So he lets his lines expand and grow This free verse makes his tone personal and natural It breaks from the narrow artificial forms of old poets Through it he finds the authentic American voice Personal and Democratic Voice Whitman s voice is both personal and public He speaks for himself and all people His I includes every man and woman He says I celebrate myself and sing myself And what I assume you shall assume For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you His voice joins all human lives in one song He sees no gap between poet and reader The I becomes the we This technique gives poetry a democratic meaning It joins self-expression with collective emotion Use of Catalogues and Lists Whitman loves long catalogues and lists He names jobs tools rivers and cities These lists make the poem wide and alive Each item adds to the rhythm of abundance He mixes common and grand things side by side In this way he shows equality in all things His style reflects the diversity of life The poem becomes like a great map of America Through his lists he makes poetry speak the nation s many voices Union of Body and Soul Whitman s technique joins thought and sense He unites the physical and the spiritual world He says Clear and sweet is my soul and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul This line shows perfect harmony between the two He celebrates the body in natural words He sees holiness in touch breath and work He also says I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars Such images show how small things carry divine beauty His art uses the visible world to express spiritual truth Symbolism and Repetition Whitman employs symbols rather than complex forms Common things carry deep meanings Grass stands for equality and rebirth He says The smallest sprout shows there is really no death This natural image teaches the soul s endless life He also repeats words and ideas for music and power Repetition builds rhythm like waves in motion It replaces rhyme but keeps a strong melody His words echo the beating of the human heart This gives the poem unity energy and depth In conclusion Whitman s Song of Myself changes English poetry forever He replaces formality with freedom and spirit His techniques make verse open to everyone Free rhythm plain speech and natural images fill his art He celebrates both body and soul in unity He turns common life into poetic beauty In this way he breaks from old rules and finds new ones