A Noiseless Patient Spider- Walt Whitman by Ethan Thai (Student FVHS)

Are there any symbols? What do they mean? Are they universal symbols or do they arise from the context of this poem?

ecthai100_3 — 2024-02-16 17:59:58 UTC

One symbol shown in the poem A Noiseless Patient Spider is the spider. The spider represents souls, and his idea of a universal brotherhood. The webs also symbolize Walt Whitman's efforts towards his idea of a universal brotherhood. These symbols are not very universal, and they do arise from the context of this poem. Many key parts of the poem give the idea of what Walt is trying to say.

What is the poem’s tone? Which words reveal this tone? Is the poem ironic?

kdnguyen129_ — 2024-02-16 21:44:20 UTC

The poem's tone is leaning towards lonely but also kind of dark. Some key words that can give this out are isolated, noiseless, and measureless. The words isolated and noiseless show that the spider is all by itself with no other creature near it. Measureless is kind of dark but still shows loneliness because the spider is in the middle of nowhere because the poem says the space around the spider is measureless.

What figures of speech are used? How do they contribute to the tone and meaning of the poem?

kdnguyen129_ — 2024-02-16 21:48:28 UTC

A figure of speech that is used is a metaphor. The poem compares the spider and the author's soul. The spider shooting out its filament trying to find connections for it to make a web is being compared to the author's soul trying to find connections to everybody in the world because he believes that everyone are technically brothers no matter how they look. This metaphor contributes to the tone of the poem because the spider can be seen as very lonely and the soul is also lonely all by itself in the real world.

What heavily connotative words are used? What words have unusual or special meanings? Are any words or phrases repeated? If so, why? Which words do you need to look up?

ecthai100_3 — 2024-02-16 21:49:46 UTC

Some heavily connotative words that are used are words like "Mark'd" and "launch'd". These words give the poem a bit of an old feeling to the poem. It gives the reader a hint of what time period this poem was written. "O my soul" is also a hint that this poem may have been written by a very wise old person. Some words that are repetitive are words that end with 'd. Examples of this are mark'd, launch'd and form'd. These kinds of words are not used very often nowadays, which also relates to the fact that the poem has been written a while ago.

kdnguyen129_ — 2024-02-16 21:50:21 UTC

kdnguyen129_ — 2024-02-16 21:52:32 UTC

kdnguyen129_ — 2024-02-16 21:53:04 UTC

Biography

ecthai100_3 — 2024-02-16 22:06:20 UTC

Walt Whitman grew up in New York and moved to Washington D.C. during the Civil War. His first job was a teacher and he started this at the age of 17. He was a self taught reader and he was pulled out of school in order to help his family gain more money. This kind of occasion was very common during this time with many families living in poverty, their kinds had to give up their education in order to help out their family. Walt Whitman sadly passed away on March 26, 1892.