The Writings of Walt Whitman Poetry/Assignments

Assignment # 1: Comprehension Check

1. In “Song of Myself,” what does the speaker celebrate and sing; what could be his
motivations for doing this? (2-3 sentences, 1 quote)

What the speaker celebrates is himself and other people as well. What could be his
motivations for doing this is to learn about himself and others around.

2. Cite three types of songs the speaker hears in “I Hear America Singing.” (2-3 sentences,
2 quotes)

The three types of songs the speaker hears in “ I Hear America Singing” is blithe and
strong,varied carols, and woodcutters song.

3. According to the speaker in “On the Beach at Night Alone,” what connects all things and
what inference can be made? (2-3 sentences, 1 quote)

What connects all things is the clef of the universe. The inference that can be made is that when
he thinks then he starts connecting everything.

4. In the opening line of “America,” how does the speaker describe the nation? How does
this relate to individualism? (2-3 sentences, 1 quote)

How the speaker describes the nation is everyone is equal. How this relates to individualism is
that he is talking about everyone and how they are, what they're like.

Assignment # 2: Analyze the Text

 1. (a) In Section 6 of “Song of Myself,” what is Whitman’s attitude and belief about death?
(b) Analyze How does Whitman relate death to the blades of grass? (3-4 sentences, 1
quote)

Whitman's attitude and belief about death is trying to get out the word that death is okay and
everyone experiences it. How whitman relates death to the blades of grass is that all our atoms
decomposed into grass or whatever.

2. Analyze How does Whitman use repetition in “I Hear America Singing”? Make a
Connection How does the idea of American individualism play a role in this poem? (3-4
sentences, 1 quote)

How Whitman uses repetition in “ I Hear America Singing” is that writing someone else and
what they are singing about differently each time. How the idea of American individualism plays
a role in this poem is that each person singing is so different and not the same which is showing
individualism.

3. Interpret In “On the Beach at Night Alone,” how does the second stanza state and
develop the “thought” the speaker has in the third line of the poem? Explain. (3-4
sentences, 1 quote)

How the second stanza states and develop the thought the speaker has in the third line of the
poem is that what he is thinking is showing all the connections between the clef of the universe.

4. Analyze What are Whitman’s intentions for describing America as “the center of equal
daughters, equal sons,” and “A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother, Chair’d in the
adamant of Time”? What is the purpose of the familial imagery he is using? (3-4
sentences, 1 quote)

Whitman’s intentions for describing America as the center of equal daughters, equal sons and A
grans, sane, towering, seated Mother, chair’d in the adamant of time is that showing that
everyone is equal as well as time that everyone has time. The purpose of the familial imagery he
is using is to show that we can go through the same things sometimes and its real.

Assignment # 3: Quickwrite
Based on our discussions of the three “-isms” of Walt Whitman (Individualism, Romanticism
and American Exceptionalism), choose TWO poems that you believe best exemplify these -isms.
How do the poems relate to these -isms? Use evidence to support your ideas. (7-8 sentences, 2-3
quotes)

Two poems that i believe best exemplify these -isms is “ I hear america singing and on the beach
at night alone. How these poems relate to these -isms is that its showing how people are and how
things are connected to the universe as a whole.