How we cite our quotes: (line)
Quote #4
"Till the bridge you need be formed" (line 9)
This is the basic goal of all explorations. We have many other reasons to explore new places: maybe we want to learn, or conquer, or make maps, or kill. But, we always make a bridge. We connect two things previously separate, which were isolated from each other. This is definitely something we share with animals, and Whitman makes a whole poem out of this comparison. Spiders, humans, pigs – we all want to make bridges with our minds, our bodies, and maybe our souls. A little too heartwarming? Sorry, Whitman isn’t afraid to be a cheesy optimist sometimes. We’ll let you decide, though, if the happy side wins or loses. Does exploration turn out to be exciting and rewarding here, or scary, dangerous and futile?