Compare And Contrast When I Heard At The Close Of The Day By Walt Whitman

America is a country that has been through many different times of trials. Wars and disease have spread across that nation several times. During times of depression, though, a group of people seems to always emerge from the destruction. That group of people are the poets and writers of America. Through trial and strife, writers are able to find inspiration for their works, and are able to give readers hope for a better day. Walt Whitman was an amazing writer who wrote several poems concerning the great United States of America, talking about the people that have built the nation up from the dust. But, a group of people that Whitman forgot to write about on most occasions were the slaves and black people of which America thrived. Langston Hughes was a black man in the 20th century that took note of Whitman's poems, and their lack of recognition towards his people. Whitman wrote a poem called, "I Hear America Singing," in which Hughes wrote the poem, "I, Too Sing America," in response. In the poem by Hughes, there are several different ways that the writing interlaces with Walt Whitman's.

As the speaker sits in an auditorium, they observe the lecturer’s many notes, “When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me, / When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,” (lines 2-3). This line provides strong visual imagery of complex investigations in astronomy, and a reader can easily imagine a full lecture room with endless notes and charts which aids in providing the mind-numbing mood of the experience. Moreover, the repetitions of what are essentially synonyms in this context make these lines sound like the rambles of the astronomer, contributing to the tone. As the speaker tires of the lecture, he leaves the room and “In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, / Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars” (lines 8-9). Here Whitman again employs imagery to make the night seem appealing and

Like in many of his other poems, Whitman uses free verse in this short literary work. His free verse style in this one stanza is written without a specific pattern of rhyme or meter. Innovation flows through the lines as Whitman is unpredictable with his rhythm. In the eight lines (one stanza) of this poem, he creates an anecdotal feel by having the lines vary in length and giving variety to the stressed and unstressed syllables. For example, the first two lines stress the long beat on the third syllable with the words “heard” (line 1) and “proof” (line 2), whereas the third line stresses the fourth syllable with “shown” (line 3). Then continues to the fourth line to stress the long beat on the second syllable using a comma: “When I,” (line 4). These first four lines act as a setup while the speaker recalls listening to the astronomer’s lecture. Whitman demonstrates anaphora in the poem by having each line in this setup begin with the word “When” to illustrate to the reader that the speaker is evoking a prior experience. Whitman utilizes multiple

Also included in the poem is the image of a young child being embraced by their elders. This shows the gap in life and the aging process that we go through. When we are young we are carefree, but as we age we hold on to the ones we love because of the knowledge that we will one day have to make our departure. Out of this idea of death, Whitman shows that this is a natural part of life and

Throughout the passage, the writing appeals to the senses of touch and hearing. As read in the text, “I heard the distant click of their picks and shovels,/ They have clear’d the beams away, they tenderly lift me forth” (lines 29-30). Whitman uses the senses touch and hearing to help the reader feel what is happening in the passage.

Our lives, whether we realize it or not, revolve around emotion. When plagued with sadness, we find it hard to function; our daily lives hindered and impossible to live. When we feel jubilant, life is comfortable and satisfying. But whatever the circumstance, emotions will eventually lose their grip and sink into the river of time, forgotten until mentioned again. Depression, however, has a profound effect. Depression doesn't fade like emotion; it clings to the minds of the unfortunate souls possessing it, never surrendering its grip. It cemented itself onto the likes of Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Twain, and Robert Frost. Frost's poem "Acquainted with the night," offers insight into the life of a lonely soul affected by depression. Frost emphasizes the seclusion depression brings, isolating those who have it from the rest of the world.

In “Song of Myself”, grass is the central image surrounding Walt Whitman’s ideology. The idea behind it is grass, in some ways, is very similar to people in society and natures lifecycles. As Whitman was “observing a spear of summer grass” (5), he began to question the human condition. One of Whitman’s first thoughts was that one individual, like a single spear of grass surrounded by more grass, is part of a large community of people. It’s impossible to differentiate from others, for all people are equal despite cultural, religious, or gender differences. Nevertheless, Whitman’s use of symbolism alludes to the idea that grass reflects the thoughts and condition of people in society.

