I Hear America Singing Parallelism

Everyone says it. Your mom, your teachers, even your friends. Everyone encourages you to just be yourself, but if you think about how individuals are shunned, does anyone actually want you to be different? While society claims to encourage individuality, in reality it compels people to conform, causing most people to sacrifice their individuality to fit in.

. The important transformations that occurred in our society especially in the last two centuries have had a deep and irreversible impact on the world on many aspects. These changes affect politics, religions and the entire socio and geo- political dynamic of our world including relationships between men and women with regards to the ways society views the dynamic between the two.

One word that stuck out to me most in Walt Whitman’s collection of poems, Leaves of Grass, was the word “myself”. The word appears in the text a total of sixty times giving the word many interpretations. Each poem win this collection has its own focus point although, many share similar ideas. Whitman’s promotes his belief’s and he is able to do so by using the word “myself”.

How has the American literary tradition evolved throughout time and what influenced it? That is the question that the writings presented throughout the course serves to answer. In his article, “Is There an American Literary Tradition?” Sanford Pinsker comments on what Gushing Strout thinks defines American literature. Strout lists some of the different characteristics that appeals which includes “the lure of upward mobility; religion and the lovers’ triangle; reforming the relation between the sexes…fictionalizing history; and the American dilemmas of slavery and race”

Walt Whitman does this by using certain literary devices, which are tone, alliteration, and hyperbole. He uses tone to show the joy in American workers where he wrote,” Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,”(2, Whitman). This shows how the mechanic is working hard for his country like the others. There is also tone in the ending where he wrote,” Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,” (9, Whitman). This gives us a hint on how they all do their work prideful and joyful.

Walt Whitman, one of the most famous poets in America, wrote “why do I need your paces when I myself out-gallop them?” (line 25). Through this line of poetry, Whitman was able to portray to his audience that humans have an anthropocentric view, meaning that humans see themselves as the center of existence. Anthropocentrism has humans at the top of the scale, and animals below them, when they should be equal, considering both are living creatures. Walt Whitman and H.G. Wells both wrote with relation to this thought and show that they do not agree with this hierarchy.

Whitman uses transcendentalist ideas throughout his collection “Song of Myself”. Often many times transcendentalism pertains to the idea of how it is dealt with having god in each living thing. “Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same,” (Whitman #1). In this quote it is trying to show how the same generations are living in a certain area which can prove the point in how god is in each individual. Another big part of Whitman’s work is nature in which it's a majority of transcendentalism.

The Visions In the song “America” Waylon Jennings sang, “It don’t matter where I may roam / Tell you people that it’s home sweet home / America, America” (Jennings 1984). When other countries hear people like Waylon sing or talk about how great America is, it makes people in these other countries think that America is a place full of happiness. Has that always been the experience for all Americans? Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes describe their views of Americans in their poetry.

America was not just a place to Walt Whitman, it was a goal to shoot for. His perfect America is where all people are equal and all jobs are equally important. Also that all people feel for one another and are passionate and caring individuals. One theme to “Song of myself” is Walt Whitman’s idea of America. The poem celebrates diversity in America.

Many authors have difficulty publishing their work, especially if it contains highly controversial subject matter. The mid to late 1800s sees many transcendentalist authors attempt to sway the general public with their radical viewpoints to varying levels of success. In addition to transcendentalist essays, poetry gains further attention as different forms begin to show prominence. Authors of these essays and poems have the freedom to speak less sensitively, and propose more profound concepts which society considers perverse or harmful. Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and Henry Thoreau's views on solitude and society paint a conflicting picture of life durning the 19th century, as they simultaneously shun and embrace community; and while their