Leaves of Grass: Democratic Themes

Leaves of Grass: Democratic Themes

When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer I Hear America Singing In his Preface to Leaves of Grass, Whitman states, “The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem”. Whitman was the ultimate Transcendentalist/ Romantic. He united democratic themes and subject matter with free verse form. In Leaves of Grass, Whitman celebrates unity of all life and people. He embraces diversity of geography, culture, work, sexuality, and beliefs. Whitman’s impact solidifies American dreams of independence, freedom, and fulfillment, and transforms them for larger spiritual meaning. Whitman values hard work and being humble and non-egotistical. His ideals are things such as good health, soul, and the love of nature.

Whitman expresses his celebration of working class democracy through the “varied carols” of men and women who take pride in their occupations in the poem “I Hear America Singing”. For example, he writes:

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... (lines1-5)

Whitman writes about the diversity of work here and the people who take pride in what they do. His use of imagery creates a vivid picture of hard working people. Whitman modified standard “King’s English” diction and abandoned traditional rhyme schemes and formal meters. Free verse is apparent throughout Whitman’s works, which he patterned after ancient poetic forms, incantations, and praises from The Bible (Psalms) and Homer. He attempts to mirror the patterns of spoken language.

Whitman’s values are reflected in his subject matter and style. In “Song of Myself #1,” for example, Whitman writes:

I celebrate myself, and sing myself,

And what I assume you shall assume,

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. (l.1-3)

Whitman celebrates unity of all life and people. His belief in equality for all people is also depicted in these lines. The following line reflects Whitman’s love of nature:

My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’d from this soil, this air...(l.6)

For Whitman to say he was formed from nature shows just how much he believed he was

one with nature. The “I” has become identified with every element in the universe. Whitman was a bundle of contradictions because the form was loose enough to allow for long lists and catalogs abundant in detail, but also flexible to include delicate moments of lyricism and oratory.

Whitman extended cadence of poetic lines through parallelism, alliteration and assonance. For example, in “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer,” he writes:

When I heard the learn’d 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 heard the astronomer where he lectured with

much applause in the lecture-room...(l.1-4)

Whitman uses parallelism in this poem when he repeatedly states “When” at the beginning of each line. Whitman suggests that the working class is valued highly in his opinion because the astronomer in this poem seems to be a hard worker who earns his applause in the lecture-room. The poem has no periods or ending punctuation except at the end. It is all one long sentence.

Whitman is the father of Modern Poetry; his work suggests the revolutionary power of democracy and literary art. When Whitman stated “The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem,” I believe he meant that the diversity of geography, culture, beliefs and work all combine to create a wonderful country. Whitman’s subject matter and style tie together to reflect his values of a working class democracy, humbleness and the enjoyment of life. Whitman’s impact has solidified American dreams (of independence, freedom, and fulfillment) and transcends, transforms them for a larger spiritual meaning.