Walt Whitman (1819–1892) is considered one of the greatest poets of the 19th Century. His poems often explored topics of American identity.
'A Veteran in a New Field' by Winslow Homer (1865). Image: Winslow Homer / Public domain
About the author and the poem
A modernist ahead of his time
Today, Walt Whitman (1819-1892) is ranked among America’s finest poets. He did not, however, win much acclaim during his own lifetime. He lived in poverty most of his life, and it was not until the last decade of his life that he was recognised and appreciated as the great poet he was.
Whitman was born on Long Island, which was at that time a rural area populated by farmers and fishermen, with the luring lights of Brooklyn and Manhattan across the great harbour – places that could be visited by means of exciting ferryboats. (One of Whitman’s poems is called 'Crossing Brooklyn Ferry').
He had little formal schooling, and he tried his hand at different jobs until he settled on journalism. Whitman lived during a period defined by the growth and expansion of America, but also during the agonising conflict of the Civil War, where he volunteered as a war nurse.
Walt Whitman’s poetry has a down-to-earth and ordinary language, and it concerns everyday subject matters. His free-verse style is prescient of the style of modernist poets that came half a century later. Walt Whitman has later won acclaim also internationally, and he has had a considerable influence on writers both in the United States and in Europe. 'I Hear America Singing' is one of his most popular and cherished poems.
'I Hear America Singing' was first published in 1860. The poem celebrates the industriousness and creativity of America. The country is teeming with joyous activity. The workers sing as they are going about their work.
'Singing' was intended to be understood both literally and metaphorically. At the time, workers often sang as they worked, as they did not have radios or other devices for listening to music. The singing is also a metaphor for the vitality and activity of the American society.
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 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 at sundown, The delicious singing of the mother, or 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.
'Young Mother Sewing' by Mary Cassatt (1900). Image: Mary Cassatt / Public domain
Discuss:
Is this a poem about singing?
What do all the professions mentioned represent?
In what way does this poem reflect Whitman’s ideals of democracy and individualism?
In the first line, the poet uses the word 'carols' instead of 'songs' – what is the difference in meaning, and what is the effect?
Comment on the following line: 'Each singing what belongs to him and her and to none else'.
How would you describe the mood of the poem?
Comment on the structure of the poem.
Do you see any traces of traditional poetic elements (rhythm, rhyme, metre, poetic language)?
What makes this a poem rather than a prose text?
Is the language used in the poem modern?
Compare:
Compare this poem with Langston Hughes' poem 'I, Too'. Pay attention to theme, message, and literary devices.
