Discuss the stages of identification in the poem, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"?

• The speaker describes his surroundings: the water below, the clouds, the sunrise, and the commuters around him.

• The speaker thinks about all the people who have made this journey in the past and how many are yet to repeat it long into the future.

• The speaker explores the commonalities between all the commuters who have traveled and will travel on this ferry.

• The speaker offers some details about the rest of his routine - living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan. He professes to be fairly confident in his identity. However, there are traces of darkness in his life, as well. He admits that sometimes, evil thoughts cross his mind. He used to wonder if he was the only one who felt this way but has since overcome his insecurity.

• The speaker then "approaches" his readers more closely and claims that they see each other in the same way. He reiterates the eternal connection between all human beings.

• The speaker says that the physical world binds us all together and allows us to know our own souls. We must revel in our physical surroundings, for our relationship with our environment is the ticket to achieving spirituality and fulfillment.