American Literature
NAME: ________________________
Walt Whitman
An American Poet
I Hear America Singing
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 on his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
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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 and 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,
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Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
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1. What Walt Whitman has in mind here are not the actual work songs once associated with various
trades and kinds of physical labor, but something more subtle. What is this poem is really about?
2. Is Whitman romanticizing or idealizing the situation of these laborers or are the songs he hears an
expression of their independence and joy in life? Explain with specific references from the poem.
I, Too, Sing America
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed-I, too, am America.
- Langston Hughes
1. Langston Hughes' central purpose in writing was, in his own words, "to explain and
illuminate the Negro condition in America." How does this poem illustrate that goal?
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2. What does Hughes mean when he writes “But I laugh,/ And eat well,/ And grow
strong”? Do you see any connection between this philosophy and that of Frederick
Douglass in “The Battle With Mr. Covey”?
American Voices: A Comparison
Both Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes have left their mark on American
poetry. Hughes’ poem “I, Too, Sing America” is both a response to and an allusion
to Whitman’s poem. Alluding to a previous poem suggests an additional perspective
with which to view the poem.
Read and discuss the two poems. Think about the possible points for
comparison between the works and then complete the chart.
Points to Compare
I Hear America Singing
Title
Number of people
presented
Ideas of
democracy
Use of ‘singing’ and
‘sing’
Use of listing
technique
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I, Too, Sing America
Structure of poem
Tone of poem
Form of poem
Speaker’s role in
poem
Song of Myself
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I loaf and invite my soul,
I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.
My tongue, every atom of my blood, formed from this soil, this
air,
Born here of parents born here of parents the same, and their
parents the same,
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I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,
Hoping to cease not till death.
Creeds and schools in abeyance,
Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are, but never
forgotten,
I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard,
Nature without check with original energy.
1. What does Whitman celebrate in this poem?
2. How does Whitman realize who he is as an individual and in relation to the world at
large?
You will be writing your own “Song of Myself.” Think about:
1. What is your favorite activity? Why?
2. What attitude or belief does this activity reveal about you?
3. Does this aspect coincide with your favorite activity in some way? What is
important to you and what do you value highly in your life?
A Noiseless Patient Spider
A noiseless patient spider,
I marked where on a little promontory it stood isolated,
Marked how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,
It launched forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself,
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you , O my soul where you stand,
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to
connect them,
Till the bridge you will need be formed, till the ductile anchor hold,
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Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.
Think about the comparison being made in this poem. What is a spider
spinning its web being compared to? Make a list of the comparisons:
Spider Spinning Web
vs.
_______________________
What is the meaning behind this poem?
O Captain! My Captain!
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up- for you the flag is flung- for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths- for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
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Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
1. Analyze this poem that was written by Whitman in response to the assassination of Abraham
Lincoln. How does the content and style of the poem reflect the impact of the President’s life on
the nation as well as grief over his loss? Cite specific examples from the poem.
2. How might this poem be more effective than an obituary about the President? Do you think
that Whitman speaks for the nation?
Beat! Beat! Drums!
Beat! beat! drums! ---blow! bugles! blow!
Through the windows—through doors—burst like a ruthless force,
Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation,
Into the school where the scholar is studying;
Leave not the bridegroom quiet—no happiness must he have now
with his bride,
Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, ploughing his field or gathering
his grain,
So fierce you whirr and pound you drums—so shrill you bugles blow.
Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Over the traffic of cities—over the rumble of wheels in the streets;
Are beds prepared for sleepers at night in the houses? No sleepers must
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sleep in those beds,
No bargainer’s bargains by day—no brokers or speculators—would they
continue?
Would the talkers be talking? would the singer attempt to sing?
Would the lawyer rise in court to state his case before the judge?
Then rattle quicker, heavier drums—you bugles wilder blow.
Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Make no parley—stop for no expostulation,
Mind not the timid—mind not the weeper or prayer,
Mind not the old man beseeching the young man,
Let not the child’s voice be heard, nor the mother’s entreaties,
Make even the trestles to shake the dead where they lie awaiting the
hearses.
So strong you thump O terrible drums—so loud you bugles blow.
1. How does Whitman use symbolism (the drums and the bugles) to represent his opinions
about war?
2. How does Whitman utilize his “catalogue” or “list” technique
in this poem?
Cavalry Crossing A Ford
A line in long array where they wind betwixt green islands,
They take a serpentine course, their arms flash in the sun—hark to the
musical clank,
Behold the silvery river, in it the splashing horses loitering stop to drink,
Behold the brown-faced men, each group, each person a picture, the
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negligent rest on the saddles,
Some emerge on the opposite bank, others are just entering the
ford- while,
Scarlet and blue and snowy white,
The guidon flags flutter gaily in the wind.
There is a great deal of color imagery in this poem. Consider how Whitman creates an
effect by using each of the following colors. What do these particular color choices imply
about the scenery, the cavalry and America?
“green islands”
“silvery river”
“brown-faced men”
“scarlet and blue and snowy white”
WHEN I HEARD THE LEARNED ASTONOMER
When I heard the learned astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the
lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
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In the mystical moist night air, and from time to time,
Looked up in perfect silence at the stars.
What phrases or lines help you infer the conflict between the speaker’s view of
the stars and the speaker’s view of astronomy?
Speaker’s view of/feelings about the
stars
Speaker’s view of/feelings about
astronomy
What message do you think the poet is trying to convey with this poem? How do
you know this? Do you agree or disagree with the message?
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