Poetry, perhaps more than other genre of writing, often sparks controversy and discussion. Authors Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes are two authors in American Literature whose poetry is both debated and praised by critics. "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman and "I, Too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes have sparked many discussions on their controversial content. Walt Whitman was the first of the two authors to write, followed by Langston Hughes who was influenced by Whitman's work. While Whitman's poem, "I Hear America Singing" reflects the happiness of the American people, the poem written by Hughes takes a different approach.
Walt Whitman, in “I Hear America Singing,” describes America as a place with diverse opportunities and freedoms; in Langston Hughes’s poem “I, Too” he describes how America is divided; however, he is hopeful for a better America. In “I Hear America Singing”, Whitman describes America as harmonious, beautiful, and full of hardworking people. America
In the two poems the reader can see many examples of figurative language. In the poem, “I Hear America Singing,” Whitman
In the poem, "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, shows the patriotic side of how America runs and the freedom that comes in America. It also shows a sense of individuality because of the different jobs that were available and how people are able to live. The tone and mood of the poem would show pride and appreciation of America and how different it is compared to other countries. Some poem technique used in this poem is repetition. Repetition is used throughout the whole poem as it shows the way America would be singing and the different ways it would sing.
Within Whitman’s poems, a dark and depressing tone can be visualized. Whitman seemingly talks sadly throughout his poems. Throughout several works by Whitman, there is rarely any happy scenes of any sort. “My captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still”(O Captain, 17). Since Whitman’s poems were written based on the Civil War, it is understandable for the poems to be depressing in tone.
Both poets are very similar to each other in a way that both of them lived in the nineteenth century. "The two giants of 19th-century American poetry who played the greatest role in redefining modern verse are Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson (Burt)". Both Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman are considered as the founders of today’s modern American poetry, whose they put the keystone, and which was further developed by other poets over the years. The poetry has been redefined. The modern poetry becomes more discreet which uses the topics of everyday life.
Walt Whitman helps present the theme of positivity by using diction, figurative language, and organization throughout the poem. The speaker’s use of word choice helps reveal the meaning in “I Hear America Singing”. The speaker declared “Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.” which presents a positive tone by using optimistic words. The use of diction in this poem is used to further stretch the idea of the good things in life.
Walt Whitman is America’s poet to the world. He is seen by most people as one of the most significant poets of the 19th century. He has been published in many languages and his work is known and studied world wide. One of the first literary reviews of Whitman came from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson praised Whitman and said that Leaves of Grass was one of the most unique pieces of literature to come from America. Whitman’s poetry is written in free verse for the most part.
Walt Whitman’s poem, “Song of Myself,” encompasses the individual voice, community voice and the spiritual voice. He intertwines all three to show how essential it is for all of them to work together. Along with those voices, Whitman’s poem displays many different themes within itself. His use of those themes, along with, imagery, figurative language, setting, and symbols demonstrates how Whitman was a true example of a transcendentalist. He also shares the same ideas of the romantics.
In Walt Whitman’s poem, “I hear America Singing ,” Whitman describes how America is a working society. Whitman shows that in America has patriotism and pride for one’s country. Whitman also shows individualism. Whitman also describes how the females and males have differences. Whitman shows individualism in these quotes.
Writing about the topic of democracy and its influence on America while simultaneously discussing the unique American landscape in the poem makes Whitman’s work American. Writing in free-verse allowed Whitman to express himself and to display the American spirit. The usage of free verse is evident in the first four lines of Whitman’s “ I Hear America Singing”: I hear America singing, the varied carols I
America in the late 19th century was a very special and unique society culturally and socially in many aspects including class, environment, and values. This uniqueness is exemplified in the literature that arose during this crucial time period in the development of the American culture. Literary works from this time are distinctly American in a multitude of ways. When someone mentions “American literature,” the first title to come to the front of most people’s minds is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a realist piece by mark twain about a young boy going on adventures. American poetry, however, brings up a different name: Walt Whitman.
Throughout Walt Whitman’s writing, it is evident that many of his publications contain contradicting viewpoints about the quality of life. While in many of his works Whitman approaches the complexities of life by gazing through “rose colored glasses”, in other poems Whitman writes cynically, and seems to point out every complication with the world. This difference in the outlook on life can be seen within I Hear America Singing and As I Ebb’d with the Ocean of Life, where Whitman considers accomplishments, and their value in society. While in I Hear America Singing the achievements of people are viewed as extremely important since they live on forever, in As I Ebb’d with the Ocean of Life, accomplishments are viewed as useless since they are forgotten when people pass away.
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.
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.
