Analysis and Response

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Project 2: Analysis and Response
Part A: Poem Analysis
The poet, Walt Whitman celebrates different songs in the poem I Hear America Singing that he hears other Americans singing while going about their daily activities. The poet’s focus is on the different people that make up the American workforce including the mason, the mechanics, the carpenter, the boatman, and shoemaker. Whitman offers the different workers to the readers in turns and in a manner that rhapsodizes but which avoids romanticizing. Whitman is particularly interested in the individuals belonging to the working class and who make up a significant portion of the American society. The poem does not only celebrate the individual workers, but it also celebrates life in general, emphasizing the need to find happiness and joy in our everyday lives. I Hear America Singing stands out as a patriotic song full of passionate and intense feelings and which also glorifies the daily American life with its vivacity, simplicity as well as variety.
At the beginning of the poem, Whitman states that “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear (Line 1).” Here, the poet takes up a position that is also evident in his other poems by emphasizing his unique ability to see an ideal American society despite the varied differences among its people. Whitman gives a hint of the joy and merriment of being part of such a diverse society. The poet goes ahead to mention the different workers that he is able to hear their songs.

The singing comes out as being joyous since each worker Whitman describes is delighted and go about their individually assigned tasks without showing any signs of discontent. He describes the singing of the different workers as “varied carols (Line 1),” a clear indicator that he does not see it as just simple singing, but a reflection of how vast the American mainstream life is. In using the term “singing,” Whitman does not imply the simple vibration of verbal cords or the articulation of words, but rather the people’s willingness and determination to contribute to the society positively.
In the poem, Whitman mentions every other worker he could think of. By doing this, he emphasizes the important role that the working class society plays in the prosperity of America. From his description of the different occupations, the poet comes out as a strong believer in the notion that members of the working class are like the different parts of a machine. They need to work in tandem, and when one part is not working properly, the entire machine will stall. Through the utilization of numerous verbs such as makes, sewing, measures and washing, Whitman is able to create moving images of individuals going about their assigned duties just like the different parts of a machine.
Even as they handle their daily work, the different people Whitman mentions are pictured as being quite contented and going about their duties with the dignity and respect the duties call for. This is also evident in the poet’s choice of words. He uses words such as blithe, carols and delicious which are often associated with happiness and satisfaction. Even the mother who is at work and the girl who is washing or sewing are also singing albeit deliriously (Line, 14). Despite their duties being demanding, the workers go about their work with a light heart. This way, Whitman is able to celebrate the working class Americans as hard-working individuals who are willing to go about their daily duties even in the face of hardship.
Part B: Response to Symbol and symbolism in “The Minister’s Black Veil,”
Many commentators have lauded Nathaniel Hawthorne’s a literary masterpiece, The Minister’s Black Veil for mainly diverting from the strong beliefs that people subscribed to at the time the story was written. Hawthorne lived during the transcendentalist period but opted to write as an anti-transcendentalist. His grandfather had taken part in the Salem witch trials as a judge; a fact that clouded the entire family with some sought of sinfulness. This feeling that his family had sinned is evident Hawthorne’s pessimistic tone in most of his works, something that is also evident in The Minister’s Black Veil. Hawthorne is able to show a lot of pessimism through Mr. Hooper, a minister who believes that he has done a great deal of bad deeds to warrant showing his face to the public. Mr. Hopper’s main intention for wearing the black veil is to hide his sins. However, this decision does not augur well with the rest of the people who fail to understand why the minister chooses to wear a black veil over his face. To this end, the black veil emerges as the most important symbol in the story.
For both Mr. Hooper and the townspeople, the veil symbolizes different things. For the townspeople, it serves as a symbol of Mr. Hooper’s attempt to hide something sinister. For the minister, the black veil symbolizes the general sinfulness of mankind and does not imply that he himself has done anything wrong. According to this description, it is quite clear that the people of the town pay particular attention to the minister’s sins for deep down, they are fully aware of their own sins. The black veil does not hide the minister’s entire face. Additionally, he has to remove it especially when he is alone occasionally. As such, it is taken to be a symbol of the extent to which the Puritan society, in which the story is set, is superficial.
Personally, I have several things in my life which I consider to be symbols. I own a medium range phone which I bought at a relatively low price compared to what my peers paid for their phones. My relatively cheap phone and lack of desire to replace it with an expensive serves to symbolize my down to earth nature. Another symbol I have is a necklace I got from my uncle. I always wear this necklace, meaning that it serves as a symbol of my uncle’s memory and a sign of how much I cherish him. I also have a tattoo on my shoulder. This tattoo serves as a symbol of my rebellious nature. I am a non-conformist meaning that I believe that something that the society believes should be the norm is just but outdated views of how life should be. As such, the symbols that I chose to display on a daily basis are:
My cheap smartphone
A necklace I got from my uncle
A tattoo on my shoulder
In conclusion, the black veil emerges as the most important symbol in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Minister’s Black Veil. For both Mr. Hooper and the townspeople, the veil symbolizes different things. For the townspeople, it serves as a symbol of Mr. Hooper’s attempt to hide something sinister. For the minister, the black veil symbolizes the general sinfulness of mankind and does not imply that he himself has done anything wrong. Personally, I also have several symbols in my life, and they are my cheap smartphone, a necklace I got from my Uncle and a tattoo on my shoulder. They communicate my personality, believes as well as things that I hold dear.

Works Cited
Walt, Whitman. “I Hear America Singing – Whitman.” Potw.org. Web. 15 Jan. 2018.