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Walt Whitman song of democracy
American poet walt whitman as true patriot
Walt Whitman song of democracy
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“I hear America singing” by Walt Whitman centers the author’s patriotism towards his motherland, the United States of America. The poem has a joyful, hopeful, and whimsical tone, as Whitman celebrates the typical American worker; the U.S.A is a nation that bases its future on the creativeness of labor. Whitman hears the songs of all the workers and normal people who contribute to the culture of America: the mechanic, the carpenter, the mason, the boatman, the shoemaker, the woodcutter, and the women. The people illustrated in the poem are neither making a lot of money nor doing anything that is world changing; instead, they are just doing their own business of contributing to society. This explicates upon the American value of hard
work: responsibility and hard work will contribute towards the building of a great nation. The overreaching idea that Whitman intended for this poem is expressed through the line: “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear”. Although the workers go about doing their own business, they each bring different perspectives to America from their different fields of profession, even women are recognized for their irreplaceable role in society - this is worth mentioning as women had restricted rights at the time when the poem was written. The intellectual diversity in American society is what makes America great. Essentially, “I hear America singing” is a poem of Walt Whitman celebrating his love for his nation. The American value of hard work and intellectual diversity in American society is glorified. Through the descriptors “strong”, ”robust”, and ”friendly”, Whitman produced a hardworking and honest American identity.
America the great, land of freedom, home of the brave--each of these phrases has been used to describe the United States of America. Walt Whitman was a man who lived through many tough times in this country, but who would prosper as a poet. He was personally affected by all of the death and destruction that he witnessed during the Civil War. "A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim" and "I Hear America Singing" have some fascinating similarities but include many differences. Although both poems were written by the same man, he seemed to see America in a different light when writing each poem. Each piece uses different tones and images, but they are tied together by the style of writing and use of America as a main subject. In "I Hear America Singing" and "A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim," Whitman uses differing tones, images, styles of writing, and even different themes to show the splendors and downfalls that America can bring.
American Bards: Walt Whitman and Other Unlikely Candidates for National Poet. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2010. Print.
Whitman’s poem was written in the mid-1800s during the industrial revolution, but Hughes’ poem was written in the 1900s during the Civil Rights Movement. This is important because the Civil Rights Movement established the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Industrial Revolution moved at a slow place but there were still issues with slavery. Whitman’s poem was free verse while Hughes’ poem was traditional rhyme/rhythm. The tone of Whitman’s poem was patriotic and celebratory (I HEAR America singing, the varied carols I hear); because he was paying tribute to the success of the individuals; however, the tone of Hughes’ poem was sarcastic and frustrated (to build a “homeland of the free,’’ because he didn’t feel like some individuals were allowed to experience the American Dream. Whitman’s theme of his poem was that individuals and liberties make America great. On the other hand, Hughes’ theme of his poem expressed that individuals felt excluded from the “homeland of the free.” The purpose of Whitman’s poem is praise for universal brotherhood. However, Hughes’ poem’s purpose was to inform individuals about inequality, meaning that not everyone has the same liberties in America. Whitman’s poem focused on the jobs of the workers, while Hughes’ poem focused on race, social status, and a list to represent the “I am’’ phrase; (I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars). He also
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.
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
Instead, he hears what he wants to hear, which is the joyous songs of working Americans who have the ability to get jobs and make money. Although, he claims to hear America singing, he doesn’t state the songs of struggle from African-Americans or the songs where they overcame their obstacles. Whitman’s title of his poem falsifies the audience to believe that he sees America for what it truly is, even at its worst time. Despite that, he still seems to avoid mentioning the songs of
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
In one of the sections from the poem, “Song of Myself” Walt Whitman starts out with a child asking a question, “What is the grass?” Grass is a symbol of life. God, who created both the heavens and the earth also gave birth to life. When Whitman refers to grass as a “handkerchief of the Lord” (7), as a gift. When people look at the grass, they do not think of it as a creation but rather just a plant. Whitman refers to the grass as “a child, the produced babe of vegetation” (11, 12). Here, the grass is a metaphor for the birth of a child. In often cases, the birth of anything is celebrated because it symbolizes a new life, a new beginning.
