“I Hear America Singing”
by Walt Whitman
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.
Vocabulary Help:
- blithe –
- mason –
- ploughboy –
- robust –
Analyzing:
How does Whitman focus his poem?
In other words, what “kinds” of people
does he write about?
Why do you think he chose to write about these people?
What might this tell us about Whitman’s view of America?
The songs Whitman’s characters sing are described in the following ways –
Define/ explain the point he is making with that description!
-
varied –
-
blithe –
-
strong (x2!) –
-
delicious –
-
melodious –
What overall effect do these combined descriptions have on you as the reader?
Ok – let’s dig a little deeper!!!!
Explain the meaning of the last few lines in Whitman’s poem.
What might he be trying to say?
PUT IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS!
Take each line below and paraphrase/explain.
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
- Why do you think Whitman chose to describe his people as singing?
- If you had to SUMMARIZE this poem in one or two sentences – what would you say?
OPTIONAL
Brainstorming:
How might today’s America
be different from
Whitman’s America?
How might you organize your poem? For example, Whitman uses different kinds of
workers. List possibilities.
NOW – select and circle your choice from above – next . . .
List possible SPECIFIC people/ groups you could include in your poem–
(You will need at least 12!)
What overall effect do you want your “songs” to have? Brainstorm a few good adjectives.
What do you hope to communicate in your poem????
Oh happy day!
- You are ready to begin!
- Use the poem model to create your new poem
- Take your time – think carefully about which people to include and
how best to depict them (choose your nouns, verbs and adjectives
thoughtfully!)
- Be creative! When you read Whitman’s poem, you should be able to
picture the people he describes. The same should be true for your
version of “I Hear America Singing.”
“I Hear America
_________________
Singing”
by
your name
I hear America singing, the ________ ___ carols I hear,
Adjective
Those of ___________, each one singing his as it should
Person/ group (plural)
be ________ and __________,
adjective
adjective
The __________ singing his as he _________ his ______ or
Person/ group
verb (plural)
noun
__________,
noun
The _______ singing his as he makes ready for ________,
Person/ group
place/ noun
or leaves off __________,
place/ noun
The _________ singing what belongs to him in his _____,
Person/ group
noun (place)
the _________ singing on the ___________,
Person/ group
noun (place)
The ______________ singing as he ______ on his ______,
Person/ group
verb (plural)
noun
the ___________ singing as he _______,
Person/ group
verb (plural)
The ____________'s song, the ___________'s on his way in
Person/ group
Person/ group
the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The __________ singing of the ___________, or of the
adjective
Person/ group
________
adjective
________ at work, or of the _________
Person/ group
Person/ group
_______ing or _______ing ,
verb
verb
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none
else,
The day what belongs to the day--at night the _______
Noun
of ________ _________, __________, _________,
adjective
Person/ group (plural)
adjective
adjective
Singing with ____________ their _________
____________
Descriptive phrase
songs.
adjective
adjective