There Was A Child Went Forth Analysis

THERE was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of
the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.

The early lilacs became part of this child,
And grass, and white and red morning-glories, and white and red
clover, and the song of the phoebe-bird,
And the Third-month lambs, and the sow's pink-faint litter, and the
mare's foal, and the cow's calf,
And the noisy brood of the barn-yard, or by the mire of the pond-
side,
And the fish suspending themselves so curiously below there--and the
beautiful curious liquid,
And the water-plants with their graceful flat heads--all became part
of him.

The field-sprouts of Fourth-month and Fifth-month became part of
him;10
Winter-grain sprouts, and those of the light-yellow corn, and the
esculent roots of the garden,
And the apple-trees cover'd with blossoms, and the fruit afterward,
and wood-berries, and the commonest weeds by the road;
And the old drunkard staggering home from the out-house of the
tavern, whence he had lately risen,
And the school-mistress that pass'd on her way to the school,
And the friendly boys that pass'd--and the quarrelsome boys,
And the tidy and fresh-cheek'd girls--and the barefoot negro boy and
girl,
And all the changes of city and country, wherever he went.

His own parents,
He that had father'd him, and she that had conceiv'd him in her womb,
and birth'd him,
They gave this child more of themselves than that;20
They gave him afterward every day--they became part of him.

The mother at home, quietly placing the dishes on the supper-table;
The mother with mild words--clean her cap and gown, a wholesome odor
falling off her person and clothes as she walks by;
The father, strong, self-sufficient, manly, mean, anger'd, unjust;
The blow, the quick loud word, the tight bargain, the crafty lure,
The family usages, the language, the company, the furniture--the
yearning and swelling heart,
Affection that will not be gainsay'd--the sense of what is real--the
thought if, after all, it should prove unreal,
The doubts of day-time and the doubts of night-time--the curious
whether and how,
Whether that which appears so is so, or is it all flashes and specks?
Men and women crowding fast in the streets--if they are not flashes
and specks, what are they?30
The streets themselves, and the façades of houses, and goods in the
windows,
Vehicles, teams, the heavy-plank'd wharves--the huge crossing at the
ferries,
The village on the highland, seen from afar at sunset--the river
between,
Shadows, aureola and mist, the light falling on roofs and gables of
white or brown, three miles off,
The schooner near by, sleepily dropping down the tide--the little
boat slack-tow'd astern,
The hurrying tumbling waves, quick-broken crests, slapping,
The strata of color'd clouds, the long bar of maroon-tint, away
solitary by itself--the spread of purity it lies motionless in,
The horizon's edge, the flying sea-crow, the fragrance of salt marsh
and shore mud;
These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now
goes, and will always go forth every day.

.: :.

First of all, this is most definitely a Bildungsroman poem, providing a description of any one child's disillusioning transition from childhood to adulthood. It begins with a child living in the country - nature surrounds the child with good things (like flowers); nature is also a sign of innate goodness and innocence. As the poem procedes, the child grows, and moves from the country to a small town, to a city. The city is very industrialized, crowded, and corrupt. The child has gained knowledge, but he is not bad or corrupt...he is well-rounded, with a healthy skepticism.
Another aspect that you may want to note is Whitman's use of balanced pairs: mother/father, country/city, childhood/adulthood, etc.

| Posted on 2009-10-21 | by a guest

.: :.

Thanks for your comments, they're really useful for students like me.

| Posted on 2009-10-15 | by a guest

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As a teacher, a mother, a friend of mothers, a traveller on the planet, I found this poem to be a warnng that what a child experiences of good and bad stays with him or her for life, and we should, therefore be VERY careful concerning our own influence!

| Posted on 2009-09-24 | by a guest

.: :.

Witman is a very deep person and we have 2 b deep 2 understand him but sometimes being 2 deep makes ppl think ur pointless and stupid thats y if u think readin his poem is bein jobless den u might b right in a case when u didnt get d message and if u think he is deep then u r also right bcz he is.SO MY FELLOW FRNDS WITMAN IS A MAN OF PASSION SO MAKE FUN OF HIM AS LONG AS U RESPECT HIM AND GET D MESSAGE BCZ DAT WIL B FAIR ENOUGH.

| Posted on 2009-08-23 | by a guest

.: :.

Witman is a very deep person and we have 2 b deep 2 understand him but sometimes being 2 deep makes ppl think ur pointless and stupid thats y if u think readin his poem is bein jobless den u might b right in a case when u didnt get d message and if u think he is deep then u r also right bcz he is.SO MY FELLOW FRNDS WITMAN IS A MAN OF PASSION SO MAKE FUN OF HIM AS LONG AS U RESPECT HIM AND GET D MESSAGE BCZ DAT WIL B FAIR ENOUGH.

| Posted on 2009-08-23 | by a guest

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for the person who posted the last analysis ... iam surprised to see someone who reads walt whitman poems making fun of them and the people reading them too ...we r not jobless whoever u are .. iam just shocked
and this shows the person is just immature and playing .. so please RESPECT my friend !!

| Posted on 2009-08-23 | by a guest

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I'm pretty sure dat evey1 who commented on dis poem is JOBLESS.!!!!

| Posted on 2009-08-23 | by a guest

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i think its possible tha whitman was referring to life in the eyes of a child or a newly born baby how he memorized things for the first and how his childhood and neighborhood became a part of him , and so will affect his life in the future. And this poem might be referring to how whitman's childhood affected and played a role in his life today

| Posted on 2009-08-23 | by a guest

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ya'll got wayyyy to much tiime on yo hands to be writin all this nonsense.

| Posted on 2009-05-28 | by a guest

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Whitman discusses about the imagination of a child and how everything around him molds him to how he is now aas an adult. He made use of nature and everyday people that everyone feels impacted life (mother and father).

| Posted on 2008-11-30 | by a guest

.: :.

I think this means that whitman is reflecting on his childhood years by mentioning old images like the "friendy boys" and the "fresh-cheek'd girls" to show the innocence of life when young.

| Posted on 2008-10-28 | by a guest

.: o.o :.

Sorry to whoever wrote this, but this is a bit common sense =/ I would go a bit more in depth if you are actually trying to help people. And you should make it a tinge longer...

| Posted on 2008-04-30 | by a guest

.: Whitman's meaning :.

Whitman carefully transitions from his own personal life and relations with himself to his relationship with mother earth and nature. He combines the elements of nature with those of his soul comparing and contrasting the good and the bad.It is a very romanticism kind of idea. Whitman talks about the different elements that have shaped his life in his adulthood and the impact they will leave in the future. Whilst showing respect for nature and life and america Whitman describes his childhood a

| Posted on 2008-01-08 | by a guest