Whitman's use of free verse in Song of Myself primarily serves to convey what quality?

• A. Rigorous formalism
• B. Inclusive, expansive vision
• C. Personal privacy
• D. Satirical tone

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is how Whitman’s free verse serves a broad, inclusive voice. By abandoning a fixed meter and rhyme, the poem moves with a natural, breath-like flow that feels open and conversational. This freedom lets Whitman string together vast lists of people, places, and experiences—everything from laborers to nature to the everyday moment—without the constraints of formal structure. The result is a voice that seems to speak for and with everyone, not a select few, which reinforces the sense of a democratic, expansive universe.

That expansiveness is reinforced by phrases like “I celebrate myself, and sing myself,” which quickly expands into a chorus of multitudes. The lack of rigid form mirrors the desire to dissolve boundaries between self and others, between city and country, body and spirit, so that the self becomes a vessel containing all possible experiences.

This approach isn’t about strict formalism, nor is it aboutPrivate, withdrawn introspection or satire. The free verse instead supports a vision that is inclusive and boundless, a poetry of the many rather than the few.