From the beginning, Whitman begins by stating, "What I shall assume, you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you", proposing that the reader listen to him, for he possesses all of the answers to life. The setting is somewhat naturalistic, and offers an image of the speaker, relaxing, philosophizing about life. As the poem later shifts in tone, and setting, Whitman starts to think about the answers to life he has come up with, based upon the past, and decides that the reader should hear him out, one final time, as his ideas have changed.

Whitman's first stanza begins, "It's time to explain myself...let us stand up. What is known I strip away...I launch all men and women forward with me into the unknown. The clock indicates the moment...but what does eternity indicate? Eternity lies in bottomless reservoirs...its buckets are rising forever and ever, they

pour and they pour and they exhale away". Whitman is stating that he wants to tell the purpose of his thoughts. The thoughts that Whitman express are that of power and self-confidence. Whitman has written this based upon his experiences in life. Through these experiences, he has grown to know certain things about life and tries to pass them down to the reader. Throughout the beginning of the poem, Whitman takes the reader by the hand and demands that he follows Whitman and his ideas, because he holds the answers to all questions. But now, he asks the reader to clear his mind of what was said, or forget the past.

He moves on into the next stanza by writing: We have thus far exhausted trillions of winters and summers; there are trillions ahead, and trillions ahead of them. Births have brought us richness and variety, and births will bring us richness and variety. I do not call one greater and one smaller, that which fills its period and place is equal to any. Whitman says thinks that all we know about the future so far is that the seasons will continue to change, just as in the past. Nature will run its course regardless of the situations humans bring upon themselves. He also feels that everyone born, is born for a reason, and has something to offer to society, in some way or another. This is the least that we can expect. Whether a person is born into a poor family or a wealthy one, it does not make either better or worse than the other. Whitman feels that everyone is equal, and should be treated equally without discrimination, regardless or social or physical attributes. In the third stanza, Whitman writes: Were mankind murderous or jealous upon you my brother or sister? I am sorry for you...they are not murderous or jealous upon me; All has been gentle with me...I keep no account with lamentation; what have I to do with lamentation? I am an acme of things accomplished, and I am an encloser of things to be. My feet strike an apex of the apices of the stairs, on every step bunches of ages, and larger bunches between the steps, all below duly traveled-and still I mount and mount. Here is a direct statement towards minorities. He apologizes on his own behalf for the discrimination for which they have been plagued. Why

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1504
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)