Critical Analysis Of 'I Hear America Singing'

Walt Whitman Paper Who is a rebel? Is it someone who sky dives, a surgeon who does not prepare for his or her surgery, or even an entrepreneur? However, Walt Whitman was not a skydiver, surgeon, or an entrepreneur. He was a laborer, schoolteacher, journalist, nurse and poet. Experiences from his various careers such as working as an office boy, nursing wounded soldiers, encouraging his students to think outside of the box, and as lead editor at the New York Aurora, led him to be a phenomenal poet. He was poet who took a risk to write in a way that had never done before. A risk to challenge his audience to think about the individual that never had been thought of before. A risk to go against poetic norms and to write in a way that lacked rhyme

The poem, “I Hear America Singing,” provided this example of American diversity, which was needed at the time. The first line is, “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear.” In this line, Whitman celebrates the glory of America and the individuality of each citizen. The proceeding lines then describe the various “carols” that labels the professions of the common man and woman. In the following lines, “singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,” unites all Americans with their uniqueness in forming such a diverse nation. In addition, the poem, “America,” further recognizes American’s values. It states that everyone is equal in the line, “all alike endear’d grown, ungrown, young or old” (Whitman). This demonstrates that Whitman not only believed in the individuality of man, but also the individuality of all people. Whitman’s poetry help to prove the notion that all are equal no matter their background, race, ethnicity, age and

During the time, Leaves of Grass was published, the topic of sexuality in literature was considered very provocative and controversial. However, Whitman felt in order to fulfill the full potential of American democracy, sexuality could not be avoided. He considered the sexual experience to be of the body and soul, essentially a spiritual experience (Miller). One of his first works explicitly describing sexuality was entitled “Children of Adam.” Contrary to traditional views of sex prior to marriage as evil, this poem promotes the innocence of sexuality (Miller). Unfortunately, in the book of Genesis, the sin of consuming the forbidden fruit is what most remember Adam and Eve for doing. Due to this sin, they conceal their bodies from their natural state, which confiscates part of their sexuality. However, before their sin, they never thought of their sexuality as embarrassing or wrong. In “Children of Adam,” Whitman employs this idea of sexuality as a natural part of life to support that sexuality should not be viewed as a negative aspect of our society, yet celebrated. For example, the lines, “Such-like I love—I loosen myself, pass freely, am at the mother’s breast with the little child,” compares sexual sensuality to a necessity. Therefore, Whitman is implying that sexuality should be viewed as a requisite of life. By