I+Hear+America+Singing

=I Hear America Singing= Walt Whitman, 1819 - 1892 I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong, The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam, The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work, The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck, The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands, The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown, The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing, Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else, The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

Whitman is considered the father of free verse, although he did not invent it. Free verse is poetry without regular patterns of rhyme, rhythm or meter. Note: free verse has rhythm and meter. The pattern, however, is irregular. Rhythm is often created through the use of other poetic devices, including repetition, alliteration, and other sound devices.

The form of Whitman's poetry matches the content. Whitman celebrates the freedom of the individual and a celebration of freedom enjoyed in the United States. Because the attitude toward individual liberty in America was a break from European attitudes, he felt his poetry needed to break from European models as well.

Whitman, whose life and career spanned the nineteenth century, helped to define what it means to be an American. The dude loved his country. He loved the bustle of the cities and the expansiveness of the wilderness. He loved Abraham Lincoln and the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. He loved technology and industry and he loooooved the American promise of freedom. But most of all, Whitman loved the regular Joes of America, the guys and gals with regular jobs, living out their regular American dreams. Walt Whitman was as impressed by the life of an American shoemaker as he was of the life of Abraham Lincoln. The poet had some serious American pride, and he directed it toward //everyone.//

"I Hear America Singing" is basically a joyful list of people working away. The speaker of the poem announces that he hears "America singing," and then describes the people who make up America—the mechanics, the carpenters, the shoemakers, the mothers, and the seamstresses. He declares that each worker sings "what belongs to him or her," and that they all sing loud and strong as they work. Not all of our jobs are flashy or super-lucrative, but we //all// help make our nation the awesome nation that it is. Whitman knows you work hard, and he appreciates your work.

Theme

This poem exemplifies the theme of musicality in Whitman's poetry. Whitman uses music to emphasize the interconnectedness of the human experience. Even though each worker sings his or her individual song, the act of singing is universal, and by extension, all of the workers unite under one common American identity.

Tone The tone of the poem is joyful, whimsical, and hopeful. Whitman celebrates in the common American worker, magnifying his characters with descriptors such as "robust," "friendly," "blithe," and "strong." He highlights individuals that often go unnoticed in classic poems; these older verses focus on tales of brave [|soldiers] and heroes. Ultimately, “I Hear America Singing” is a love poem to the nation. Whitman uses the small variations in individual experiences to crafts a wholesome, honest, and hardworking American identity.

Setting The setting in “I Hear America Singing” is very important to the meaning of the poem. The setting does not take place in any particular time of the year, but occurs each and every day as the citizens of America are working or on their way to and from work. The setting for each different person in the poem is the location in which they work. Whitman is very clever by incorporating many locations from across the country inside the poem. The boatman’s setting is on the water and rivers of America, the wood-cutter’s setting is inside the forests of America, and the mother’s setting is inside the homes of America. The rest of the workers in the poem represent different professions in America that are spread out throughout the country. Whitman is trying to include all regions of America, and by choosing the workers and professions that he did, he successfully accomplished this.

Word Choice

Precise Word Choices
The word choice "carol" is an intentional one, evoking the holy music associated with Christmas. It serves to quickly establish the blessed nature of the work performed by these men and women. Line 10's description of the mother's singing as "delicious" is also an example of an intentional word choice; it conveys the sensory nature of her song and evokes her tender touch and voice as well as her loving cooking and mending. The phrase "open mouths" in the last line suggests democracy, cooperation and clear communication.