Question

read the quotation from \song of myself.\
i loafe and invite my soul,
i lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.
how do these lines reflect the poet’s general style?
○ they show the poet’s love of highly ornate language.
○ they reveal a formal, historical interpretation.
○ they show the poem’s relaxed, candid tone.
○ they reveal natural processes in painstaking detail.

Explanation:

Walt Whitman's Song of Myself is known for its free verse, casual, introspective tone focused on personal experience and simple, accessible language. The lines use relaxed, plain phrasing ("loafe," "at my ease") that emphasizes an unpretentious, candid mood, which matches his typical style. The other options are incorrect: the language is not ornate, there is no formal historical focus, and the lines do not go into painstaking natural detail.

Answer:

They show the poem's relaxed, candid tone.