Why does the poet celebrate his ownself in the poem Song of Myself Or What significance do you attach to the I in the poem Song of Myself Walt Whitman employs the word I in Song of Myself with profound significance It is not only the poet s own voice but also the voice of all mankind His I grows beyond his personal life and becomes universal The I stands for unity equality and the divine energy that connects all living things The Poet Himself At first the I refers to Whitman himself It is the poet s personal identity and his joyful self-expression He says I celebrate myself and sing myself Here the I is confident free and full of love for life The poet s personal joy becomes a song for all The Universal Self Whitman s I is not limited to one person It becomes the soul