SpringBoard 1.10 Whitman’s America “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman

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,

5

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 woodcutter's song, the plowboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown.

The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing, Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else.

10

The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

TP-CASTT Poetry Analysis

Directions: Complete the TP-CASTT chart as a class.

Title: Consider the title and make a prediction about what the poem is about.

Paraphrase: Translate the poem line by line into your own words. Look for complete thoughts and look up unfamiliar words. (CAN ADD ANNOTATIONS HERE.)

Connotation: Examine the poem for meaning beyond the literal. Look for figurative language, imagery, and sound elements. (explain 3)

Attitude/Tone: What is the speaker’s tone? (tone is the attitude toward the subject)

Shifts: Note any shifts or changes in speaker or attitude. Where does this poem shift?

Title: Examine the title again (now that you understand the poem better). What does the title mean?

Theme: Briefly state in your own words what the poem is about (subject), then what the author is saying about the subject (theme)

Directions: Answer the following questions with help from your group. (You still need to turn in your own work! But you can talk about your answers with your group.)

#4 Describe the central image Whitman uses to evoke (bring to mind/ call up) the people of America through the poem. (Scan the poem for words that identify different kinds of workers and work. Focus on the verbs in the poem. What do they tell you about how the poet feels about his subject?)

#5 What is unique about the characters from Line #8 of the poem? (Examine which characters are depicted in that line. Compare them to every other character depicted in the poem.)

#6 What is Whitman’s message about America in this poem? Support your answer with words and phrases from the poem. (What kinds of workers are singing in the poem? What does Whitman want the reader to infer about the kinds of workers that make up America?)

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