i sing the body electric

Question 1

the body is a vessel for the soul, they are in communication with one another, the inside is reflected in the outside.

Answer 1

“O I say these are not the part and poems of the body only, but of the soul”

Question 2

schesis onomaton, the body’s functions –> literal imagery of love and sex. embodiment of love, the soul communicating through the body, celebration of the body’s functions + the beauty in the complexity of this function. sex unites people spiritually and physically as the act of love is universal.

Answer 2

“limitless limpid jets of love hot and enormous, quivering jelly of love, white blow and delirious juice”

Question 3

enumeration - whitman lists the bodies abilities and identity outside of the simple functions. appreciation for each person’s individuality and what they bring to the world

Answer 3

“girls, mothers, house keepers,”
“a common farmer”

Question 4

Aporia –> exploration and whitman imbuing us all with knowledge.
the body and the soul are one in the same, corruption and concealment. to damage your body (metaphorically speaking) is to misrepresent your soul.

Answer 4

“was it doubted that those who corrupt their own bodies conceal themselves?”
“and if the body were not the soul, what is the soul?”