Walt Whitman's When I Heard Learn D Astronomer

Chris McCandless was a man who had a very bright future ahead of him, and he excelled in school was a hard worker in everything. He realized that he didn’t want to live the life of any average man, he wanted something more from life. As McCandless tried to find that “something” he made many decisions that is centered by transcendental keys. There are several Transcendental writing pieces that relate to different aspects of McCandless’s time on the road.

Walt Whitman, and mark twain both lived similar lives. they both started out becoming apprentice printers at the age of 12 and both made their career in writing, however where they differed really sets them apart, not only were they both on different sides during the civil war, only one of them could make a stable living during his time writing. Not saying that Whitman’s work was bad, it just wasn’t appreciated as the amazing writing it was, and even though they have many similarities there were many differences as well that set them apart. The basic premise of the poem is that a person is at a lecture, listening to an astronomer who talks about nature analytically. He becomes sick of hearing the astronomer and goes outside where he discovers that there is so mush more to nature than number on graphs.

Stories in Romanticism hardly end in happy endings. In fact, the earliest of the modern romantic stories were about the wickedness of human nature. Romantics often emphasized the beauty, strangeness, and mystery of nature. Romantic writers showed their intuition of nature that came from within. The key to this inner world was the imagination of the writer; this customarily displayed their expressions of their inner soul and their perspective towards various aspects of nature. It was these perspectives that marked each author of the Romantic period, such as Whitman, Dickinson, Hawthorne and Poe, as unique individuals. These viewpoints are markedly echoed in the poem “When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer” by Walt Whitman.

Whitman tries to convey his theme of loss through a story of a sailor that lost his captain, the feeling of loss is certainly conveyed well but feel like it's giving

"Knowledge is power." When Francis Bacon stated this famous mantra, he was stating a conviction in the power of education to create prosperous leaders and great minds. Throughout history, he has been proven right by powerful figures who owe their fame to their studious nature such as Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein. Bacon's belief in the power of knowledge supports the belief in education over experience that has kept the institution of public education alive in modern countries and has been debated about between the great minds of America, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Both Whitman and Dickinson argue their positions through their poems "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" and "He ate and drank the precious words.

Walt Whitman’s poem “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” seeks to provide a brief exploration of the contrast between wisdom and knowledge. Whitman uses numerous poetic devices and syllable stresses to conclude his intended theme of the poem. Along with the structure, he implements purposeful character and setting development within the eight lines of the poem. Although short in length, this work leaves much to be discovered.

Through the poem “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” Whitman demonstrates the importance of returning to nature as a source of inspiration and wisdom by juxtaposing the restrictive scientific teachings against liberating personal imagination through nature. This difference is most apparent in the first few lines of the poem. Whitman begins his poem by describing a scene in which he is sitting in a classroom being taught by an astronomer, “When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them” (Whitman 3). He uses repetition by starting out each line with “when” causing the reader to sense an uninterest in the speaker. When one pairs this with the continual extension of each line, it becomes apparent of lack of enthusiasm

Walt Whitman is considered one of the greatest American poets in history. He is commemorated for his democratic and war related works. It is known that Whitman was a self-taught autodidact, ending his formal education at the age of eleven. He was able to gather prolific knowledge as he lavishly read and visited museums. In “When I Heard the Learn´d Astronomer,” Walt Whitman took inspiration on the effect of the technological discoveries during 1865, the year in which the poem was published.

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

The repetition within the lines regarding the scientific side of astronomy illustrate the supposed lack of emotion within the scientific view. It is also significant that “when” refers to time. Just as math and science attempt to quantify the natural world, time is a construct to quantify life. Whitman continues this trend in writing “ When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them” (3). In including “to add, divide, and measure them” Whitman implicates that students of the Enlightenment are not allowed, or not able to feel or reflect, only observe and

Almost every college student in the world can relate to being bored in a lecture hall. Old professors teaching boring material that does not relate to what you want to be doing with your time. In Walt Whitman's poem, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer," Whitman’s character is describing just that. The character leaves a lecture and is one within nature. The character uses past tense throughout the entire poem. I believe that this poem is someone reflecting on a moment in life where they made a choice between knowledge and true happiness. The character’s ability to connect with nature helps them make a tough decision about what they want in life.

Through this, Whitman is giving the idea that people, especially famous, barely even know their own true self. Through all the people you meet, interact with, and get to know, people rarely find the time to get to know themself. Also, this poem creates an idea of reflection in a reader’s mind. As this poem is read, a reader may begin to realize they barely know themself as well, much like the famous person mentioned in the poem. By making a connection with the reader through his writing, Whitman truly engages the reader in his writing, helping to deepen a reader’s understanding and appreciation for his poetry.

I really liked Whitman's use of imagery, but I did not consider his writing from a more holistic aspect. I think you wrote it best, that Whitman seems to favor the deeper meanings in life over the temporary. After reading your post, I think Whitman talking about the atoms that make up his physical body and that he will return to the grass that he loves supports your idea that Whitman has a desire for something more than a temporary and materialistic existence.

The first moments of the work prepare us for these themes. The lights go up on Whitman, our poet, alone. The opening chords allow three figures to move behind him. They move slowly, deliberately, as memories or dreams might move. First, a man. He is suffering. He is wounded. He stumbles gracefully from our sight. Next, a couple. The man lifts the woman with apparent ease as they drift across the stage. These characters will reappear later, and we will learn that they are in love, but for now it is time for Walt to introduce us to the world as he sees it.

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