Through anaphora, Whitman conveys the multifaceted, multifaceted identity of the speaker who encompasses elements of nature, occupations, societal roles, and even animals.
- The lines:
"* I am the mash'd fireman with breast-bone broken,*
>* I am there among the dying and bloody,*
>* I am the mashed fireman,*
>* I am the mashed fireman's sweetheart and eyrie*"
Illustrate how the speaker empathizes with those marginalized or disregarded individuals, expressing profound connections and compassion.
As the poem proceeds, the repeated "who is" or "What is" emphasizes a sense of inquiry, suggesting that these labels and identifications fall short of capturing the vastness and complexity of human consciousness.
Anaphora, in this section, becomes a structural and linguistic embodiment of Walt Whitman's transcendentalist view of reality, blurring the conventional distinctions between an individual and society, self and environment, and inviting readers to consider their interconnectedness and shared humanity.