I Hear America Singing Analysis

The delicious singing of the mother--or of the young wife at work--or the girl sewing and washing--Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else,

In every line of “I Hear America Singing”, the word “singing” appears to help emphasize and describe the melody of the working American citizens, yet there is no song in particular. Perhaps they are singing the National Anthem? America’s people doing American jobs all united by an unidentified melody that shrouds them all. It would seem a bit peculiar for

It is often inferred by many people that have read both Walt Whitman's poem “I Hear America Singing”, and Langston Hughes poem “I, Too, Sing America”, that one is a response to the other. Walt Whitman was an extremely famous poet and still is presently. His poem was very patriotic and inspired a lot of people. Langston Hughes did not see the poem in a positive way. In what many think is a retaliation to the poem, Langston Hughes wrote “I, Too, Sing America”. Langston Hughes’s poem “I, Too, Sing America” builds on and compares with Walt Whitman’s poem in many ways, it says we all Americans, they sound very much alike, we need to be together as one.

In “I Hear America Singing,” Walt Whitman’s message of the American identity is that it is diverse and proud. The fact the American identity is diverse is proven best in the first line, which states, “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear.” In this line, the word “varied” proves that it is diverse because if something is varied it has a variety of things amassing it. The American identity being proud is proven by the line, “Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else.” This line proves that the American identity is proud because it is saying that we celebrate what only we have. This celebration evinces that we are proud of what we gain by working.

In “Song of Myself” Whitman attempts to speak on behalf of the entire American population. He tries to pull the reader into a world of many possibilities. Whitman makes a

The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off/work, /The boatman singing...". (3-5)This is only a few of the many types of people that Whitman explains are all American, but most importantly, America. The poem unites all people of different backgrounds and jobs and says that they are all the same in the sense that they are American. In similarity, Hughes poem says, "Tomorrow,/I'll

In “I Hear America Singing” Whitman uses metaphors to explain the work that the workers did in America. Whitman uses metaphors in the entire poem. The uses of metaphors give the reader an allusion that would not normal are used. Metaphors

Walt Whitman explores individualism by looking through all of the diversity within America and identifying that people are different and have come from many different backgrounds. However, we are all one in the same due to the connection of being American. He does this because he wants to maintain his individual “self-hood” while finding a place within America, a happy medium. The role of the individual in this piece of work Whitman states is “one of the Nation of many Nations, the smallest the same and the largest the same,” which means everyone has a different background and have all come from many places far away, but are still apart of America nonetheless. This is what brings us together. In the opening section of Song of Myself Whitman starts by saying all human beings are the same, “And what I assume you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” I believe this is Whitman’s attempt at trying to merge his own self into society, while maintaining his “self-hood.”

In the poem "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, the reader envisions a country of people working for the greater good of mankind. These people come together as part of the whole society developing industry and production. Each person has a different occupation, but each job is important to the bigger picture. The bigger picture and theme being that of a country in which everyone is working together to create a successful and harmonious civilization.

Whitman wrote broad stanzas and focused on the whole of America as his inspiration. His lines covered a wide range of topics and generated multiple points of view for the reader. He called his life’s work “Leaves of Grass”; stressing the

Meaning in music is derived from parenthetical analysis of several technical aspects including lyrics, form, historical context, emotional content, and personal connection. A hermeneutical approach to the Star-Spangled Banner can yield only interpretational results. Therefore, we must examine the more concrete details of the work, and how the music relates to the meaning of the protests as stated by Colin Kaepernick in August of 2016.

Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is a vision of the American spirit, a vision of Whitman himself. It is his cry for democracy, giving each of us a voice through his poetry. Each of us has a voice and desires, and this is Whitman's representation of our voices, the voice of America. America, the great melting pot, was founded for freedom and democracy, and this poem is his way of re-instilling these lost American ideals. In this passage from "Song of Myself" Whitman speaks through his fellow man and speaks for his fellow man when his voice is not socially acceptable to be heard.

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

While “I Hear America Singing” champions the work of the people, the words of “I, Too, Sing America” are lined with a deep sense of pride in individual identity. Whitman’s poem includes a number of vocalists with varying professions, such as a carpenter, a hatter, and even a young wife. The words of the piece show that these laborers complete each day’s tasks with pride and singing. Their jubilee is even described as continuing into the night with “strong melodious songs” after the work was done (Whitman 11). They rejoice in their work because their positions represent much more than jobs, but have, in fact, become the people’s resounding contributions to the great machine that is the United States. It is what they are able to offer their country to keep it moving ever forward. Similarly, the narrator in Hughes’s work takes pride in his identity, but in a much different way. It is uncertain whether he is living in a period of widespread slavery or afterwards, but his words clearly convey an environment of inequality. He is, for instance, ordered to “eat in the kitchen” when company comes (Hughes 3). However, the narrator boasts both in what he is and what he will be; he has faith that in the future, he will not be huddled away from the others, but sitting at the table, a citizen. He will be his own man, and the

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.