Walt Whitman: Poems
what are some of the ways whitman addressed the topic of "america" in his poetry?
Has to be at least a 100 words
Has to be at least a 100 words
In “I Hear America Singing,” the speaker describes various "carols" that arise from different figures in the American working class as people go about their work. He hears the mechanics, the carpenter, the mason, and the boatman singing. The deckhand, shoemaker, hatter, wood-cutter, and ploughboy sing their own songs, as well. The speaker celebrates each individual song, which provides the connection between the worker and his/her task: for example, "the deckhand [sings] on the steamboat deck" and "the shoemaker [sings] as he sits on his bench." The speaker mentions the working women, as well. The mother and the young wife sing, as does the girl doing her sewing and washing. Each person in the poem has an individual carol, and together, they create the sound of "America Singing."