How are you known? A last name is what defines them, it tells their past. It tells what they should be like in relation to ancestors. When the word amerca comes to mind do you consider it part of you? Walt whitman was a man that was born in New York, he knew what america came from. Whitman wrote a poem called I Hear America Singing. In this poem he tells of citizens doing their job or daily duty while singing America. Later on in history a man named Langston Hughes, he was an African american poet during the Harlem Renissance. This was a time period that allowed Afican Americans Poetry to be taken seriously. Langston wrote a poem that struck the hearts of all people, it is called I, Too, Sing Amerca, this poem expands on how hard Africna Americans had it. They had to take care of everything for their meals, and after all of that they were sent to eat their shares in the kitchen away from everyone. This poem was thought to be a response to whitmans poem. in these poems that have some of the same characteristics, one of which is what people do to be an american, another is the structure or outline of the poem, finally they also explain how proud people are to be an American.

Whitman’s view of animals is a result of his dissatisfaction with the lifestyle of humans. My opinion is that the author is trying to employ the tranquility that comes with being one with nature. We have a habit of to making things more difficult than required, whereas the simplicity of animals brings about a certain sensation of relaxation. Animals do not seem worry about the world. They tend to go about their day as nature intended. Our life’s will never be freed from human interference and “law”. Unlike animals, we live in a civilization where people’s opinions, social norms and statuses control us. Discrimination, stereotype, social status has overpowered human’s freedom today and has tortured those who are weaker. So, Whitman wanted to undermine the distinction between the two. We observe that the author uses a lot of repetition which are two verbs “I think “&” I stand”, three times “They do not” and “Not one”. These recurrence gives sense of author’s meaning, more memorable. This means that he by repetition he is insisting and emphasize something. He lists his ideas without any hierarchal organization. This shows that he doesn’t have the traditional style of writing a poem, which involves

of Whitman shouting at the reader, saying "Look what I've discovered!": "Stop this day and night with me and

On this verse, we can see how Whitman tries to connect to mind, body, spirit and nature. In “Song of Myself” Whitman attempted to change the meaning of American poetry. I described identity issues that pertain to him, but that the audience was able to identify with. Whitman, opened the door to

Along with the use of metaphors, the form of the poem plays an important role in uncovering the views of Whitman. First and foremost, this poem was written in free verse which is a form of poetry that lacks structure. The free verse stucture of the poem is shown in the lack of form in the stanzas of the poem. Some stanzas are six lines long while others are only one, and the lines can be either concise or drawn out. The poem also lacks any apparent rhyming scheme or rhythm. Unlike Shakespearean poetry, where the foot of the poem stays the same, the lack of any apparent structure to the poem leaves the reader unable to predict what is coming next. In addition to this, at the time this poem was written, free verse was not common. In fact, Whitman may have been one of the first poets to use this form, showing that he may have been rebelling against the predominant structured form in poetry. The lack of any apparent structure guides the reader towards the conclusion that Whitman did not like structure in poetry, and can even be

This poem explores the difficulties of discovering the relevance of life. The suggestion that Whitman offers as a means of becoming distinguished, or obtaining an identity, is to live a life of self-satisfaction. The persuasive devices used in this poem successfully communicate Whitman’s own theory of breaking the molds of society by living as a self-satisfying individual. Whitman informs his audience that he has lead the same life as they had lived and the one who lead the same life as their children will and their ancestors did. The poet questions the significance of a person’s achievements by asking, “My great thoughts as I supposed them, were they not in reality meagre. He thought that it would be hard for any person to measure their self- accomplishments on the planetary scale. The second verse of the poem introduces the metaphor of the world being a simple, compact with the people dissolved into the eternal float of solution. Sunrise, sunset circling birds on the Brooklyn ferry are woven into this poem. The continuous use of repetitive imagery conveys the feeling that our existence is in fact part of an infinitely moving machine that has no purpose or destination. By using these devices, Whitman shakes his audience with the convincing notion that life as it is normally perceived is not

Whitman's Poem "Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Rocking," is not, at first glance, an obvious love poem. Most readers would probably consider this a tragic poem about death and love lost. In spite of the fact that the poem is about intrinsically sorrowful events, or perhaps because of it, Whitman is able to capture a very unique and poignant portrayal of love. There are three major perspectives to examine how Whitman develops the theme of love in Out of the Cradle, and by examining each reoccurring theme in the poem separately, we can come to a more complete understanding of how they work together to communicate Whitman's message about love.

In Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”, the poet showcases his feelings of people and himself by using literary descriptors to convey his thoughts on these and various other subjects. In section 20, Whitman’s purpose is to showcase self-assuredness regardless of what the world tries to state otherwise by maintaining his resolute happiness in being himself. This is what sets him apart from being like the other people in the world.