- The central concern of this poem is how every individual shares the same connection through experiences, regardless of what age or generation they are experiencing it. I reached this idea due in part to how Whitman describes throughout the poem various common things he experiences and believes future readers will experience as well. One instance occurs in Section 3, where he calls to the reader of any generation, and tells them he too has felt the same emotion that we are experiencing when looking towards the river and sky, how it is to be living in the crowd. These are things we all share and bind us together as citizens of this city, regardless of how many years have passed.
- Throughout the poem, Whitman describes various experiences he believes are commonly shared between any individual. I found his use of the techniques of repetition and lists were visible in Section 3 and Section 5, where he mentions his experiences, such as living in Brooklyn, walking through the city of Manhattan, viewing the surrounding waters and being part of the “living crowd”. In both sections, he details more and more the shared feelings and emotions he expects the reader is currently experiencing. These techniques helped me understand his main theme because it provided more examples of things we as New Yorkers sometimes feel are unique experiences, where in fact, its these experiences that make us a common group.
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