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When Professor Dalke asked us on Tuesday what role our dreams had in evolution, I would say the same role that Whitman had in literary evolution.  Although many people have tried to analyze dreams and their meanings and how they reflect our true nature, many of those theories have either been disregarded or discounted.  They have been discussed and then people have moved on (no universal meanings have been accepted for dreams as a dream is a different experience for every person). 

I am making the comparison between dreams and the process that we are using to discuss The Leaves of Grass because in order to appreciate Whitman, little analysis needs to be made.  However, in order to appreciate Whitman, little analysis should be done and we should let the experience wash over us and then move on. The reason that I am having difficulty in enjoying Whitman is because I am trying to find some universal meaning (or any meaning for that matter) due to the way school teaching has shaped my thought process.  Also, no universal meaning can be made because Whitman does illicit different responses in different people (like dreams).