In his first anthology of poems entitled "Song of Myself", Walt Whitman reveals some of his views on democracy through the use of symbolism and free verse poetry . His use of symbolism and free verse poetry creates indeterminacy, giving the reader clues rather than answers about the nature of the poem. In the sixth part of “Song of Myself,” a child asks the narrator of the poem, “What is grass?” (Whitman). Instead of simply giving an answer, the narrator can't make up his mind and stumbles over how to explain the herb to the child. Through the use of specific symbolisms, Whitman, as the narrator, explains his point of view while remaining under the facade of explaining the weed to the child. The points of view conveyed by Whitman remain indeterminate and unclear to the reader due to the use of various literary devices. However, through further analysis of symbolism, free verse poetry, and metaphors, Whitman's antidemocratic and perhaps anarchist views surface. The widespread use of metaphors in the poem leaves room for the reader to interpret the narrator's words while guiding the reader. in the general sense of Whitman's ideas on democracy. The narrator evokes an important reflection on democracy when he says that grass is "itself a child, the baby of vegetation." By comparing grass to a child, the narrator makes the reader understand that democracy was created by humans. This de-emphasizes democracy, giving the reader the impression that since humans created democracy, humans can also take it away. Later, according to the narrator, the grass appears to be "the beautiful uncut hair of the graves", showing that grass is born from death, or that mortality and death are a key part of how democracy works. .... middle of paper......the narrator seems unsure how to answer the question. This question would normally be easy to answer, but the narrator seems to have difficulty answering it. Why does the narrator have difficulty answering this question? Whitman conveys the idea that adults do not know the answers to questions about life and society any more than children do. Whitman seemed to believe that everyone has equal value in society. However, in the end, the narrator says that he feels that "dying is different from what we thought and luckier." This is strange, because it suggests that Whitman might be a dissident of democracy and society. It seems like he thinks he would be content to see democracy die and be replaced by something else. The message is reiterated by the literary devices used by Whitman in order to enhance the overall effect of the poem..