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Walt Whitman's I Hear America Singing

641 Words3 Pages

After reading "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, my definition of patriotism has been refined. Instantly, the title grabbed my attention and informed me that this poem would have something to do with patriotism. However, I thought the "singing" would revolve around nature; not the sounds made in specific occupation environments. This gave me a new perspective of how America is in such great condition thanks to its harmonious working class. I realized how Whitman's thorough use of personification truly enhances the poem's overall message and tone. From the title and very first line, Waltman proposes "I hear America singing" (1) in which we all know America isn't a thing. All the sounds that come from citizens fulfilling their duties …show more content…

Words such as "blithe" (2), "strong" (2), and "delicious" (8), foster Whitman's initial reasoning behind writing this poem. He wanted readers to read this poem and feel good about being an American. Reaching further into the text, I began to question why Whitman chose the jobs he did. For example, he didn't exemplify the widely known occupations such as a policeman, medical professional, lawyer, or professional athlete. Instead, he chose to use "carpenter" (3), "boatman" (5), and a "shoemaker" (6). But why? This really puzzled me because why wouldn't he choose the occupations that everyone was aware of? I soon realized this was his intention. Walt Whitman displayed these less well-known jobs because he wanted us to value everyone's hard work. We may not see these jobs as important or ones that "look like fun" but to the people who actually fulfill these jobs, it is fun to them and they're apart of what makes America- America. When Whitman states: "The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work" (4) he is expressing the fact that their job makes them sing. When they sing their song, he means they are happy and content with their occupation even if it isn't a popular

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