Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 in West Hills, on Long Island, New York.

He was the second son

of Walter Whitman, a house-builder, and Louisa Van Velsor. In the 1820s and 1830s, the family, which
consisted of nine children, lived in Long Island and Brooklyn, where Whitman attended the Brooklyn public
schools.
At the age of twelve, Whitman began to learn the printer’s trade and fell in love with the written word.
Largely self-taught, he read voraciously, becoming acquainted with the works of Homer, Dante,
Shakespeare, and the Bible.
Whitman worked as a printer in New York City until a devastating fire in the printing district demolished
the industry. In 1836, at the age of seventeen, he began his career as teacher in the one-room
schoolhouses of Long Island. He continued to teach until 1841, when he turned to journalism as a full-time
career. He founded a weekly newspaper, The Long-Islander, and later edited a number of Brooklyn and
New York papers, including the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. In 1848, Whitman left the Brooklyn Daily Eagle to
become editor of the New Orleans Crescent for three months. After witnessing the auctions of enslaved
individuals in New Orleans, he returned to Brooklyn in the fall of 1848 and co-founded a “free soil”
newspaper, the Brooklyn Freeman, which he edited through the next fall. Whitman’s attitudes about race
have been described as “unstable and inconsistent.” He did not always side with the abolitionists, yet he
celebrated human dignity.
In Brooklyn, Whitman continued to develop the unique style of poetry that later so astonished Ralph
Waldo Emerson. In 1855, Whitman took out a copyright on the first edition of Leaves of Grass, which
consisted of twelve untitled poems and a preface. He published the volume himself, and sent a copy to
Emerson in July of 1855. Whitman released a second edition of the book in 1856, containing thirty-two
poems, a letter from Emerson praising the first edition, and a long open letter by Whitman in response.
During his lifetime, Whitman continued to refine the volume, publishing several more editions of the book.
Noted Whitman scholar, M. Jimmie Killingsworth writes that “the ‘merge,’ as Whitman conceived it, is the
tendency of the individual self to overcome moral, psychological, and political boundaries. Thematically
and poetically, the notion dominates the three major poems of 1855: ‘I Sing the Body Electric,’ ‘The
Sleepers,’ and ‘Song of Myself,’ all of which were merged in the first edition under the single title ‘Leaves of
Grass’ but were demarcated by clear breaks in the text and the repetition of the title.”
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Whitman vowed to live a “purged” and “cleansed” life. He worked as a
freelance journalist and visited the wounded at New York City–area hospitals. He then traveled to
Washington, D.C. in December 1862 to care for his brother, who had been wounded in the war.
Overcome by the suffering of the many wounded in Washington, Whitman decided to stay and work in the
hospitals; he ended up staying in the city for eleven years. He took a job as a clerk for the Bureau of Indian
Affairs within the Department of the Interior, which ended when the Secretary of the Interior, James
Harlan, discovered that Whitman was the author of Leaves of Grass, which Harlan found offensive. After
Harlan fired him, he went on to work in the attorney general's office.
In 1873, Whitman suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. A few months later he travelled to
Camden, New Jersey, to visit his dying mother at his brother’s house. He ended up staying with his brother
until the 1882 publication of Leaves of Grass (James R. Osgood), which brought him enough money to buy
a home in Camden.
In the simple two-story clapboard house, Whitman spent his declining years working on additions and
revisions to his deathbed edition of Leaves of Grass (David McKay, 1891–92) and preparing his final volume
of poems and prose, Good-Bye My Fancy (David McKay, 1891). After his death on March 26, 1892,
Whitman was buried in a tomb he designed and had built on a lot in Harleigh Cemetery.
Along with Emily Dickinson, he is considered one of America’s most important poets.

