Name
Date
Selected Poetry by Walt Whitman
Copy Master
Question Support
Text Analysis
For questions 1–3, see page 541 of the Student Edition.
Directions: Answer each question.
4. Examine Imagery Complete this chart. Would you see the images in the first
column today? Write yes in the second column if you would. If not, describe an image
you would see.
Whitman’s images in the 19th century
What America looks like today
“The carpenter singing his as he
measures his plank or beam.”
“the girl sewing or washing”
“Beat! Beat! Drums!—blow! Bugles!
blow!”
5. Analyze Tone Below each underlined topic, circle the word or phrase that best
describes Whitman’s attitude toward it.
Manual Labor
the Soul
fulfilling
seeking
degrading
isolated
Himself
War
mocking
vital to defense
center of the universe despairing
Copyright © Holt McDougal, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
and tell what it means.
7. Compare Poems Circle the word that best describes the mood of “A Noiseless
Patient Spider.” Circle the word that best describes the mood of “Beat! Beat! Drums!”
a. fearful
b.thoughtful
c.sorrowful
d. optimistic
e.patriotic
f.angry
Selected Poetry by Walt
Whitman
6. Analyze Metaphor Reread lines 16–25 of “Song of Myself.” Identify one metaphor
8. Compare Texts In the preface on page 540 in your textbook, Whitman says, “The
United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem.” Write a line or lines from a
poem that supports this statement.
9. Evaluate Free Verse Underline one word or phrase in parentheses and then
complete the sentence. Free verse (is, is not) appropriate for Whitman’s poems because
Resource Manager
Unit 3
American Literature
23