Walt Whitman's I Hear American Singing

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In Walt Whitman’s poem “I Hear American Singing,” Whitman uses personification, metaphor, and free verse. When he says I hear America singing, he gives the reader a sense that America is an actual person. He then uses this idea that America is a person by not only listing jobs that help build America, but jobs that help an actual person live. These are the jobs that provide the daily necessities for people. Whitman is highlighting that each workman can have pride in his work. Whitman celebrates the freedom of the individual and a celebration of freedom enjoyed in America. The American land has constructed its faith on the creativeness of labor, which Whitman worships in this poem. The independent nature of Whitman's poetry is reflected by his …show more content…

This poem expresses Whitman's love of America, its strength, variety, and the massive accomplishment which is the outcome of the creative effort of all its people. It also demonstrates Whitman's technique of using catalogs consisting of a list of people. I Hear America Singing consists of one stanza, and has eleven lines. One by one, he lists the different members of the American working class and describes the way they sing as they complete their daily duties. The poem gives the reader the feeling of hearing these chants in rapid sequence. Whitman uses music to emphasize the connection of the human experience. Even though each worker sings his or her individual song, the act of singing is widespread, and all of the workers unite under one American unit. The tone of the poem is jubilant, imaginative, and optimistic. Whitman rejoices in the common American worker, magnifying his characters with descriptions such as "robust," "friendly," "blithe," and "strong." He highlights individuals that often go unnoticed in typical poems. These older stanzas focus on stories of daring soldiers and heroes. Finally, “I Hear America Singing” is a love poem to the nation. Whitman uses the small distinctions in individual experiences to build a nourishing, honest, and hardworking American