One may argue that old poetry is better than new poetry simply because it is older, so some would think it is more raw and original than modern poetry. This is not the case. There are plenty of authentic and original artists out there, like Tyler Joseph of the band Twenty one Pilots. There are plenty of not-so-organic poets from decades ago, like Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman is not a bad poet, but others are better at using the poetic literary devices (PLDs) to convey their message. The pieces that will be argued in this paper are “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman and “Car Radio” written by Tyler Joseph. These two authors utilized the literary devices of symbolism, figures of speech, imagery, tone, hyperbole & repetition to get their …show more content…
There is the tone in most every poem and it varies on the author’s overall message of the piece. In these pieces of literature, the tone stays the same throughout. In Car Radio, the tone is very sad, empty and full of despair. The tone, while not explicit, ties the whole piece together. One could feel the sadness that Tyler feels and relate, if not, empathize, with how the author is truly feeling. The tone in Walt Whitman’s poem is very straightforward, and a lot brighter than Mr. Joseph’s. The tone in I Hear America Singing identified with the underlying theme of the poem. This being said, Tyler Joseph used tone to tap into his audience’s pathos and get his message across more efficiently than Mr. Whitman. The hyperboles used in Whitman’s poem connect directly to the figures of speech. He exaggerated the prideful tone of the American workers. Hyperboles are also closely related with the figures of speech used in Tyler’s song. The hyperboles used in Tyler’s are utilized in a way that would let a lot more people relate to his emotions and his overall message of the piece. Repetition is often used as a foundation for other PLD’s, usually to stress a certain line or idea in the song or poem. It is used in Walt’s piece when he repeats the line, “I hear America singing,” and the word “singing.” This puts a lot of emphasis on the idea of happiness while working and living in America. In Mr. Joseph’s song, repetition is found when he writes, “I have these thoughts so often I ought to replace that slot with what I once bought, ‘cause somebody stole my car radio and now I just sit in silence.” This stresses the idea of his loss leaving him in a depressed state of mind, and when it was taken from him, he did not know how to cope with the loss, and all he could do was sit in the void of silence. Many people can relate to this feeling of not knowing what to do after losing someone or something we care deeply for, and this lets
In Walt Whitman’s 1865 poem “When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer,” the writer calls for a revival of romanticism midst an increasingly rationalistic environment. His strategy emphasizes rationalism's popularity and downplays the underrated beauty of romanticism.
The personification of the jukebox being the narrator is key because music was an important part of their relationship in the past. The narrator tries to get his attention by playing all the songs that he likes, songs that are associated with love. Her being a jukebox also displays her helplessness and restricted ability to win the affection of her man back. The vivid imagery supplied by the author improves the reader’s understanding of the relationship that the narrator had with the man as a whole. We learn how close they once were, because the narrator notices the little things about the man’s emotions and his attire. The contrast between the narrator and the new woman is important because without it, we would have no idea as to why the man stopped caring for the narrator. We learn by their differences that the man is more in love with the more youthful, appearance oriented woman as opposed to his former, older, less beautiful lover. No matter what the narrator did she couldn’t stop the man from moving on, which is the primary message of this poem. No matter how hard we try, relationships will fade away, and people will move on to something
The American Voice is characterized by the theme of hard work. This is demonstrated in Walt Whitman’s Poem “I Hear America Singing”, where all throughout the poem, he mentions the peoples constant singing and how joyful they are while they work. This means that the american people enjoy their jobs so much that it causes them to start singing. This idea develops over the text where Whitman states that they love their jobs and that they sing
This is sheer proof of the potential the written word holds. This genre is vastly successful in creating imagery, exploring ones ideas and expressing emotion in both its raw and refined forms, from Bukowski's unembellished, yet irresistably poignant lexis in the poem "Bluebird" to T.S. Eliot's absurdly enchanting bleakness of "The Waste Land". I enjoy Emily Dickinson's works such as "I felt a funeral, in my brain" as they beautifully capture the depths of human thought and emotion. This has also encouraged me to write my own poetic works, experimenting with the many forms, themes and ideals that a poem can encompass whilst exploring my own creativity and
Poetry is defined by William Faulkner as “some moving, passionate moment of the human condition distilled to its absolute essence” (Ford, 527). Many literary pieces look at human nature and how human’s reaction during those situations, so while the environment may change the human part does not. When we really look underneath a stories surroundings and exam the underlying human pieces they are the same in literary pieces written years ago compared to human kind today. The “Narrative Legerdemain: Evoking Sarty’s Future in ‘Barn Burning’” discusses the human internal battle of good versus evil (Ford, 528). “Tennessee Williams and the Two Streetcars” by Daniel Thomieres describes the human battle of wanting to live life to its fullest, but also staying within the limitations set by society. “’Don’t Turn Back’: Langston Hughes, Barack Obama, and Martin Luther King, Jr.” by W. Jason Miller examines how Langston Hughes poem can be used to motivate people to keep “climbing.”