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 sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

Summary of When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer

Popularity of “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”: Walt Whitman, a renowned American poet,
journalist, and essayist wrote When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer. It is a short narrative poem about
learning against experiencing. It was first published in 1867. The poem gives an account of the speaker’s
experience of listening to a tiring lecture of an astronomer. It also illustrates that the mystery of nature
cannot be summed up in facts and figures. The poet explains that true knowledge can be gained when we
observe the sky in solitude.
“When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”, A comment on Scientific Knowledge: The poem presents a stark
comparison between scientific knowledge and cosmic reality. The speaker is listening to an astronomer,
explaining facts about stars using several mathematical tools; charts, diagrams, and columns. The audience
appreciates his knowledge and ways of explanation. The speaker becomes tired because of the
uninteresting and monotonous lecture. Finally, he walks out of the lecture hall and looks up at the stars in
perfect silence. He seems more fascinated by the beautiful stars than the proofs and evidence about stars.
The poem conveys that wisdom does not rely on manmade mathematical interpretations. One must walk
into the lap of nature to understand its mystery.
Major Themes in “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”: Isolation, man and the natural world are some
notable themes of this poem. The poem presents two things; society’s view of “knowledge” and the
speaker’s interpretation of learning. The poet shows discontent on the mathematical logic of the scientific
process presented by the astronomer in the lecture hall. Although the astronomer explains the real-world
data in a catchy way, the poet considers his lecture merely a catalog of facts he is unable to understand.
Therefore, he prefers walking out in nature to see the magic. On a deeper level, the poem elaborates how
people can appreciate certain things in the presence of nature.
Analysis of Literary Devices in “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”
literary devices are tools used by writers to convey their emotions, ideas, and themes to make texts more
appealing to the reader. Walt Whitman has also employed some literary devices in this poem to bring
depth in his text. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem is given below.
Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a phrase or word in two or successive verses. For example, “when I”
is repeated in the opening lines of the poem to emphasize the poet’s point of view.
“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 sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room.”

Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “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” and “When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much
applause in the lecture-room.”
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /ea/ in
“When I heard the learned astronomer” and the sound of /i/ in “Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by
myself”.
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of
/r/ in “When I heard the learn’d astronomer” and the sound of /s/ in “When I was shown the charts and
diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them”.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession. For
example, the sounds of /m/ and /t/ in “In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time”.
Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a device used to exaggerate any statement for the sake of emphasis. For example,
“Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself”. The poet cannot actually glide out of the lecture hall.
Analysis of Poetic Devices in “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of
the poetic devices used in this poem.
Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are eight lines in this poem with no stanza break.
Free Verse: Free Verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-
verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.

