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Attitudes Toward America In Walt Whitman's Poetry

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Walt Whitman was a man ahead of his time. He expressed different sorts of sexuality that were considered taboo in his time, his writing was erotic and democratic, it made people uncomfortable, and it was sensational. In Beat! Beat! Drum! And I Hear America Singing Whitman uses several techniques to show a theme through the structure of his poems, These poems share an underlying theme which is Whitman 's attitude toward America and what it represents, he celebrates the rigorous labor that America is built on, which is evident in Beat! Beat! Drums! As he speaks of Whitman wrote Beat! Beat Drums!in 1861- the start of the civil wars and drums are used as a symbol of battle, just how Ancient Egyptians used the horn to signal war. Beat Beat Drums …show more content…

represent citizens whose lives are disrupted by war.Theme: war disrupts all.There is no rhyme scheme, here is no metrical pattern. Whitman is the father of free verse. He does use repetition, hwoever, to create rhythm.Of all the "I Hear America Singing" literary terms, none makes its mark more strongly than synecdoche. "America" in line 1 represents individual Americans, more specifically, workers. Each line of the poem is an example of synecdoche (a special type of metaphor where the parts equal the whole or the whole equals the parts). Whitman is celebrating the greatness of America by celebrating the greatness of its individuals.His word choice beholds different meanings such as "Carols" in line 1 is a connotatively charged word. It is most often associated with holy songs about Christmas. What better way to celebrate individuals and the physical body than connecting it with the physical manifestation of God himself.the sounds and actions of laborers working is compared to music. Note that all the jobs described by Whitman require physical effort.Repetition - The repetition of "the" in the final

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This poem appears to be in response to Walt Whitman’s poem “I Hear America Singing”. It is evident that the speaker is talking about the African-American population throughout this poem. “They send me to eat in the kitchen/ When company comes . . .” (I, Too.

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The poems “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman and “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg share similar themes and poetic devices. The theme of pride is very evident in both works of literature. In both, people are proud of their home, America in the “I Hear America Singing” and Chicago in “Chicago.” The two poems were written during the time of the Industrial Revolution, which you can tell through the word choice and descriptions. Singing is also a parallel between the poems, as in both the people are described as singing.

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Buddy Reedy English l l l Mrs. Way Period 7 Buddy Reedy’s Essay over Walt Whitman’s Life Walt Whitman lived a life full of change. He often wrote about it through his poems during the Civil war era about how he opposed slavery and would like them to be free, and a huge inspiration for his poems was Abe Lincoln and the idea of reuniting the South with the North again and also how he helped the wounded soldiers at a hospital in the Union Capital in The United States. Walt Whitman was born in West Hills, New York on May 31 1819. He was the second child out of eight siblings. His father's name was Walter Whitman and his mother's name was Lousia Van Velser Whitman.

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Romanticism was a movement in the 18th century that was a response to the Enlightenment, which was the movement that stated that everything should be based on facts and reason. Romanticism stated that feelings and emotions are just as important as reason and logic in understanding everything in the world (Romanticism Movement, n.d.). Romanticism strongly affected the writings of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson and can be seen in the poems “A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim” (Whitman, 1867), “O Me! O Life!”

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I have to agree with you Elizabeth, that Benjamin Franklin is what we consider to be the quintessential American. More specifically, because of his work ethic, independence, and innovation. What I really enjoyed about reading the works of Thomas Paine was his passion for America 's freedom and liberty! You chose two very important American predecessors, who essentially founded America and the American character today. I chose Black Hawk and Walt Whitman as my two favorite authors for this semester.

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"I Hear America Singing" focuses on the glories of America, showcasing the happiness and joy that is present on a daily basis. This is clearly evidenced in one of the lines from Whitman's poem: "Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs." However, "I, Too, Sing America highlights the darker side of American life during this era. Unlike Whitman, Hughes' poem takes a much more serious tone, that forces the reader to consider the other side of the coin. This is poignately illustrated in the line, "And be ashamed -" which points to the "they" that will be ashamed in the future for how "they" treated the African American

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Another example that Whitman uses to develop this theme is when he describes the story of the old artillerist, with the sights and sounds of the battlefield. Whitman is saying

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In the two poems the reader can see many examples of figurative language. In the poem, “I Hear America Singing,” Whitman

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By doing this Whitman introduces himself and at the same time identifies with the reader. He also states that he should be celebrated not only by himself, but also by the reader because they are the same. He also gives off a feeling that his writing is true and good, we get the feeling he is one of us and at the same time a poet. This leads to comparing Whitman with a preacher or public speaker of some sort, he wishes to be

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Langston Hughes uses images of oppression to reveal a deeper truth about the way minorities have been treated in America. He uses his poems to bring into question some of Walt Whitman’s poems that indirectly state that all things are great, that all persons are one people in America, which Hughes claims is false because of all the racist views and oppression that people face from the people America. This oppression is then used to keep the minorities from Walt Whitman in his poem, “Song of Myself”, talks about the connection between all people, how we are family and are brothers and sisters who all share common bonds. He says, “ And I know that the spirit of God is the brother of my own,/ And that all the men ever born are also my brothers,

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Throughout his poem, he constantly talks about the importance of coming together and merging. Whitman says, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (Whitman 1). On the surface, this quote may appear to illustrate that Whitman thinks highly of himself, but it is more than this. The last part of this quote emphasizes that we are all connected and even though we are all individuals, we should not forget that we are connected to one another. Whitman also says, “Urge and urge and urge, Always the procreant urge of the world.

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One way that Whitman conveys his poetry is through the eyes of the everyday man. In this period of American history, the civil war was ongoing, and his poetry did not shy away from the everyday

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While Walt Whitman is famous for an American poet, the Civil War and the President Abraham Lincoln had great influences on his life. Especially, he is known as an American poet of Democracy. “He conceived of democracy as a state of society in which every individual must actively participate in shaping the policies of the government” (Ford 202). He is famous for not only an American poet but a nurse.

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In this grand poem, Whitman glorifies the unity of all people and life. He embraces the geographical diversity as well as the diversity of culture, work, as well as sexuality or beliefs. Whitman’s influence sets American dreams of freedom, independence, and self-fulfillment, and changes them for larger spiritual meaning. Whitman appreciates hard work as well as being simple and non-egotistical. His major ideas are things such as soul, good health, as well as the love of nature.

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In Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself’, one can appreciate the poem properly by understanding the poem’s voice, imagery, figures of speech, symbols, word choice, and theme. To understand it though requires a great deal of thought to arrive to the meaning behind the writing. Especially since this poem was written in the nineteenth century and is written in a very loose structure and free verse. Firstly, the speaker of the poem is an individual, Walt Whitman himself, as seen by the repetition of “I” in the poem.

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