Poem - A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman

Explore how Walt Whitman uses the essentials of poetry in "A Noiseless Patient Spider." Apply The Method to the poem, looking specifically for the connotations.

1. What form does this poem take? Is it open, closed, or something in between? Who is speaking? To whom is the poem addressed?

2. What image metaphors does the poem have? Which images in particular call attention to themselves? How, for instance, do you interpret "promontory" or "gossamer thread"? Others?

3. Consider the language of the poem. Are there any odd or unusual words? Are there are any notable repetitions of words or ideas? Is the diction high or low?

4. How does Whitman handle the line? Note the enjambments, end-stopped lines, caesura, and line length in general. Why is he making these verse decisions?

5. If you bad to say what this is a poem "about," how might you paraphrase it?