Nation/AP English III: Whitman, Hughes, Ginsburg Poetry Analysis Assignment

This assignment calls for you to read and analyze three separate but connected poems.
Context: Dont skip this part!
The first poem of the trio, I Hear America Singing was published by Walt Whitman in 1855.
Whitmanalong with Emily Dickinsonis today largely credited with the development of a fresh,
uniquely American poetic style and sensibility in the 19 th century. Indeed, he is now regarded as
one of the giants of American literature: a sort of poet/philosopher who seemed to revel in the
tumult of humanity and celebrate what he saw as Americas uniquely vibrant and democratic
culture and possibilities. (Of course, like most artists who are ahead of their time, Whitman was
not universally loved by his contemporariesbut even during his own lifetime, he was
appreciated by some respected artists and intellectuals of his day.)
The second poem, I, Too, was written by Langston Hughes as a sort of response to I Hear
America Singing. Hughes is one of the best known poets to emerge from the artistic and
political movement known as the Harlem Renaissancea strategic mustering of artistic output
during the 1920s designed to demonstrate to white America that black people could make a
sophisticated and valuable creative contribution to American artistic culture. The artists of the
Harlem Renaissance included musicians, writers, and visual artists centered (as the movements
name suggests) in the predominantly black borough of Harlem, in New York City. Some Harlem
Renaissance writers, Hughes among them, made a point of suggesting, in their art, that while
black Americans did not shun white enthusiasm and appreciation, they were creating for
themselvesand not for the sake of white approval.
The final poem in this collection, A Supermarket in California, was written by Allen Ginsburg,
one of the best known poets of the Beat movement of the 1950s. The Beats were members of
the 1950s counter-culture, largely rejecting the buttoned-up norms and values of the
predominantly conservative mainstream. Ginsburgs most famous poem, Howl begins with the
iconic line, I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness and goes on to offer
a scathing critique of an American society he found to be cold, unfeeling, greedy, and
oppressively narrow-minded. A Supermarket in California was intended as an homage to
Whitmans Leaves of Grass, his most famous collection of poems, and the book in which I Hear
America Singing was originally published.
The Texts (with Analysis Questions/Tasks):
I Hear America Singing
Walt Whitman, 1819 - 1892
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
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,
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,
The wood-cutters song, the ploughboys 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,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the dayat night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
--1855

One of Whitmans most frequently used poetic techniques involves cataloguing find out what this
literary term means, find the examples of his use of the technique, then provide commentary.
Evidence (what is catalogued)?
Commentary (what is the effect of the technique?
why might Whitman have decided to use it in this
poem?)
He catalogs the new America, it creates a way to
Lines 3-8 are an example of cataloguing
bring together a wide variety of items, which is in
this poem.
The central metaphor of the poem involves the idea of song. What do songs and singing mean in the
poem? How does the use of this metaphor help Whitman to establish tone and meaning?

The singing represents joy and happiness. Whitman expresses the love of America through
singing.

Unlike most 19th century poets, Whitman usually wrote in free verse. What does this terminology
mean, and how does the use of this technique help Whitman establish tone and meaning in the poem?

Free verse is a style of poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter. It establishes tone
and meaning in this poem by representing the freeness of America.

What vision of America does Whitman offer to his readers? What are his feelings about his country? How
can you tell? In addition to the elements already analyzed, are there any other elements that are
particularly useful in establishing Whitmans vision?

He offers a very optimistic and almost romanticized version of America. He clearly views his
country as great because of his tone and the way he addresses the people. He uses words like
melodious, friendly, and robust to create and set his overall tone.

I, Too
Langston Hughes, 1902 - 1967
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
Ill be at the table
When company comes.
Nobodyll dare
Say to me,

Eat in the kitchen,"

Then.
Besides,
Theyll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed
I, too, am America.
--1926
The speaker of the poem, referring to his race, identifies himself as the darker brother. What is
significant about the language here? (think about all meanings/connotations of both words.)
The language is significant because it emphasizes his skin color. The brother is significant because it
shows that they are still both connected and a part of America.
What are the social/cultural connotations of someone being asked to eat in the kitchen instead of at
the dining room table? Why might it only happen when company comes? Metaphorically, what does
the table represent? The kitchen?

The social/cultural connotations of someone being asked to eat in the kitchen represents
how the person is still viewed as below the non- dark person and should be hidden away. It
might happen only when the company comes because of the racism that lies in the company.
The table represents privilege while the kitchen represents the opposite.

At the end of the second stanza, Hughes employs the rule of threes what three actions does he
identify? Why is the grouping of these actions in a list of three particularly effective in establishing tone?
Metaphorically, what larger strategies might these specific actions represent?