A cold stare, and a hand on his hip, is how Walt Whitman introduced himself to his readers in 1855. The style of Whitman’s frontispiece was uncommon for its time, a man with a loose collar and a worn hat would have been found more commonly on a farm than adorning a literary scholar in the mid-nineteenth century. Whitman wanted to show that he was no better than anyone who would read his poetry. Whitman conveyed himself to his audience by showing himself as an everyday workingman; his wrinkled shirt shows that he is use to working hard for everything that he has. The stare he gives back to his audience looks as if he is examining the reader the same way they may be examining him or his work.
“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere” (Whitman 33) is Walt Whitman’s first and one of his most popular works, Leaves of Grass. It was and still is very inspirational to many people including Ralph Waldo and many others after him. He had a major influence on modern free verse. Following a hard childhood in and around New York, Walter Whitman was well known and received in his time for Leaves of Grass which did not use the universal theme, which he became known for in the eighteenth century as well as his way of seeing the world in a view that very few could comprehend in his time.
Whitman utilizes the tool of alliteration to fully express the action of the workers in a way it shows the unity of the country. For example, the speaker expresses the action of the workers by saying: “The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench.” (9) This shows that even though a shoemaker is not the happiest job in America, the worker are still proud of who he/she is. The shoemaker is carrying out the American pride by being happy with his job. In addition, the author states the quote, “The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat.” (7) This shows that the boatman is proud of his job and what he does on the boat. Being a boatman is not necessarily the most fun job in America, but you get a lot of time to enjoy the view. The use of alliteration makes the action of the workers sound very important and it is
Walt Whitman’s poem Time to Come explores Whitman’s curiosity of what happens when people die. Rather than taking a pessimistic approach, his writing is more insightful about the experience. The title alone introduces an aspect of his purpose; to point out that dying is inevitable. With Whitman captures the reader’s attention and shares his curiosity with vivid images, sophisticated diction, and his use of metaphor and personification in Time to Come.
In "I Hear America Singing," Whitman refers to "the varied carols" of different workers "mechanics", "the carpenter", " the mason", "the boatman" and "the deck man", "the shoemaker" and "the hatter”. Whitman includes workers of both genders, listing "the mother,"the young wife at work," and "the girl sewing or washing". These Americans at work are "singing what belongs to him or her and to none else," The have a sense of pride for what they can do and for the skills of which they hold. Whitman, on the other hand, identifies each person with his or her task; the work is what defines the person here. Whitman only allows the entitlements these works be their name and voice.
(A critique of Walt Whitman’s themes and ideas in Song of Myself 6, 46, 47)
One attribute of Modernist writing is Experimentation. This called for using new techniques and disregarding the old. Previous writing was often even considered "stereotyped and inadequate" (Holcombe and Torres). Modern writers thrived on originality and honesty to themselves and their tenets. They wrote of things that had never been advanced before and their subjects were far from those of the past eras. It could be observed that the Modernist writing completely contradicted its predecessors. The past was rejected with vigor and...
In his first line of “To a Locomotive in Winter”, Walt Whitman indicates why he created this poem. It is a recitative for a Locomotive in winter. A recitative is a passage rendered in style. Whitman uses the technique of onomatopoeia to create a melodic effect reminiscent of the sound of a passing train. The chugging of the engine, the clatter of the track, and the whistle of the train all create a distinct pulsating rhythm. Whitman captures the sound of a train passing by at an exceptional speed. The Doppler Effect is also represented by Whitman in this poem. All of these effects are created in one part of the first stanza of this two stanza poem. The second stanza of the poem consists of a soliloquy to the train. By using the cadence of the train in his depiction, Whitman arouses fervor in the reader which allows for a greater understanding of the soliloquy which follows.
Although Whitman uses a great deal of structural ways to stress his ideas, he also uses many other ways of delivering his ideas. First of all, Whitman portrays himself as a public spokesman of the masses. The tone of the poem is a very loud, informative tone that grabs ones attention. The emphasis placed on the word “all” adds to the characterization of Whitman as a powerful speaker. Furthermore, Whitman takes part in his own poem. Participating in his own poem, Whitman moreover illustrates the connection between everything in life. Lastly, Whitman, most of all, celebrates universal brotherhood and democracy.
As a self-published author, Walt Whitman was one of America’s most significant nineteenth century poets. Through his poems, he was known for “chanting praises to the body as well as to the soul, and found beauty and reassurance even in death (poetry foundation).” In his famous poem “I sing the body electric”, shows how much appreciation he has for the body and made a connection to how both the body and poems make the soul. Thus, the ending of the poem shows important characteristics of Walt Whitman’s writing and belief.