# Chapter 4: Leaves for America explained — Leaves of Grass > Chapter companion for Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. ## What happens The poet offers his 'leaves' to America, North and South, East and West, as offspring that connect lovingly with the nation. He reflects on studying the great masters of old and now wishes they might study him, asserting that his work is the child of the antique, not its scorn. ## Themes in this chapter ### America and Its People The poet directly addresses America, offering his leaves as its own offspring, to be welcomed everywhere. ### The Poet as Prophet and Unifier The poet positions himself as a successor to the great masters, claiming his work justifies and continues the antique tradition. ## Character check-ins ### America Addressed directly as the recipient of the poet's leaves, encompassing North, South, East, and West. ### Narrator The speaker who studied old times and the great masters, now offering his own work as their worthy descendant. ## Key lines > Take my leaves America, take them South and take them North, Make welcome for them everywhere, for they are your own offspring, Surround them East and West, for they would surround you, And you precedents, connect lovingly with them, for they connect lovingly with you. Accept my poems, America, across all regions; welcome them as your own children, for they embrace you as you embrace them, and let the past connect with them in love. _The poet urges America to receive his work as a unifying, loving offspring._ > I conn’d old times, I sat studying at the feet of the great masters, Now if eligible O that the great masters might return and study me. In the name of these States shall I scorn the antique? Why these are the children of the antique to justify it. I studied the past and learned from the great masters; now I wish they could come back and learn from me. Should I reject the old traditions? No, my work is their true descendant, proving their worth. _The poet asserts his work as a continuation and justification of classical traditions._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters/4 - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters