I.

Introduction
A. Thesis statement: Walt Whitman uses imagery and metaphor to convey the
appreciation of miracles, the existence of loneliness and the absence of nature in the poems
“Miracles,” “A Noiseless Patient Spider” and “We Two, How Long We Were Fool’d.”

II. Body Paragraph #1 (Miracles)

A. Topic sentence: In the poem “Miracles”, Walt Whitman demonstrates a appreciation
of miracles as a theme by using imagery to express the words “miracles”.

B. Supporting evidence:
i. “As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky” (line 2-4). To shows what miracle
means to persona.
ii.
iii.

C. Clincher sentence: The persona wants us to appreciate things that happened

throughout life as a miracles by using imagery to convey messages to us.

III. Body Paragraph #2 (A Noiseless Patient Spider)

A. Topic sentence: Whitman tries to express his feeling of loneliness by comparing
his soul as a spider.

B. Supporting evidence:

i. line 1-3, “A noiseless patient spider, I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood
isolated, Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding”
ii. stanza 2, line6 : “And you O my soul where you stand,
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them”
iii.

C. Clincher sentence: The persona uses metaphor to show how isolated and solitary
he is even though he’s trying to reach out and connect to others.

IV. Body Paragraph #3

A. Topic sentence: ‘We Two, How Long We Were Fool’d,’ is a poem that Whitman
uses metaphor as a tools to compare us as a part of nature.

B. Supporting evidence:
i. “We are snow, rain, cold, darkness, we are each product and influence of the globe,”
line 21-22.
 ii. “We are Nature, long have we been absent, but now we return,” line 2.
iii. last line, “We have voided all but freedom and all but our own joy.”

C. Clincher sentence: The persona believes that human is a part of nature and we never
noticed it until we disregard our own happiness.

V. Conclusion
A. Rephrased thesis statement:

To express his believes, he uses metaphor and imagery to pass on his believes about human and
nature in the poem.
 The Beliefs of Walt Whitman

In the late 19th century, the idea of transcendentalism rose among American citizen. Walt

Whitman was the influential American poet whose believed in transcendental and used this idea

to express his beliefs about human and nature throughout poems. What he believes was nature

and us are interconnected and their associations rise above physical comprehension. The use of

this idea changes the views of Whitman toward nature and himself. He uses imagery and

metaphor to convey the appreciation of miracles, the existence of loneliness and the absence of

nature in the poems “Miracles,” “A Noiseless Patient Spider” and “We Two, How Long We Were

Fool’d.”

In the poem “Miracles”, Whitman demonstrates an appreciation of miracles as a theme by

using imagery to express the words “miracles.” In his life, he realized nothing except miracles,

he says in line 2, “As to me I know nothing else but miracles.” He also describes the word

miracles as a thing he perceives during his lifetime. For example, Whitman says, “Whether I

walk the streets of Manhattan / Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky.” (lines

3-4). In these two lines, Whitman says that he finds a wonder in the road of Manhattan and on

the house's rooftop where the delightful sky found. He appreciates all nature and what mankind

has created as miracles. Even it is little things that we won’t notice because they’re the things

that ordinary and basic, but the persona wants us to appreciate things that happened throughout

life as a miracle by using imagery to convey messages to us.

 Whitman tries to express his feeling of loneliness by comparing his soul as a spider. On

the lines 1-3, Whitman uses alliteration and imagery to reveal messages. He writes, “A noiseless

patient spider/ I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated/ Mark’d how to explore the

vacant vast surrounding.” He starts the first line by repeating the title name which is one way to

emphasize it. In the second and third lines, he uses the words, isolated and vast vacant, which

underline how loneliness the spider is. He also stresses the image of the spider stands alone on

the promontory by using alliteration in the words vast and vacant to reinforce the idea. Then in

the second stanza, Whitman uses metaphor to allegorize his soul as a spider. He says “And you O

my soul where you stand/ Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space/ Ceaselessly

musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them.” (lines 6-8). In these lines,

Whitman starts to talks about his soul which can be referred to the image of a spider. He begins

with a picture of soul in small nature images and then switches into a gigantic spiritual

resemblance. As he believes that everything in the world is connected, like us and nature, by

comparing his soul as a spider denote his believes. He uses metaphor to show how isolated and

solitary he is even though he’s trying to reach out and connect with others.

‘We Two, How Long We Were Fool’d,’ is a poem that Whitman uses metaphor as a tool

to compare us as a part of nature. This poem is about transcendentalism idea which the persona

considers truthful into it. He begins with a big picture in the line 3 saying, “We are Nature, long

have we been absent, but now we return.” This line can represent what he believes the best

among all lines in the poem, which says that we are apart of nature, and together we’re

interconnected. Then he focuses on a specific part of nature by compares us as products of the

earth, in line 4-5, “We are bedded in the ground, we are rocks/ We are oaks, we grow in the
openings side by side.” He also uses words “we” to make us and nature combined and interpret

us as a nature form. Moreover, the use of enjambment also takes place in the poem. As he

portrays a state of identification of nature, Whitman using enjambment to illustrate nature in a

pleasant way, discusses its excellence and makes the poem flows into one idea without any

breaks. Overall, the persona believes that humanity is a part of nature and we never noticed it

until we disregard our own happiness.

To express his beliefs, he uses metaphor and imagery to pass on his believes about human

and nature in the poem. The poems written by Whitman come from what he believes as a person

and things that he experienced as a human. The main concept that can be seen in most of the

poem is transcendentalism, which he conveyed his beliefs toward the poem that he wrote.

Throughout the “Miracles,” “A Noiseless Patient Spider” and “We Two, How Long We Were

Fool’d,” he connects himself to nature one or another, by using metaphor and imagery in all of

them. All around, human are encompassed by nature; consequently, he tries to associate human

to the nature to uncover that nature is in part of us.

References:

What is transcendentalism?. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.gotquestions.org/

transcendentalism.html

Whitman, W. (2018). Miracles. Retrieved from https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/miracles-0

Whitman, W. A Noiseless Patient Spider. Retrieved from https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/

noiseless-patient-spider

Whitman, W. We Two, How Long We Were Fool'd. Retrieved from https://www.poets.org/

poetsorg/poem/we-two-how-long-we-were-foold