Chapter
Private Collection/ David Findlay Jr. Fine Art, NYC,
USA/Bridgeman Art Library
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
8
Whitman and
Dickinson—
American Masters
Preparing to Read
I Hear America Singing
by Walt Whitman
LITERARY SKILLS FOCUS: CATALOG
A catalog is a long list of related things, people, or events. Whitman frequently
uses catalogs in his poetry. By selecting and naming workers and their “songs”
in his poem “I Hear America Singing,” he celebrates the energetic spirit of the
nation. A catalog also creates a kind of rhythm built on the repetition of certain
sentence patterns.
As you read the poem, Whitman’s use of cataloging should be easily
identifiable. Here are some of the workers to look for as you read:
• the mechanics
• the carpenter
• the mason
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
READING SKILLS FOCUS: ANALYZING TEXT STRUCTURES
To create certain effects and to get across the meaning of his poems, Whitman
uses text structures such as parallelism and elliptical constructions. Parallelism
is the repetition of words, phrases, clauses, or sentences that have the same
grammatical structure. For example, the phrase, “I sang, cooked, and washed
up,” uses parallel structure. It contains a series of three verbs in the past tense.
Elliptical constructions are phrases, clauses, or sentences with words left out.
Their meaning can be inferred, or guessed, from nearby sentences with similar
structure. The phrase “Lucy read her book and Ricky read his” is an example,
because “Ricky read his book” is implied.
Analyze Whitman’s structure as you read “I Hear America Singing.” Pause
occasionally to decide if what you are reading is an example of parallelism or
elliptical construction.
Reading
Standard 2.2
Analyze the way
in which clarity
of meaning
is affected by
the patterns of
organization,
hierarchial
structures,
repetition of
the main ideas,
syntax, and
word choice in
the text.
3.3 Analyze
the ways in
which irony,
tone, mood, the
author’s style,
and the “sound”
of language
achieve specific
rhetorical
or aesthetic
purposes or
both.
3.4 Analyze
ways in
which poets
use imagery,
personification,
figures of
speech, and
sounds to
evoke readers’
emotions.
I Hear America Singing
147
Vocabulary Development
I Hear America Singing
SELECTION VOCABULARY
blithe (BLYTH) adj.: happy and cheerful.
Whitman admires Americans’ blithe nature.
beam (BEEM) n.: large, long piece of wood for use in construction.
The speaker describes carpenters measuring a beam.
mason (MAY SUHN) n.: worker who lays stone or brick.
The mason sings as he is about to begin his work.
robust (ROH BUHST) adj.: vigorous and healthy.
The robust young men enjoy singing as they socialize after work.
melodious (MUH LOH DEE UHS) adj.: sweet-sounding; musical.
Whitman uses melodious language and natural rhythms.
WORD STUDY
DIRECTIONS: Write “Yes” after each sentence if the italicized vocabulary word
is being used correctly. Write “No” if it is being used incorrectly, and rewrite
the sentence so that the word is used correctly.
2. He practiced hammering nails into a wooden beam.
3. I hired the finest mason to construct my grandfather’s new fireplace.
4. The robust toddlers seemed to have an endless supply of energy.
5. The substitute teacher scraped his fingernails on the chalkboard; the
melodious sound got everyone’s attention.
148
I Hear America Singing
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
1. There was a blithe feeling during the funeral procession; nearly everyone
was crying.
I Hear America Singing
by Walt Whitman
© The New York Public Library/Art Resource, NY
A
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe
and strong,
READING FOCUS
In lines 3–6, is Whitman
using parallelism, elliptical
construction, or both?
Explain.
B
LITERARY FOCUS
List all of the workers in this
catalog.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
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, A
The wood-cutter’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, B
C
LANGUAGE COACH
Melodious comes from
the Greek word melōidia,
which means “song.” How
does the origin help you to
understand the meaning of
melodious?
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. C
I Hear America Singing
149
Applying Your Skills
I Hear America Singing
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
DIRECTIONS: Unscramble each set of letters below to form a vocabulary word from the Word
Box. Then, write the definition for the vocabulary word in your own words. One word will not
be used.
LdgY7dm
1. SOAMN
blithe
beam
2. BELTIH
mason
robust
3. BURSTO
melodious
4. SIDEMOLOU
LITERARY SKILLS FOCUS: CATALOG
READING SKILLS FOCUS: ANALYZING TEXT STRUCTURES
DIRECTIONS: On the lines below, write two examples of parallelism from the
poem and explain what makes the structure parallel.
Reading
Standard 2.2,
3.3, 3.4
See page 147
for complete
text.
150
I Hear America Singing
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
DIRECTIONS: On the lines below, explain what effect the use of a catalog has
on the meaning of “I Hear America Singing.”