I Hear America Singing Personification

Unity in America

George Washington once wrote, “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” Famous American poet, Whitman, emphasizes the outcome of freedom in his work. Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 in New York and from a young age he loved to read many famous works of literature. As a teenager he started working as a printer in New York City, became a teacher, started journalism after teaching, and then edited a series of newspapers before creating one of his own. During the Civil War in America he traveled around the nation as a freelance journalist and became famous for his many unique styles of poems. Walt Whitman uses personification and anaphora in “I Hear America Singing” to reveal that freedom in the individual creates unity and pride for one’s country.

Whitman uses personification to convey that united individuals possess vigorous happiness and pride. He demonstrates personification throughout the poem as he writes, “I hear America singing” (Whitman 1). Whitman personifies America by comparing the

He writes, “the mason / the boatman” (4-5). This repetition at the beginning of each line stresses the significance that freedom has on the nation. Whitman lists multiple different careers working “blithe and strong” (2) to demonstrate his idea of diverse individuals coming together to become a whole. The people are very passionate about doing what they love. Whitman uses anaphora to include everybody to show that a unified group is made of many individuals. He mentions the “mother” and “young wife” working hard (8). When he writes his poem, women are seen as inferior to men because they have very little rights in society, but Whitman still recognizes them and includes them in his poem. The use of anaphora expresses the importance of freedom for individuals which creates unification and pride for one’s