I Hear America Singing
I Hear America Singing
SUMMARY
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.
The mechanics keep the engines of the cars, boats, and machines in factories running operatively. The mason, deckhand, shoemaker, hatter, woodcutter, and ploughboy each play a vital role in their occupation. Each person is important to society. Each person is needed for the various trades that make the country run smoothly. Without a skilled person in every job needed, the other fields may suffer. Whitman is expressing that each person is important.
The verbs used in this poem are deliberate and indicates action, keeping the poem moving in such a pace that the reader is compelled to feel as if he or she is going through the workday with each laborer. Verbs such as measures, makes, sits, stands, sewing, and washing invokes moving pictures of people performing their different jobs and each of the actions they take during their day.
Phrases such as "blithe and strong," "delicious singing," and "strong, melodious songs" appeals to the imagination with the strength of men intermingled with the beauty of song. Whitman is articulating his view of America as a group of strong people, both men and women, yet both of these groups are beautiful for the work they perform.
This poem demonstrates typical Whitman techniques. Although there is no end rhyme, we hear a sense of melody in his chiming repetitions and a rhythm in the length of his lines that substitutes for the metrical pattern we expect in conventional poetry. Line one announces the main metaphor. Individual Americans doing their
SUMMARY
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.
The mechanics keep the engines of the cars, boats, and machines in factories running operatively. The mason, deckhand, shoemaker, hatter, woodcutter, and ploughboy each play a vital role in their occupation. Each person is important to society. Each person is needed for the various trades that make the country run smoothly. Without a skilled person in every job needed, the other fields may suffer. Whitman is expressing that each person is important.
The verbs used in this poem are deliberate and indicates action, keeping the poem moving in such a pace that the reader is compelled to feel as if he or she is going through the workday with each laborer. Verbs such as measures, makes, sits, stands, sewing, and washing invokes moving pictures of people performing their different jobs and each of the actions they take during their day.
Phrases such as "blithe and strong," "delicious singing," and "strong, melodious songs" appeals to the imagination with the strength of men intermingled with the beauty of song. Whitman is articulating his view of America as a group of strong people, both men and women, yet both of these groups are beautiful for the work they perform.
This poem demonstrates typical Whitman techniques. Although there is no end rhyme, we hear a sense of melody in his chiming repetitions and a rhythm in the length of his lines that substitutes for the metrical pattern we expect in conventional poetry. Line one announces the main metaphor. Individual Americans doing their