"Song of Myself" might be the most egotistical poem ever written. The poem helped shape the idea of what it means to be an American. It is a democratic poem that draws all different kinds of people and people into itself and tries to forge them into a unity.
One of the main themes is identity. Whitman sees his identity into at least three components: his everyday personality, the more inner "self" or "Me Myself," and the universal "soul." For him, there is no such thing as a private experience. He experiences the pains and the pleasures of all the poeple in the world.
The poem has two primary speakers, Whitman and the "Me Myself." His soul does not and cannot speak for itself.
In this poem Whitman addresses the reader like a close friend, and his tone is reassuring and non-judgmental. He wants to get close to everyone he meets. He is eager to become fast friends woth any kind of stranger.
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