Poem+of+the+Open+Road

__Song of the Open Road__

This poem goes to show that a person can think about a lot of things just by taking a walk. Some of the deepest realizations about life might come when you’re just thinking about things by yourself on a calm and peaceful walk. Two pieces of this poem that my group read in class today really spoke to me and some of my classmates. They are so simple, yet so powerful to me. This poem is, in my opinion, one of the greatest works Whitman has ever written. Here is the first line that seemed really important. It was in part six on page 33. “Here is a man tallied- he realizes here what he has in him, The past, the future, majesty, love- if they are vacant of you, you are vacant of them.” I think that the main message in these two lines of the poem is that you should remember the past, but always look toward the future. If you don’t have the past, future, majesty, love, or anything else for that matter, you don’t have anything. This is the second little piece of the poem that really stood out to me. It is also in part six on page 33. “Wisdom is not finally tested in schools, Wisdom cannot be pass’d from one having it to another not having it, Wisdom is of the soul, is not susceptible of proof, is its own proof.” The main message in these three lines is that wisdom cannot be found by learning about it or teaching it in school; nor can it be passed on from one person to another. Wisdom is within your own being- you just have to believe that you have wisdom because there really is no proof of it. **EWe (REMEMBER YOUR TILDES)**

This was the poem my group read in class. After writing my paper, and studying the poem more at home, I truthfully came to a much better understanding of it. The poem really shows how Whitman encounters different people and different places along his walk. Whitman shows in plenty of the lines in the poem that he is choosing who he meets along his walk. What he is trying to do is tell us that in life we must choose the kind of people we want to be around, we must make our own decisions. Whitman is trying to get across the point that someone can take the road somewhere new, which in America signifies a "fresh" start. Overall, Whitman is describing this open road as a journey where he experiences new things and new people. He is saying along your lifetime you walk down an open road and make decisions, the people you want to be with, the places you want to go, and that you must choose your own destiny. 1200522528

I also feel the same about this poem. Whitman is totally right. In our lifetime we are going to face alot of decisions that will determine our character. Our character is what defines us as people. And the decisions we make will affect or path towards happiness. I think Whitman is explaining how our future depends on our choices and mistakes we make as human beings. In order to acheive what we want, we have to realize who is keeping us from that goal and who is holding us back. Sometimes we have to chose between our heart and our mind in order to make the right decision. As we get older we will recognize who we want to hold on to and who we need to let go in order to achieve. We make choices on a daily basis. No matter what the choice is, it affects us in the future. When Whitman is taking this walk he notices the open road to which holds the future of our young lives. During the course of our lifetime we meet new people, we see new places, and discover fasinating things about ourselves that we didn't notice before. We just have to see the difference in the ones that keep us up and the ones that bring us down. The ones that keep us up in life are the ones we need to keep. 1201039288

I think that this poem was really interesting. In the poem, Whitman talks about how we all are going to travel along the same road, and on that road nothing matters. No matter what we do or where we come from, what are status, or anything else doesn't matter. The open road helps us live our life. It's totally different from our regualr houses because in our home, we are sheltered with friends and family that we are familiar with. In the open road, we can be exposed to so much more and gain another perspective on life and how it works. The road symbolizes life. I really like the quote in section 11:

"I do not offer the old smooth przes, but ofer rought new prizes, these are the days that must happen to you: You shall not heap up what is call'd riches, You shall scatter with lavish hand all that you earn or achieve, You but arrive at the city to which you were destin'd, you hardly settle yourself to satisfaction before you are call'd by an irresistible call to depart,"

I think that this is really important because he is saying that life isn't going to be easy and there are going to be some times when you want to give up. You should be proud of the things that you work hard for in life and appreciate those instead of the things that come easy in life.1201128773ape2