Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” song is an affectionate tribute to America. It can be divided into four parts, according to me. The first section is the beginning. It’s the opening sentence. The second section begins at line 2 and ends at line 6. This describes the situation in which people sing from different fields. Only line 8 is included in the next section, which indicates that only females sing these songs. The last three words of the section are the final. This concludes the poem’s gist.
The speaker tells a story in first person. It’s as if he is speaking to his audience in person. The first narration is used in the poem to enhance the rapport between the speaker with the audience. The speaker states that different professions sing during work or on their way to work but does not say much about his feelings. The speaker can use the “I” metaphor to draw the audience into his head and let them imagine the scene. The entire poem is void of any new words. The only occupations that are mentioned in the poem are “carpenter” (woodcutter) and “carpenter”. It is like talking to an acquaintance about local happenings. It depicts our familiar life as if a mother is singing to us while we clean the dishes.
The poem’s tone is cheerful and jovial. The poem shows people happy and singing at different locations. Carpenter, boatman, outdoor or indoor, all are happy doing their jobs. Even the domestic chores of women, no matter how minor, are satisfying. It’s a common act that people do when they feel happy, and the line that ends with “Singing openly” clearly displays their joy. The poems are also praised for the use of many adjectives, such as the line 10 one that says “fellow, robust and friendly”.
Parallelism is a literary device. Metaphor is another. The sentences that describe the singing of different types of people are lined up in parallel when the speaker speaks. Line 3, 4, 6 and 6 respectively use the structure “the+(the name or profession) +as …”.. The most important literary device within the poem is metaphor. Metaphor is the title. “American singing” refers to the “American people singing”. People from all fields are people who work in these areas. “The mother, the young woman and the girl” refers to all females of each age or to all females in the same word.
The poem, which I love, celebrates the optimism of working-class people and highlights the joys of American life. The primary purpose of the poem is to promote an American belief or spirit, individualism. Line 9: “Each singer what belongs her, but to no other” shows that everyone is unique and everything they possess is theirs alone. This poem conveys an American unique spirit of “From rags-to riches with hardwork”. Every person can start from scratch, as long as they are diligent. This belief has been held since the founding of the nation. The fact that the poet used the examples of working class people as an example shows that everyone is entitled and able to have a happy life, regardless what their background.
