Reconciling Disparate Objects in "Leaves of Grass"

Walt Whitman's begins this excerpt from Leaves of Grass by describing an elusive 'this': "This is the meal pleasantly set . . . . this is the meat and drink for natural hunger." These two clauses that are set next to each other describe 'this' as very different things. "A meal pleasantly set," evokes a quiet table in a genteel household. In contrast, "the meat and drink for natural hunger," recalls a more rugged table at which the food …

…this," Whitman emphasizes the fact that all of these seemingly disparate objects can come together in one unified form. As with the catalogues, through describing "this," as so many things, Whitman dulls the reader's guard against the improbability of the descriptions. Rather than telling the reader how to view these contrasts, then, Whitman demonstrates how to view them, and forces the reader into believing that "There shall be no difference between them and the rest."