Discussion questions for Walt Whitman's "Son of Myself" ask class members to reflect on the beauty that can be found in labor, the sense of identity that transcends divisions, and on the many riddles in Whitman's poem.                                      

Concepts

walt whitman, epic poetry, american literature

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Compare the catalogue of people and activities in Whitman's poem with those in Langston Hughs' "I, Too, Sing America"
• Ask class members to craft their own song
• Use the questions as prompts for journals or essays

Classroom Considerations

• Neither the poem nor the referenced video are included or linked to the resource 
• Although the questions are designed for multi-cultural, college-level classes, they can be easily adapted for high school ELA classes

Pros

• Questions require a close reading of the poem and encourage scholars to make personal connections to the text

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.1 RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.4 RL.9-10.5 RL.11-12.1 RL.11-12.2 RL.11-12.4 RL.11-12.5