6. Summary

In the poem 'Animals', Walt Whitman says that  animals  are calm and self-sufficient, so he wants to live with them. They are so self-contained and happy with whatever they have. They are not greedy, unlike humans who always want more no matter their success. The poet is so mesmerised by the animals that he admires and looks at them. They do not complain and whine about every small thing that goes wrong. They do not blame God for their misfortune. They do not lay awake and repent for their sins, thinking they will be saved. They do not discuss their duty to God. They are never proud of owning anything. They are carefree and do not have attachments to materialistic things. They do not kneel before another creature. They are not unhappy about the Earth. The poet wonders where he had lost the tokens as the years had progressed. He wonders if there is any way of getting them back.