Freedom, joy of free life and optimism are the major themes of this poem.
Throughout the poem, the poet encourages the readers to be true to themselves and
live a free and enjoy the freedom of life. Although his life is not free from obligations
and troubles, he encourages everyone to live their dreams, leaving the obstacles
behind.

VOCABULARY (notebook)
brown path- bare land
constellations - Here it means group, collection, gathering of influential people
light-hearted – cheerful, carefree

FIGURE OF SPEECH (notebook)

Still here I carry my old delicious burdens- Metaphor
Here, the poet compares his duties and responsibilities with sweet, delicious things as
these responsibilities are the result of his experiences that he has gained from his
journey of his life.

Long brown path- imagery

Constellations- imagery

Querulous Criticism - Alliteration- Sound ‘k’ is repeated.

Song of the Open road – Personification (Non-living object road is shown

singing.)
Song of the Open Road – Metaphor
Here, the road is compared with the journey of life. The road signifies mobility and
continuity similarly, life also talks about the continuity of experiences.

REFERENCE TO CONTEXT (notebook)

1. Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
a. What do you think the poet means by ‘I myself am good-fortune’?
Ans. The poet means that he doesn’t wish to pray to get good luck because
he believes that he himself is the maker of his own luck in his journey of
life.

b. Why do you think the poet says henceforth he needs nothing?

 Ans. The poet says that he doesn’t need anything from anyone. He will
neither cry in pain nor delay his decision to travel on the open road.

c. What can you say about the poet’s state of mind?

Ans. The poet feels happy and contented as he has chosen the path himself.

2. I know they are very well where they are,

I know they suffice for those who belong to them.
a. What does ‘they’ refer to in the above lines?
Ans. ‘they’ refers to the group of influential people in the first line and the
material world of those people in the second line.

b. Does the poet want to possess them? Why/Why not?

Ans. No, the poet doesn’t want to possess or follow them as he loves his
freewill and independence.

c. Name any one virtue that you can learn from the above lines.
Ans. (do it yourself)

EXTRA QUESTION/ANSWERS (notebook)

1. What does the poet still carry? What else does he say about them?
Ans. The poet carries his old delicious burdens- his duties and responsibilities.
He says it is not possible for him to get rid of them.

2. What do you think the poet means by ‘done with …… libraries’?

Ans. This phrase means that the poet doesn’t want to restrict himself in four
walls. He also feels that the bookish knowledge doesn’t provide good learning
whereas travelling the open road gives the real experiences and exposures.

3. Burdens refer to duties or responsibilities that cause worry or hardship. The

poet says that he is filled with them. Why do you think the poet calls his old
burdens ‘delicious’? What do you think he means when he says ‘I will fill
them in return’?
Ans. The poet calls the duties or responsibilities as ‘old delicious’ burdens.
The speaker admits that he is not without his own problems, but instead of
fretting, he relishes them. His use of the word ‘delicious’ conveys the sense of
relish the speaker feels for his burden. He says that these burdens make his life
enjoyable so he will deal with them as and when he gets them.