In the poem 'As I Ebb'd with the Ocean of Life', what psychological state does the speaker experience while walking along the shores of Paumanok (Long Island)?
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Correct answer: A crisis of existential humility and poetic failure before the vastness of nature
Unlike the triumphant, bold persona of 'Song of Myself,' 'As I Ebb'd with the Ocean of Life' reveals an introspective, vulnerable Whitman experiencing deep creative doubt. Walking by the debris-strewn shore, he sees himself as a mere fragment of drift, realizing that his words have failed to capture the true mystery of existence. This crisis of humility provides an important psychological counterweight to his brash public optimism.
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