Style
Whitman's invention for meter and rhyme -- he's known as the father of this
free verse
The speaker is where at the beginning of the poem?
The lecture-room
What significant word is repeated on every line? How does it affect the TONE of the poem?
singing/song -- song has a positive connotation and an upbeat tone; songs are a celebration
The word "mark'd" means _____
watched/observed
Whitman left school at the age of ___ and was self-taught, meaning what?
11; he read for himself and educated himself
Repetition at the beginning of a line
anaphora
Identify one list in the poem -- what effect does it have?
"to add, divide, measure..."
"the proofs and figures"
the math of the stars is overwhelming -- stars should be simple (like in the last line), not a bunch of numbers.
Identify four lines lines that use anaphora:
Lines 3-6
The carpenter singing...
The mason singing...
The boatman singing...
The shoemaker singing...
The speaker starts by observing _______ and then shifting to _______.
a spider; the soul
This was his greatest work
Leaves of Grass
Whitman offers one item after another in his poems, creating long _______ of people, descriptions, etc.
lists
What words in the poem describe the speaker's attitude?
"tired and sick"
Define personification and identify an example of personification in the poem in the poem
Giving inanimate objects human characteristics
"I hear America singing"
(America isn't a person and can't sing...)
The adverbs "ever" and "tirelessly" in stanza 1 are most like what adverb in stanza 2? What do they have in common?
"Ceaselessly". The spider and the soul are constantly, forever working or attempting...
Whitman rewrote Leaves of Grass over and over again in his life. How many editions did he publish?
Many of Whitman's poems offer a turn in the middle of the poem, changing from one idea to another. This is called a ...
shift
What does the setting change to by the end of the poem, and how does it affect the speaker? Identify words from the poem in your response.
The outdoors (nature), and the stars -- it seems to heal the speaker, evidenced by "mystical moist night air" and "perfect silence".
Whitman is known as the bard of democracy. How does this poem represent democracy?
America is definied by its expansiveness and variety. There are many kinds of individuals listed here; they're all distinct, but they also unite through their song. Their songs become the song of the country.
What does the speaker realize links the spider and the soul? What do they have in common?
Our natures are the same. The spider spends its entire existence trying to make connections from nothing, and so do we, so do our souls.
Name two jobs Whitman had.
teacher, nurse, hospital volunteer, journalist/editor
How does Whitman's poetry differ from the poetry that comes before him (like Emerson's "The Rhodora")
his lines are long and expansive
he doesn't rhyme
there's no defined meter or rhythmic pattern
he offers lists inside of his lines
Identify three ways in which Whitman contrasts society and nature in this poem -- remember the contrasts exist between lines 1-4 and lines 5-8
Lines 1-4: sound (noisy), lecturer and audience, sitting/receiving information, long lists and long lines, SOCIETY...
Lines 5-8: silence, the individual, walking out/being active, shorter, simpler lines, NATURE...
What is a possible theme of the poem?
America should be celebrated for its individuals
To be American is to celebrate your individuality and what defines you (your work, your experiences...)
In stanza 2, what line best compares the spider and the soul?
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.
When was Whitman celebrated as a poet?
after his death -- he wasn't acknowledged, really, as a great poet until after his death, in the 20th century.