Personal Identity In Walt Whitman's I Hear America Singing

Whitman’s free verse poem “I hear America Singing” expresses the joy and pride he feels towards personal identity. The speaker uses “singing”(1) repeatedly to describe the “varied carols”(1) or the sounds of various people working in their professions in a positive connotation to indicate his joy. The speaker’s diction of portraying the sounds as “singing” and “carols” are commonly associated with a festive atmosphere indicating joyfulness. In addition, the narrator states that the work they do “belongs to him or her and none else”(9). His message is that each individual has a unique role only they can fulfill and individuality is something to take pride in. The poem’s conclusion of “strong melodious song”(11) represents both his joy and pride