“When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” Themes

Theme Knowledge, Nature, and Experience
Knowledge, Nature, and Experience
In “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer,” the speaker attends an astronomer’s public lecture on the
stars. While the audience enjoys the astronomer’s scientific explanations and mathematical equations, the
speaker finds them unbearable. Indeed, the speaker believes that there is a power and beauty in nature
that cannot be measured or explained. Rather, the poem seems to suggest that one can simply experience
nature itself to gain a different—perhaps even deeper—understanding of the world.
The speaker finds the astronomer’s scientific perspective on the stars intolerable. The speaker lists the
astronomer’s scientific methods of “proofs,” “figures,” “charts,” “diagrams,” “add[ition],” “divi[sion],” and
other “measure[ments].” The speaker recounts the astronomer’s methods unemotionally and without
figurative language, indicating the speaker’s lack of enthusiasm for the astronomer’s lecture.
Lines 1-4 of the poem, which relate the astronomer’s lecture, are wordier than the last lines, 5-8. The
wordiness of these first lines reflects the speaker’s feeling of being bombarded by astronomer’s words.
Even the enthusiastic “applause” of the audience does not change the speaker’s mind. Indeed, the speaker
becomes
"unaccountabl[y]" "tired and sick." The speaker’s “unaccountable” nature stands in direct contrast and
opposition to the astronomer’s attempt to measure and account for everything. That is, there are no charts
or diagrams that can explain the speaker’s feelings.
Consequently, the speaker chooses to turn away from scientific analysis and be immersed in nature
instead. The speaker “ris[es] and glid[es]” out of the room in order to go outside, and describes this
departure as “wander[ing] off.” These verbs all suggest a free-spirited nature to the speaker’s actions that
contrasts with the rigidness of the astronomer’s lecture. Indeed, once the speaker abandons scientific
analysis, the speaker gains a type of freedom. This freedom allows the speaker to leave the confines of the
lecture-room and go wherever he wishes in body and mind.
For the speaker, simply being in nature is an almost magical experience and can provide a deeper
enlightenment than pure scientific study. The speaker describes his surroundings as “the mystical moist
night-air.” The adjective “mystical” is used to describe the magical quality of the night around him.
“[M]ystical” also has spiritual connotations. Therefore, the speaker suggests there is something spiritual
and transcendent about directly experiencing nature. As the speaker looks up at the stars, there is “perfect
silence.” This “silence” contrasts with the astronomer’s wordy and unbearable lecture. Moreover, this
“silence” is “perfect.” Therefore, the speaker experiences perfection, and thus a transcendent
understanding, in nature.
While the natural world can be explained in scientific terms, experiencing nature directly can provide an
even greater enlightenment. Although the astronomer is “learn’d,” in other words well read and
knowledgeable, the poem seems to imply that all the book learning in the world isn’t a substitute for actual
experience and reflection. Some things, the poem argues, cannot be explained and are all the greater for it.
Theme Individuality and Freedom
Individuality and Freedom
In “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer,” the speaker attends an astronomer’s lecture on the stars. The
astronomer is an established expert in the field, and the audience is clearly appreciative of the
astronomer’s knowledge. However, the speaker alone finds the astronomer’s rigid teachings foolish and
leaves the lecture-room. The poem implicitly praises this act, and as such stresses the importance of
thinking for oneself and questioning accepted wisdom. Doing so, the poem seems to suggest, is necessary
to gain a freedom of both spirit and mind.
The speaker finds the astronomer’s lecture narrow-minded and intolerable, even though the astronomer is
described as being “learn’d.” The adjective “learn’d” implies a sanctioned, accepted level of academic
achievement, as well as a depth of knowledge. Yet the speaker is soon “sick and tired” of being lectured to.
By contrast, it appears that most of the audience adores the astronomer’s lecture, lapping it up without
question; there is "much applause in the lecture room."
Despite the apparent enthusiasm of the rest of the audience, however, the speaker “wander[s] off” and
leaves the lecture hall, and importantly does so "by myself"—alone. The speaker physically leaves the
confines of the lecture hall for the expanse of nature outside, gaining physical freedom. This physical
freedom, in turn, mirrors the speaker’s emotional and intellectual freedom. In nature, the speaker is about
to reflect on the night sky "in perfect silence"—without anyone else telling the speaker what to think, or
how to interpret what the speaker sees.
This state of “perfection” further indicates the speaker’s own state of contentment and enlightenment. It
suggests that the stars are in fact best studied in silence, by oneself, with no companion apart from one's
own mind. As such, the poem suggests that this state of “perfect” silence and freedom often requires going
against the crowd and questioning what one is taught—above all, thinking for oneself.

Literary Context
Whitman first published "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" in 1865 in his poetry collection Drum-
Taps. The poem appeared two years later in the fourth edition of Leaves of Grass, the most celebrated
collection of Whitman's career. "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" shares many characteristics, both
thematically and stylistically, with other poems in Leaves of Grass. Like most of the other poems in Leaves
of Grass, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" is written in first-person free verse. As in "Song of
Myself," there is a joyousness and freedom to the formlessness of verse in "When I Heard the Learn'd
Astronomer."
Many of the poems in Leaves of Grass also praise the individual and individuality, along with the
universality of nature. "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" is no different, as it is a reflection on the
power of experiencing nature first hand in order to gain a deeper, transcendent understanding of it. One
experiences nature on an individual level. However, through this individual connection, one gains access to
a greater universality in experience.
Whitman's philosophy and work was heavily influenced by the Transcendentalism of Ralph Waldo Emerson
and Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism values the individual experience over institutional
knowledge. Thus, the speaker of "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" very much believes in the power
of subjective experience over scientific evidence. Additionally, for Transcendentalists, nature must be
treasured, protected, and experienced in person. Moreover, there is a divine, transcendental, or "mystical"
quality to nature.
As the so-called "father of free verse," Whitman's poetry influenced generations of writers in American
that followed him. His breaking away from traditional forms influenced Modernists like Ezra Pound and T.S.
Eliot. Moreover, Whitman's observant, first-person speakers who exalt mystical experience greatly
influenced Beat poets such as Allen Ginsberg.
Historical Context
In the 1830s, Transcendentalism was a philosophical and social movement which concerned itself with
questions of morality. Transcendentalists believed in the inherent goodness of the individual, the divinity
of nature, and the necessity of turning away from the excesses of industrialization.
Three decades later in 1865, when Whitman first published "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer," the
American Civil War finally came to an end. The Civil War was one of the earliest wars which incorporated
industrial weaponry, due to the advancements in machinery and the Industrial Revolution. One of the most
destructive wars in American history, the Civil War was fought primarily over the moral issue of the
institution of slavery.
For Whitman, the issues the Transcendentalists raised—that later came to a head during the Civil War—
were ones he wished to interrogate in his own work. Like other writers and artists during this time,
Whitman was interested in exploring the goodness and morality possible in individuals and suspicious of
institutional establishments. Moreover, Whitman and other writers deeply valued the beauty, power, and
divinity of nature during a time when industrial factories and waste were polluting the landscape. Whitman
revered the "mystical" quality and "perfect[ion]" of nature and treasured the peace and enlightenment it
could bring individuals.

