Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
Crossing Brooklyn Ferry - School Essays

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

Recurring Images and Motifs in ""
In the poem "", by Walt Whitman,
there are many recurring images and motifs that can be seen.
Whitman develops these images throughout the course of the
poem. The most dominant of these are the linear notion of

time, playing roles, and nature. By examining these motifs

and tracing their development, ones understanding of the poem

becomes highly deepened.

Whitman challenges the linear notion of time by

connecting past with future. This can be seen in the first

stanza, as the poem opens: "And you that shall cross from

shore to shore years hence are more to me, and more in my

meditations than you might ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

one.

No matter the time nor the distance, the reader will

experience the same way he experiences at the moment in time

he resides:

Just as you feel when you look on the river and sky,

so I felt,

Just as any of you is one of a living crowd, I was

one of a crowd,

Just as you are refresh’d by the gladness of the

river and the bright flow, I was" (23-26).

This same motif follows through to the next stanza, as he

continues to emphasize how things are the same to him as

they are to those of us interpreting the poem.

By tracing this motif we see that no matter where we are

or how far away from Brooklyn and Manhattan, the images that

Whitman saw will live on long after his passing. This deepens

the understanding of the poem and assists the reader to

comprehend Whitman’s state of reasoning ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.

Already a member? Login

CITE THIS PAGE:

APA
MLA
Chicago
Turabian

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry. (2008, March 1). Retrieved February 21, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Crossing-Brooklyn-Ferry/79866

"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 1 Mar. 2008. Web. 21 Feb. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Crossing-Brooklyn-Ferry/79866>

"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry." Essayworld.com. March 1, 2008. Accessed February 21, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Crossing-Brooklyn-Ferry/79866.

JOIN NOW

Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays

PAPER DETAILS

Added: 3/1/2008 05:46:59 PM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 947
Pages: 4

Save |

Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS

Save and find your favorite essays easier