Leaves of Grass 7

Walt Whitman, an American, one of the roughs, a kosmos / Disorderly fleshy and sensual....eating drinking and breeding, / No sentimentalist....no stander above men and women or apart from them....no more modest than immodest. / Unscrew the locks from the doors! / Unscrew the doors themselves from their jambs!

Importance
This is the first time Whitman addresses himself by name. Because he uses a name that was given to him (instead of choosing one himself), Whitman shows that he is, like other people, bound to the rules of society. In addition, by using his name, he is showing that while he has achieved some degree of success in life, he is no different from the people with whom he inhabits the planet. The end of the quote shows a change in style and so marks a change in theme. He had been describing reality earlier in the poem, but now he is deconstructing it.

Analysis
Whitman refers to himself in the third person, which is different from the more informal first person. This can either show a detachment from his body or a kind of self-awareness. I believe that he is becoming self-actualized. He is describing himself in terms of earthly identities (his nationality) and human identities (fundamental actions like eating and reproducing). Because he has finally come to a conclusion that he can exist as both of these things at once, he has conquered reality. Toward the end, he tells the reader to take apart their doors, and by doing this, he is trying to articulate his understanding of the relationship between humans, their constructions, and nature. He no longer wants to preserve social development and this shows that he wants to return to a life without the constraints of doors (and the people that make them). This is Whitman rebelling. He also tells the reader he is no different from any other person, showing his commitment to parts of him that are common to other people.