In Whitman's Song of Myself, the self is described as which of the following?

• A. Isolated Individual
• B. Kosmos, democratic and connected to all humanity
• C. Purely private self
• D. Divine essence only

Answer: (B)

Whitman treats the self as expansive and universal. In Song of Myself, the speaking voice moves beyond a private ego to a kosmos—the whole order of existence—so that the self is inherently connected to all people, all beings, and the world itself. The speaker proclaims he contains multitudes and calls out to the common life of sailors, farmers, poets, the dead, the living, the ordinary—each part of a single, democratic fabric. This vision makes the self both intimate and public: sacred in its spirituality, yet grounded in ordinary experience and equality. The self is not merely private or solitary; it is a shared, democratic essence that unites humanity with nature and the cosmos. So the best description is the cosmically expansive, democratic self integrated with all humanity. It’s not about isolation, nor about a purely private or only divine essence.