I Hear America Singing

Walt Whitman * Track #370 On Leaves of Grass

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Album Leaves of Grass

ALBUM

Walt Whitman

1855

I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman

Performed by

Walt Whitman

About

In this poem, Whitman focuses on the working-class people who make up America, who are happy despite not having abundances. Each line of the poem, each depicting a different worker, is a synecdoche, small parts that represent a whole concept. In this this case, each worker represents the whole of Am...

I Hear America Singing Annotated

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.

I Hear America Singing Q&A

Who is the speaker of "I Hear America Singing"?

The speaker is likely Whitman himself, as this poem’s content parallels with his personal views.

How does Whitman use literary devices to convey the poem's message?

Anaphora, the repetition of words among lines, in the beginning: “The ____ singing”. This conveys the rhythm of the workers' tasks.
Metaphor: These workers' actions are compared to “singing”, conveying the happiness of their lives.
A synechdoche, small parts that represent a whole concept, is used i...

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