What is Whitman’s relationship to the reader?
In his poetry, Walt Whitman praises himself and is prideful of who he is. While he “celebrates” himself, he wants us, the readers to celebrate with him and be proud of who we are just like he does. “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” He wants the readers to share their identity with the world as we all unite as one. Therefore, to Whitman, the readers are all his friends because he believes that everyone is the same.
I agree with you point that Whitman wants us to be his friends, because he wants us to be open and share our identities with the world like himself. He starts off his poem saying the line, “I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself” showing how confident he is about sharing his identity. Whitman does make a point about sharing an identity with the world and feeling a sense of unity with everyone no matter their rank or religion. However, I’m not sure if Whitman believed that everyone is the same, so would you care to elaborate on this point.