The first half of the poem does, indeed, become a list. However, the continuing growth of line length also
helps drive home the speakers growing sense of anxiety as the scientist breaks a beautiful piece of nature
down into simplistic human constructs (charts, numbers, graphs). As you pointed out, the rest of the
audience seems to love this, but the speaker is left out of sorts.
As soon as the speaker leaves the room, the line length almost normalizes, representing the balancing
effect nature has. Anxiety, which hit a crescendo with the applause of the audience, is comforted away by
the steady, loving embrace of nature.
This all reflects the tenets of the Romantic movement in which experience and intuition are deemed more
important than rigid structure and formal education.

Summary: students struggles to maintain a sense of wonder about the cosmos as it gets reduces to
numbers, feeling stifles by the brilliant but drowning lecture, he leaves the classroom to see the stars with
his on eyes. Whitman was enthralled with science and educated himself in a variety of subjects from
astronomy to biology, his love for its structure and exactitude are found throughout his work. He was also
a school teacher who promoted individualized experiential learning over the memorization of classical
training. This poem balances science with art. The first43 lines describe the setup and the last 4 the
reaction of the speaker.
Academic learning vs experiential learning. What the astronomer explains is boring. The student doesn’t
feel any connection to the subject matter until he goes outside and sees the starts for himself, he sees
magic, this was the only real wat to learn. There’s contrast between the speaker and the astronomer and
we see learn’d which is not academic. However, the astronomer represents a highly educated and refined
class that has a more structured approach to lecturing.
FOILS = characters who have opposite beliefs. Set = illustrate theories and the audience’s applause.
2nd part
Evocative imaginary = the author paints pictures with the words.
This poem highlights the difference between wisdom and knowledge. In the context of this poem, wisdom
is the process of learning through experience and intuitive exploration (when the speaker sees the start).
However, knowledge comes from research, reading and established theories (astronomer)
Whitman takes science and ass to it human experience and emotion, the idea of the poem is how science
can be defeated by emotion
Context. In the 1800s, art and science had much in common, the literary author was inspired by science
and not merely but the beauty and elegance of the natural word. Scientist who wanted to reach the
general public appealed to their audience not through facts but though the arts. In the words of an English
poet, Matthew Arnold, literature is a large word and science was on service to a higher realm of individual
excellence.
The split between art and science intensifies with the birth of the industrial revolution. Instead of learning
latin and Greek which was the hallmark of culture during the agricultural revolution, it became important
to study engineering and science that replaced literature and the arts. This shift underlined hat intelligent,
cultivation and prestige had nothing to do with individual human excellence. There were two cultures of
society: the humanities and the science. When sir William and sir Herschel were studying the starts, writer
and painters were living amongst them. One of the best way to imagine this split is through literatures.
Whitman poem can be seen as backlash against this split in knowledge. The unknown was inspiring, people
tried to communicate the power of the universe