POEM EXPLANATION: Animals (Unit Two 2.1)

🌟✨ Animals ✨🌟
✍️ – Walt Whitman

🔹 Line 1: I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d
➡️ “Turn” means to change his way of living.
➡️ “Live” means to stay and be with.
➡️ “Placid” means very calm and peaceful.
➡️ “Self-contain’d” means happy on their own, not needing anything extra.
📖 Simple Meaning:
The poet feels he would like to stop living like a human and instead live with animals. He finds animals very peaceful and calm. They are satisfied with what they have and do not run after more things. Animals are happy and complete by themselves without worries.

🔹 Line 2: I stand and look at them long and long.
➡️ “Stand” means to stay still on his feet.
➡️ “Look” means to watch carefully.
➡️ “Long and long” means for a very long time.
📖 Simple Meaning:
The poet stands still and watches the animals for a long time because he is amazed by their peaceful and simple way of living. Their calmness makes him feel good. They seem to be happy without complaints, and this attracts the poet to them.

🔹 Line 3: They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
➡️ “Sweat” means to work too hard or worry a lot.
➡️ “Whine” means to complain in a sad voice.
➡️ “Condition” means their life situation.
📖 Simple Meaning:
The poet notices that animals never cry or complain about their life. They do not worry or get upset about what they have or do not have. Unlike humans, animals are satisfied with their simple lives and do not create problems for themselves.

🔹 Line 4: They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
➡️ “Lie awake” means to stay awake at night.
➡️ “Dark” means nighttime.
➡️ “Weep” means to cry.
➡️ “Sins” means wrong or bad actions.
📖 Simple Meaning:
The poet says that animals do not stay up at night crying for the bad things they have done. They do not feel guilty or stressed like humans do. Animals live peacefully without feeling burdened by guilt or sadness about their mistakes.

🔹 Line 5: They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
➡️ “Make me sick” means to upset or irritate the poet.
➡️ “Discussing” means talking about.
➡️ “Duty to God” means their religious responsibilities.
📖 Simple Meaning:
The poet feels happy that animals do not keep talking about religion or their duty towards God. Unlike humans, animals do not boast about being good or religious. They live honestly and naturally without showing off about religion or moral duties.

🔹 Line 6: Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things.
➡️ “Dissatisfied” means unhappy.
➡️ “Demented” means mad or crazy.
➡️ “Mania” means wild desire.
➡️ “Owning things” means having lots of property or goods.
📖 Simple Meaning:
The poet sees that no animal is unhappy or crazy about collecting more and more things. Unlike humans, animals do not chase after money, property, or toys. They live simply and do not make themselves sick with the greed for owning more.

🔹 Line 7: Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
➡️ “Kneels” means bows down in respect.
➡️ “Kind” means same type of being.
➡️ “Thousands of years ago” means a very long time in the past.
📖 Simple Meaning:
Animals do not bow down to others or worship creatures who lived long ago. Unlike humans who follow kings, leaders, or heroes of the past, animals treat each other as equals. They do not create divisions or worship anyone else.

🔹 Line 8: Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
➡️ “Respectable” means being seen as very important.
➡️ “Unhappy” means sad or troubled.
➡️ “Whole earth” means everywhere around the world.
📖 Simple Meaning:
No animal tries to be more important than others. No animal is unhappy with its life anywhere in the world. Animals are simple and satisfied. They do not care about fame, importance, or sadness. They are peaceful and joyful across the earth.

🔹 Line 9: So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
➡️ “Relations” means connection or bond.
➡️ “Accept” means to happily receive.
📖 Simple Meaning:
The poet feels that animals show a natural and honest connection to him. They live truly and freely, just like he wishes humans would. The poet is happy to see this connection and accepts it warmly because it feels true and pure.

🔹 Line 10: They bring me tokens of myself, they evince them plainly in their possession
➡️ “Tokens” means small signs or reminders.
➡️ “Evince” means to show clearly.
➡️ “Possession” means something they have.
📖 Simple Meaning:
The animals show simple and honest qualities like kindness and peace. These remind the poet of the true, good side of himself. They carry these good qualities openly, without hiding or pretending. The poet feels that the animals still have what humans have lost.

🔹 Line 11: I wonder where they get those tokens,
➡️ “Wonder” means to feel curious or surprised.
➡️ “Tokens” means signs or reminders.
📖 Simple Meaning:
The poet feels surprised and thinks about where animals got these beautiful qualities like honesty, calmness, and kindness. He sees that animals naturally live with these values that humans have forgotten.

🔹 Line 12: Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?
➡️ “Pass that way” means to live that pure life before.
➡️ “Huge times ago” means very, very long ago.
➡️ “Negligently” means carelessly.
➡️ “Drop” means to lose or leave behind.
📖 Simple Meaning:
The poet wonders if long ago, humans, including himself, lived with the same pure and good qualities as animals. He thinks that maybe people lost these good things without noticing, while animals kept them safe and alive in their simple way of life.