I Sing the Body Electric

Walt Whitman is largely credited as being the father of free verse. He writes unrhymed, irregular sentences that mimic regular speech. Though it does make use of repetition, the repetition of phrases is also irregular. The purpose of using free verse is to make the poem relatable and accessible to common people. Whitman writes about regular people who may not have sophisticated academic educations, and it follows that he writes in a language and form that they would be able to understand and would reflect their typical mode of expression.

Repetition in the poem enhances the song-like quality of “I Sing the Body Electric.” As a song has repeating phrases, the poem repeats ideas over and over to create a sense of rhythm. The repetition of key ideas also emphasizes those ideas, making them easier to understand for the lay person. Whitman emphasizes more than once that the body gives expression to the soul, that those who corrupt the body also corrupt the soul, that parts of the body are beautiful and meant to be seen and touched, and that the body is the soul.