However, it's more than just a simple self-portrait. The poem uses the speaker's own experiences and observations to explore themes of:
* Individuality and universality: Whitman celebrates the unique self, but also emphasizes the interconnectedness of all beings.
* Democracy and equality: He champions the common person and rejects social hierarchies.
* Nature and the spiritual: He finds the divine in the everyday world, from the grass to the human body.
* The power of the senses: Whitman emphasizes the importance of experiencing the world through our senses.
* The transformative power of love: He celebrates love in all its forms, including sexual love.
Through this exploration of his own experiences, Whitman creates a poem that is both intensely personal and universally relatable.