# Native Moments explained — Leaves of Grass

> Chapter companion for Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.

## What happens

The narrator embraces raw, libidinous joys and celebrates a life of coarse passions, choosing to consort with Nature's darlings and share in midnight orgies. He rejects societal judgment, befriending the lawless and condemned, and declares himself the poet of those shunned by others.

## Themes in this chapter

### Sexuality and the Body

The chapter explicitly celebrates libidinous joys, passions, and loose delights, embracing physical and sensual experiences.

### Individuality and Self

The narrator asserts his own path, rejecting societal norms and choosing companionship with the lawless and condemned.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker who revels in sensual pleasures and aligns with outcasts.

### Walt Whitman

Implied as the poet persona who vows to be the poet of the shunned.

## Key lines

> Give me now libidinous joys only, Give me the drench of my passions, give me life coarse and rank

Grant me only sensual pleasures, immerse me in my desires, and let me live a raw and unrefined existence.

_The narrator demands a life of pure physical indulgence._

> I will play a part no longer, why should I exile myself from my companions?

I refuse to pretend anymore; there is no reason to separate myself from those I belong with.

_The narrator rejects social pretense and embraces authenticity._

> O you shunn’d persons, I at least do not shun you, I come forthwith in your midst, I will be your poet

Oh you outcasts, I do not reject you; I immediately join you and will be your voice.

_The narrator pledges solidarity with the marginalized and outcast._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters/native-moments
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters