Language and style

You probably know by now that Walt Whitman was named ‘the father of free verse’. He was an innovator, and this is probably the main reason his work was not quite appreciated at its real value during his time. The poem “I Hear America Singing” makes no exception when it comes to innovation. The poet managed to create a free-flowing poem while still keeping a certain degree of control over its form and content. We will present some of the ways in which the poet has used language and a particular style to render his thoughts and admiration for America.

Playing with language

The poem “I Hear America Singing” does not really play with language. It is very straightforward regarding content: the poet simply renders the way in which specific categories of working people go through the working day by singing. Here is but one example of the simple and straightforward way in which Whitman presents the carpenter: “The carpenter singing his as he measures his p...