metapoetic in the poem "when i heard the learn'd astronomer
Walt Whitman's poem "When I heard the learn’d astronomer" is composed of two quatrains that stand as one stanza. The poem has a sense of separation between the first quatrain, that presents a passive view of the poem, and the second quatrain, that presents the active view of the poem. The active view of the poem are the verbs that appear in the second quatrain such as: "rising", "gliding", "wander’d",(7) "Look’d" (9). All of this verbs display an active action, by that it contradicts the first quatrain which displays the passive view of the poem. The passive verbs that appear in the first quatrain are: "ranged" (2), "shown" (3), "sitting" (4). In this essay I will discuss the metapoetic aspects of the poem and how they solve the contradiction of the passive and active verbs and the way nature is presented in the first and second quatrain.
The contradiction in the first and second quatrains is reflected in the way nature is presented in the poem. In some poems nature is used to symbolize life and feelings, however in Whitman's poem there is a contradiction in the way nature is shown, in the first quatrain – as weary, and in the second quatrain nature is fascinating.
The contradiction between the quatrains is mainly shown by the use of passive and active verbs. The first quatrain contradicts the second quatrain, because it shows nature in the eyes of science, the second quatrain is the active part: "Till rising and gliding out, I wander’d off by myself" (7), " Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars " (9). In this part the speaker is no longer an objective observer but he is actively taking part in the poem. The speaker leaves the lecture and sees nature, the stars, with his own eyes "Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars" (9), the speaker feels comfortable in the silence, alone rather than in the crowded and noisy lecture. The second quatrain shows the focus on nature in the artist's point of view, the real stars are shown, nature described as fascinating,
The contradiction in the first and second quatrains is reflected in the way nature is presented in the poem. In some poems nature is used to symbolize life and feelings, however in Whitman's poem there is a contradiction in the way nature is shown, in the first quatrain – as weary, and in the second quatrain nature is fascinating.
The contradiction between the quatrains is mainly shown by the use of passive and active verbs. The first quatrain contradicts the second quatrain, because it shows nature in the eyes of science, the second quatrain is the active part: "Till rising and gliding out, I wander’d off by myself" (7), " Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars " (9). In this part the speaker is no longer an objective observer but he is actively taking part in the poem. The speaker leaves the lecture and sees nature, the stars, with his own eyes "Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars" (9), the speaker feels comfortable in the silence, alone rather than in the crowded and noisy lecture. The second quatrain shows the focus on nature in the artist's point of view, the real stars are shown, nature described as fascinating,