Poem Analysis: I Hear America Singing

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,

Whitman depicts American workers as taking pride in their own individual work by using selective pronouns. Whitman uses singing as a metaphor to describe the pride in the work that Americans hold. He writes that each American is, “singing what belongs to him or her.” The use of “him or her” illustrates the idea that each individual person, rather than a collective group of people, is in possession of their own pride. The exclusivity of this pride is strengthened by the continuation of the line,“and to none else.” This shows that the

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

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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

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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

Kurtis Bowen Mrs. Waldvogel American Literature 8 February, 2016 Song of Myself: 46 In section 46 of “Song of Myself” Whitman uses many literary devices to strengthen his theme that every person has his or her own path to follow. Whitman’s use of literary devices includes parallelism, diction, and metaphor. Whitman uses parallelism to strengthen the theme in many places.

The narrator speaks of what could symbolise the lower or working class "the Chimney-sweeper", crying out against the system, and the upper class "Church" subduing them. Both the chimney and church are personified to symbolise the people they represent. This dominance is also related in the personification of "Soldier" and "Palace". The soldiers fight the wars that the monarchy decides, their blood on the King and Queen's hands. They sigh as to their shared plight, but their sighs only end in their deaths. This stanza's rhythm is different in that it follows a heptameter meter. Its pace is faster, which might reflect an increase in excitement by the narrator in what might be anger.

Great examples for Whitman’s catalogue-like listings can be found in one of his early poems, Starting From Paumanok (Whitman 1871-72), which was published in several editions of Leaves of Grass. The visual image of the following example is characteristic for Whitman’s early writing style.

This poem reflects these emotions. The verses are categorized by a fleetness of movement which reflects on the poet's enthusiasm, fervor, and passion. Whitman praised the newness and diversity that he believed America represented during Whitman’s life as a poet. He also celebrated the ideals of camaraderie, unity, and solidarity.

In the first section, Whitman states that he is going to celebrate himself which makes him come across as a little arrogant. He lays out some rules saying that the reader is to assume whatever he assumes. He then invites another character to join him, his soul. In the poem, Whitman and his soul are two slightly different things. They then proceed to hang out in nature, looking at blades of grass and enjoying the fresh air, which Whitman describes as a perfume he could get drunk off of, but doesn’t allow himself to. He is in love with the air and says he wants to get naked by the bank in the woods to be in contact with it.

The depressing realization of the captain’s death is evident and seen most within the last stanza as the tone changes from that of triumph and elation to heartbreak and grief. This is shown through Whitman’s use of imagery as the speaker states, “My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, / My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will” (lines 17-18). This provides a detailed description of the lifeless captain as he lies on the deck. The following lines describe the successfulness of the mission as the captain has led his crew to safety after accomplishing the goals which were set. This alteration in tone

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

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