Point of View

There is more than one point of view used throughout "Leaves of Grass." Much of the work is in first person as Whitman is prone to saying what he sees, hears and feels in an obvious way. There is a tremendous amount of referral to self through this point of view, which may or may not add to the poet's work.

The first person point of view is valuable, particularly in poetry. Because poetry tends to be emotion based, using the first person allows the reader to capture the sense of emotion through the words, thereby making the work more subjective and personal. With the discussions of love and lust, as well as the feel of being one with nature, the first person is a good choice.

There are sections that use the third person point of view, often used to capture external events. This can...