I Hear America Singing By Langston Hughes

According to the book “Written Communications II, Reading, Writing, Researching, Citing,” a lyric poem is defined as “any relatively short poem in which the writer expresses his or her thoughts or feelings.” Poet Walt Whitman was born into a working class family in New York in 1819 (Price). He finished formal education at the age of 11 and entered the work force immediately after (Price). He started as an office boy for a group of lawyers and eventually went on to run businesses of his own (Price). This is believed to be where Whitman developed his appreciation for the American workforce and was his motivation behind the poem “I Hear America Singing” (Price). Langston Hughes, on the other hand, was raised with a different background. Hughes

The poem in its entirety is upbeat and positive. Whitman is expressing his joy and pride that he holds for being in the working class of America because he sees the importance of it. Walt Whitman uses words such as “blithe” (line 2), “delicious” (line 8), and “melodious” (line 11), to show his readers the happiness that he holds for the working class of people. Another way this is expressed is through the use of active and present tense verbs. Words such as “belongs” (lines 5 and 10) and “washing” (line 8) shows that Whitman is talking about action that are happening presently. This poem is based on American workers as a whole, not just past or future workers (Whitman, pg. 750). Finally, Whitman uses the structural element of symbolism within his poem. The way symbolism is used throughout this piece emphasizes the positivity within the writing and the harmony between the groups of workers. The word “singing” can be found numerous times in the piece, but the word itself means more than just making a tune. In line 6 of the poem, “singing” can be seen as a word used for contribution. Both parties are doing their separate jobs, but they serve one purpose, which is to provide for the people. “Singing” in this poem represents happiness and the joys of hard work and a dedication to manual

In Whitman’s poem, the use of a single stanza and the chosen punctuation highlight his theme of the importance of American workers and keeping them united as one whole. Hughes use of two stanzas paints a picture of the present and the future, and the punctuation he used brought a strong meaning to his words. The use of language throughout both poems amplified the emotion within each piece, and though “I, Too” was written as a response to “I Hear America Singing,” they both were able to accurately convey their points in a way that makes their readers agree with what they are saying. And finally, the use of symbolism was evident in these two pieces. In Whitman’s poem, the use of the word “singing” symbolized happiness and contribution within the working class of Americans. In Hughes poem, the use of the kitchen was symbolic for subservience and the use of the table was symbolic of eventually breaking that subservient bond and becoming included in the community. Though the two poems had themes that contradicted one another, these three literary elements were still present and gave each piece extra