In the poem “Song to Myself” Whitman introduces the idea of being “untranslatable”. This term touches upon the notion that self identity and the concept of selfhood and individualism can never truly be revealed. Self individuality is a construct that can be defined as never ending or interminable. Whitman is trying to discuss the fact that our souls and our mindsets are always changing based on external and internal factors. The experiences that an individual undergoes is just one of the factors that assists in altering self identity, one can never truly reach self expression. Whitman describes the effect of this idea in his poem when he was unable to answer the question of the child when asked what grass is, “How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he.” Whitman was in a state of confusion when answering this question because all he could have been able to describe about the grass was its physical features, but he believed that there was more to it than just that. Therefore, if he was unable to describe the nature of grass although it was a part of nature as he is himself, then he will also be unable to explain what he is as well, due to the fact that human nature is always in a state of adaptation and amendment. “Untranslatable self” centers around the idea of identity and the importance of building up your character and finding yourself throughout the journey of your altering self individuality.

-Jyoti Bali