Walt Whitman's I Hear America Singing

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.

Whitman’s poem tells how he sees America during the 1800s with everyone having something to do. However, De Hoyos viewpoints are affected by her heritage and sees America as a melting pot. Hughes uses his experiences to invoke a everyone is equal if not today then in the future. All three poems are talking about America with viewpoints from two men and a woman. America has a unique identity that is shaped by conflict, cultures, immigrants, and our special government of Grand Republic or Representative

Unlike Hughes, Whitman’s tone is a lot more clear. He mentions the words, “. . . young fellows, robust, friendly . . .” (ll. 17-18) . Whitman also mentions the line, “. . . Singing with their mouths their strong melodious songs.” (l. 18) . His tone is clearly happy and joyful, and while it is quite obvious that his voice is merry, it’s also laced with ignorance toward the real situation of everyone struggling with their work, old and young, man or woman. His own utopia causes him to see America for what it isn’t, while Hughes understands the struggle of everyday Americans, even not being considered one himself. Furthermore, it allows him to think about what can change in America in the future.

The idea of an equal America exists no more. Regardless of the fact that there is a plethora of varying perspectives dividing the country into two, there are words and phrases that are generally accepted in viewing our country from the rest of the world. First, the American Dream is regularly associated with equal opportunity, prosperity, and liberty. Walt Whitman, as well as many others, have written about this desired America for the socially accepted American. He is often referred to as “America’s Poet,” who amplifies the elegant qualities of America that we believe to be true. It is obvious that Whitman portrays America as an alive and colorful place full of chance and flourishment throughout his work. “I Hear America Singing” is a prime example of an America that is only seen from the surface, where Whitman clearly indicates that the United States is a country where all its citizens are able to achieve equality and liberty. Contradictory, Sharon Olds poem, “On the Subway,” proves the lack of individual liberty, which deteriorates the growth of the country, ultimately opposing the America, where personal freedom is the foundation. Olds’ poem pokes holes in the surface that shows the controversial interior that truly makes up America that Whitman painted beforehand. Olds and Whitman also illustrate varying insight regarding personal liberty and its importance in two opposing poems; one who proclaims it as easily attainable and necessary to the country and the other who

People may dream of a perfect society where everyone is similar--a utopia. People might believe building a utopia is a grand idea because they won’t have to worry about being bullied or discriminated. There couldn’t be any flaws in building a utopia-- accept everything. Yeah, everyone would be similar, and people probably won’t be bullied or discriminated, but are the consequences of fixing those proroblems going to be worth it. Absolutely not, imagine if there was only one kind of culture/one kind of person, let's say everyone is German, that means when there is an opportunity to go out to eat there will be no Mexican, no Chinese, no Italian, etc. The same food will be eaten just like any other day. Plus, food wouldn’t be the only thing affected

The preacher’s speech from chapter ten of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and the poem I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman both contain many stylistic devices that convey these American authors’ purposes of revealing the common man. Whitman and Steinbeck both write about occupations and people in the working class to bring these often overlooked citizens to attention. Although Whitman illustrates his purpose through the use of poetry, and Steinbeck through prose, the literary devices they use to bring these ordinary men and women to light are very similar, and cause the reader to consider the lifestyles of people that are often overlooked. Steinbeck and Whitman both convey a glorification of the common man through the use of repetition, tone, and transcendence.

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

Hughes shows through the speaker that anyone can have freedom to be happy if they appreciate what they have and grow from it. In the poem, “I Hear America Singing” Whitman says through the speaker, in line (8), “The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing.” By mentioning the women and children in the poem, the author shows us that America is only a whole when everyone is included, as well as women and children. The difference between the themes create that connection these poems

Life is more than just ‘survival of the fittest’; it is the “certainty of others, the life, the love, [and] sight” of them that reassures in the promise of man (Whitman). Whitman writes about a capability of love and contentment that humans have that distinguishes them from beast. American sings out in their labor, each their own song, “singing what belongs to him or her and to none else” (Whitman). They rejoice in their originality, lending man the strong emphasis on the individual self. Unlike London’s indifferent view, Whitman’s poetry stresses affection and a focus on freedom, introducing a loving society that will “not cast [them] aside” and “plant [them] permanently within [them]” (Whitman).

America is a great place to live, so great, that people are happy even at work. In Whitman’s Poem, “I Hear America Singing,” many devices are used to help form the theme. In line three, Whitman uses imagery to show the scene of the carpenter’s job, “The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam.” Whitman uses forms of the word “sing” many times throughout the poem. In line nine, the author uses singing to show happiness, “Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else.”

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.

In his first anthology of poems entitled “Song of Myself”, Walt Whitman reveals some of his views on democracy through the use of symbolism and free verse poetry. His use of symbolism and free verse poetry creates indeterminacy, giving the reader hints rather than answers about the nature of the poem. In the sixth part of “Song of Myself”, a child asks the narrator of the poem, “What is the grass?” (Whitman). Instead of simply giving an answer, the narrator cannot make up his mind, and stumbles on how to explain the grass to the child. Through the use of specific symbolisms, Whitman, as the narrator, explicates his views while remaining under the façade of explaining grass to the child. The views Whitman conveys remain indeterminate and

“I celebrate myself, and sing myself / and what I shall assume you shall assume” (Whitman 1-2). These lines not only open up the beginning of one the best poems of the American Romantic period, but they also represent a prominent theme of one of this period’s best poet, Walt Whitman. In Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself, Whitman deals with his time period’s most prominent theme of democracy. Whitman tells readers that they must not only observe the democratic life but they must become one with it. As Whitman states, “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (3). Democracy provides a connection with all people. It is as if Joseph Stella felt this connection and decided to depict it in his collection of paintings entitled “Americans in the Rough.” The individual is of no greater or lesser worth than anyone else. Beatrice Marovich states that, “It is a song for fellow Americans, about the American body politic” (349). An analysis of Song of Myself portrays that understanding and becoming one with democracy through political collectivity essentially sets the stage for the American democratic self. Joseph Stella does a great job of interpreting and depicting Whitman’s ideals of democracy through his illustrations representing every facet of an American democratic life.