America is a country rich in history, which can be dated back to 1776 with its independence from the British. With this new-found independence came a great loss of life and new found freedoms. This land did not come without struggles and bloodshed, from people that believed that this land was worth fighting for. It wasn’t necessary the land that was special, it was the belief of what this land represented. With the new-found freedoms, giving to individuals where the freedom to express them self in many formats, many express their patriotism in forms of poetry and in music. There have been several songs written by many different musicians, but the most significant to America’s core values are My country, ‘tis of thee by Samuel F. Smith, God
The nature of an ideology is completely personal; one’s interpretation may vary greatly from another’s interpretation. This is demonstrated in the two poems, “America” by Claude McKay and “Let America be America Again” by Langston Hughes. Both of these poems emerge from the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, and though these two poems each describe an ideological viewpoint of America as a place and a concept, the two speakers view the subject differently from one another. Both poets employ similar sound devices, yet the tones and themes vary between the two works.
Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is a vision of the American spirit, a vision of Whitman himself. It is his cry for democracy, giving each of us a voice through his poetry. Each of us has a voice and desires, and this is Whitman's representation of our voices, the voice of America. America, the great melting pot, was founded for freedom and democracy, and this poem is his way of re-instilling these lost American ideals. In this passage from "Song of Myself" Whitman speaks through his fellow man and speaks for his fellow man when his voice is not socially acceptable to be heard.
Beauty is always in nature. It is express in many ways. In the poem “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” by Walt Whitman express the beauty in the stars. Just looking up in space gave him peace. Walt writes about the fascination of the stars. How the night sky can transform a situation. He writes experiencing this phenomenon first hand is better than having it told. In most cases, the real is better than the copy. The beauty of the experience is needed, and to see the real thing than what is told. Whitman express how the night sky was all he needed and his feelings. In the poem “The World Is Too Much with Us” by William Wordsworth, the premise is like Whitman poem. It is the beauty in nature, and how people are not looking for nature to inspire. People are just looking less of nature. Both works show the worldly influence in people’s life. In both pieces, Whitman and Wordsworth showing how nature brings true beauty.
Walt Whitman is considered the foremost poet of American democracy of his time. Not only did he fully embrace it, but he believed that American democracy was more than a political system, but a way of life (Casale 48). Many of his personal experiences influenced his deep democratic point of view (48). As a volunteer at an army hospital during the American Civil War, he saw many die and became increasingly grateful for the opportunities provided by the American government (Mirsky). Later, as he was residing in New York City, Whitman witnessed America face urbanization. He loved the diversity of the cities and believed it was possible because of democracy (Brand). This adoration of democracy is apparent in many of Whitman’s works, such as “Drum-Taps”
While the poem can be termed to be democratic, both in subject matter and its language, Whitman is viewed to be cataloging the ‘new’ America that he is seeing around him. The poem includes subject matter such as relationships, patriotism, heroes, family and ancestors, and a view on social commentaries too.
In his first line he urges, “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear” (I Hear, 1), referring to the people as one group of Americans who are all somehow united by their individual tunes. Each and every individual has lived a different walk of life, with different hardships, and varying circumstances. With that being said, the people singing these tunes are all driven by their ambitions, and have achieved a level of freedom they could not anywhere else in the world. Whitman writes, “Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else”, implying the importance of independence and individuality. Like their different tunes they sing which together form a melody, the different circumstances they come from unites them as Americans. Ironically it’s the fact that everyone in America does live a different walk of life, with different goals, and different circumstances that unites them. It is the ability to express one’s own individuality that forms the American, the same way the individuals different songs form a melody.