Editing Song of Myself (section)

=="Self"==
In the poem, Whitman emphasizes an all-powerful "I" which serves as narrator, who should not be limited to or confused with the person of the historical [[Walt Whitman]]. The [[persona]] described has transcended the conventional boundaries of self: "I pass death with the dying, and birth with the new-washed babe .... and am not contained between my hat and boots" (section 7).

There are several other quotes from the poem that make it apparent that Whitman does not consider the narrator to represent a single individual. Rather, he seems to be narrating for all:

* "For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you." (Section 1)
* "In all people I see myself, none more and not one a barleycorn less/and the good or bad I say of myself I say of them" (Section 20)
* "It is you talking just as much as myself... I act as the tongue of you" (Section 47)
* "I am large, I contain multitudes." (Section 51)

Alice L. Cook and John B. Mason offer representative interpretations of the "self" as well as its importance in the poem. Cook writes that the key to understanding the poem lies in the "concept of self" (typified by Whitman) as "both individual and universal,"<ref>Cook, Alice L. "A Note on Whitman’s Symbolism in 'Song of Myself'". ''Modern Language Notes'' 65.4 (1950): 228-32.  ''JSTOR''. Web. 17 October 2011</ref> while Mason discusses "the reader’s involvement in the poet’s movement from the singular to the cosmic".<ref>Mason, John B. "Walt Whitman's Catalogues: Rhetorical Means for Two Journeys in 'Song of Myself'". ''American Literature'' 45.1 (1973): 34-49. ''JSTOR''. Web. 17 October 2011.</ref> The "self" serves as a human ideal; in contrast to the archetypal self in [[epic poetry]], this self is one of the common people rather than a hero.<ref>Miller, James E. ''Walt Whitman''. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1962. Print.</ref> Nevertheless, Whitman locates heroism in every individual as an expression of the whole (the "leaf" among the "grass").