The three actions he identifies is he will laugh, he will eat well, and he will grow strong. He is
grouping these actions to show that he will still be happy despite what happens. The larger
strategies these actions represent is not letting the discrimination affect him.

Building on the metaphors established in the previous stanza, what hopes for the future do the final
stanzas suggest? For what various reasons does the speaker feel that his oppressors will change their
opinions/actions?

He feels that his opressors will change because they will realize how important or beautiful
he is.

The first and final lines of the poem imply a direct referencing/response to Whitmans poem. What tone
is Hughes striking in reaction to Whitman? How does building his poem as a response to Whitmans
earlier poem help Hughes achieve his own artistic/thematic goals?

The overall tone of this shows that Hughes believes that he is also an important part of
America, not just white people. This achieves thematic goals because Walt Whitmans poem
was very patriotic and completely in support of America while Hughes points out the
underlying issues of America in response to Whitmans poem.

A Supermarket in California
Allen Ginsberg, 1926 - 1997
What thoughts I have of you tonight, Walt Whitman, for I walked down the sidestreets under the
trees with a headache self-conscious looking at the full moon.
In my hungry fatigue, and shopping for images, I went into the neon fruit supermarket,
dreaming of your enumerations!
What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of
husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!--and you, Garca Lorca, what were
you doing down by the watermelons?
I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old grubber, poking among the meats in the
refrigerator and eyeing the grocery boys.
I heard you asking questions of each: Who killed the pork chops? What price bananas?
Are you my Angel?
I wandered in and out of the brilliant stacks of cans following you, and followed in my
imagination by the store detective.
We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes,
possessing every frozen delicacy, and never passing the cashier.
Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in a hour. Which way does your
beard point tonight?
(I touch your book and dream of our odyssey in the supermarket and feel absurd.)
Will we walk all night through solitary streets? The trees add shade to shade, lights out
in the houses, well both be lonely.
Will we stroll dreaming of the lost America of love past blue automobiles in driveways,
home to our silent cottage?
Ah, dear father, graybeard, lonely old courage-teacher, what America did you have when
Charon quit poling his ferry and you got out on a smoking bank and stood watching the boat
disappear on the black waters of Lethe?
--1955
The first section/stanza of the poem contains a variety of images (ex: sidestreets, full moon).
Identify as many as you can find. Then provide commentary on your findings.
Evidence (the images remember: must appeal
Commentary (what is the effect of the images?
to one or more of the 5 senses!)
What might they suggest thematically?)
The effect of these images is that Walt Whitman
lonely old grubber
didnt provide a true image of America and that he
trees add shade to shade
has power compared to the others.
blue automobiles in driveways

graybeard, lonely old courage-teacher

Reference/allusion: Who is Garcia Lorca? (Hes not literally in the supermarket we can assume the
speaker just sees someone who resembles him but why might he be metaphorically in the
supermarket?)

They are both probably spirits that he sees in someone else. He might metaphorically be in
the supermarket for literary reference.

The poet uses several techniques to characterize Whitman in the middle section of the poem:
description, depiction of actions, dialogue. Find evidence/examples of this characterization and then
provide commentary on its significance.
Evidence (examples of the characterization)
Commentary (what is the collective effect of the
characterization? what type of persona/personality
does Ginsburg give to Whitman? Based on your
previous analysis of Whitmans poem, do you think
this characterization makes sense? why or why
not?)
I see you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old This clearly shows negative characterization. The
persona that Ginsburg gives to Whitman is a
grubber, poking among the meats in the
negative, old man. This characterization doesnt
refrigerator and eyeing the grocery boys.
make sense because Whitman is clearly very
optimistic.

Reference/allusions: Who is Charon and what is Lethe? What is the thematic effect of these references
in the final section where Ginsburg reflects upon Whitmans America and his own?

Charon was the ferryman who carried the dead into the underworld, across the river Styx. The River Lethe was a
different river in the underworld, which caused those who drank its waters to experience complete forgetfulness.
The thematic effect of these references is that danger is waiting always.

Go on to next page.
Questions for Reflection/Comparison:
1. What points of comparison/contrast would you make between the three poems in terms of
their thematic meanings and depiction and/or critique of the American Dream?
The first poem has a very clean version of the American dream. Clean as in the sense of
optimistic and positive. The second one has a twist on the first one with the man writing
this being black. This puts a different perspective on the American dream and why a black
person at that time values it. The third poem is a bit different from the first two, the main

character portrays Walt Whitman as rich and he/she dreams about being able to afford the
stuff in the supermarket.
2. In your opinion, which poem feels the most relevant to the contemporary experience of
America? Explain your answer fully.
I think the second poem is the most relevant to the contemporary experience of America.
Although POC are not experiencing separation and discrimination, they still experience
racism on the daily basis, just like the person in the poem was. I also had experience with
racism before so this hits close to home.