Synecdoche In Poetry

Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes captivate the attention of Americans through their poems “I Hear America Singing” and “I, Too”. I chose these two pieces of literature because of their similar meanings in which everyone is American no matter what and even if there are hard times one can persevere through anything. These pieces are still relevant and important in our times due to conflicts among races, who fits where? And who would be included in the colorful term “American”. Through the use of a synecdoche both Walt Whitman in “I Hear America Singing” and Langston Hughes in “I, Too” answer the diverse question of what and who are Americans.

Walt Whitman who is the author of “I Hear America Singing” was born May 31st, 1819 in West Hills, Long

Island. A few years after he was born his family moved to Brooklyn, New York where he began schooling and showed interest in reading at a young age. After his formal education was over in 1830 he spent five years learning the print trade. Whitman then began teaching in Long Island for five years and also founded the newspaper that is still in use today the Long-Islander. In 1841 Whitman’s interests turned to journalism. Whitman then worked editing newspapers. He was fired from the Brooklyn Eagle due to a difference in political opinions with the papers owner. After his release Whitman traveled to New Orleans where for three months worked at the New Orleans Crescent. Due to his traveling down south Whitman saw the beauty of America which would later inspire some of his greatest works including “I Hear America Singing” (Walt Whitman Biography).
James Langston Hughes who is the author of “I, Too” was born on February 1st, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. Even though Hughes was born in Joplin he lived with his grandmother in Lawrence, Kansas until the tender age of thirteen that’s when he moved with his mother to Lincoln, Illinois and then again moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Hughes began showing an interest in writing. As a high school student Hughes was recognized for his artistic way with words. Growing up unsure and insecure about himself Hughes left it all on the paper. While still in high school Hughes was introduced to Walt Whitman, shocker and Carl Sandburg who ended up becoming some of his earliest influences in writing. Although his mother and father were estranged to him most of his life ironically after his junior year of high school Langston’s father reentered his life and wanted Langston to come visit him at his home in Toluca, Mexico (Langston Hughes Biography).
This ended up being a turning point in Langston Hughes’s literary career. It gave Langston maturity, not only in life but in his poems as well and during his senior year of high school Langston began to write distinction poetry. Post-graduation Hughes planned a trip back to Mexico to visit his father and demand he pay for his son to attend Columbia University, it was there Langston saw an opportunity to not only get an education but also begin his writing career. While on this quest back to his fathers’ Langston wrote the very famous poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. Langston’s father was never fully supportive of his sons’ dreams of being a writer, he wanted him to become an engineer. Hughes wanted to prove to his father that a writer was what he was meant to be so he sent some of his work to the Brownies Book and Crisis Magazine and they loved it, his father was so impressed that he agreed to pay for Langston’s first year at Columbia. While in his first and only at Columbia Langston Hughes discovered Harlem. Little did he know at the time but he would become of the driving forces for the renaissance that would take base in Harlem. Langston was very much influenced by Harlem and its African American population, and its music scene. The official launch of Langston Hughes’ career was in 1925 when he published the poem “The Weary Blues”, which was also the title of a unit of poems that included “I, too”. Being in Harlem was perhaps the greatest influence on Hughes’ political and literary views (Langston Hughes Biography).
Both Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes use numerous literary aspects throughout their works of literature.

One aspect that is present in both “I Hear America Singing” and “I, Too” is the use of a synecdoche. “Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part” (Synecdoche - Examples and Definition of Synecdoche). There are many different examples of a synecdoche in these poems along with everyday speech and literature. Literarydevices.net gives the following examples of a synecdoche: “The word “bread” refers to food or money as in “Writing is my bread and butter” or “sole breadwinner”. The phrase “gray beard” refers to an old man. The word “sails” refers to a whole ship. The word “suits” refers to businessmen. The word “boots” usually refers to soldiers. The term “coke” is a common synecdoche for all carbonated drinks” (Literarydevices.net). As one may be able to tell people as a whole use a synecdoche in everyday speech. The main purpose for using a synecdoche is to eventually employ symbolism in works of literature. The reader’s attention is capture through the deeper meanings that are given to otherwise ordinary thoughts or ideas. Using a synecdoche in literature essentially brings to life the images authors and poets try to portray

(Literarydevices.net).
First, we are going to look at Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” for examples of a synecdoche. Line one of “I Hear America Singing”: “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear”, shows us that Whitman is using the term America to represent the nation as a whole. With lines Two-Eight he explains the various carols in which he hears:

“Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe
and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off
work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the
deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing
as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the
morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at
work, or of the girl sewing or washing,” (Whitman 2-8 , Reeves).

With these lines Whitman covers every aspect of the working lives of Americans. America was built by hard working individuals to whom Whitman pays respect to with immortality in this poem. With Lines nine and eleven Whitman ties together the immortal songs in which the diverse Americans sing.
“Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young
fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.” (Whitman 9-11, Reeves).

Here Whitman is tying the diversity of America all into one. No matter what you do you contribute to society and are important to America and its prosperity. By calling the singing of Americans a melodious it employs that it is a sweet and like the people used for a synecdoche in this poem immortalized.
While Whitman focused on America as a whole Langston Hughes used “I, Too” to focus more on the importance of another aspect of America that is sometimes overlooked. With the first two lines Hughes specifies which aspect of America that is sometimes overlooked: “ I, too sing America. I am the darker brother”(Hughes 1-2). Here is a very effective synecdoche, Hughes is using himself to represent the entire African-American race. Throughout the middle section of the poem, lines three thru seven, Hughes explains how his race was looked down upon and treated unfair. With the rest of the poem, lines eight thru eighteen, Hughes has a tone of hope.
“Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—

I, too, am America” (Hughes 8-18).

Hope is instilled into these powerful lines due to Hughes’ selective word choice. Hughes wants to show not only America, but African-Americans that they matter too and that they are a part of America just like everyone else that is living there. Hughes also insinuates that Americans will feel guilt for the jilting of his people and their contribution to the greatest nation in the world.
Langston Hughes in “I, Too” and Walt Whitman in “I Hear America Singing” successfully use a synecdoche to show the diversity that is America.

These two poems are some of the greatest works of literature ever written. While Walt Whitman was just speaking the truth as it was known to him about who and what Americans were Langston Hughes on the other hand responded to Whitman’s poem. Hughes basically said that oh this is what you think America is, everyone matters including my people. With the success of using a small part to represent a whole both Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes captivate the attention of America, the melting pot of the

world.