Lisa, Shanelle, Lewis, Taifa, Joshia

Walt Whitman Web quest Worksheet

1. What types of professions would be celebrated in a modern poetic tribute to Americans?
The professions that Whitman would celebrate today
in a poetic tribute to Americans would be, doctors, lawyers, teachers, police officers, and fire fighters.

2. What words and phrases indicate Whitman’s empathy with heroic people?
When Whitman says "Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else, The day what belongs to the day- at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly," indicate Whitman's empathy with heroic people. He portrays these people to be accomplished and to him, that is heroic.

3. If you could choose a modern American hero to add to Whitman’s poem, “I Hear America Singing,” Who would you choose and why?
I would choose Senator Hillary Clinton, because i believe she is a strong and intelligent woman who stands up for what she believes in.

4. What do you believe is Whitman’s concept of heroism?
I believe that Whitman's concept of heroism was that a hero is a person who works hard for his or her own and still deals with the everyday struggles of life just like any natural human being.

5. Throughout “Song of Myself,” Whitman uses the pronoun “I” in order to empathize with people. What effect does this use of the first person have on the reader?
It allows readers to connect to what Whitman is saying, and gives readers more of a feel on what exactly Whitman personally felt about what he wrote.

6. How would Whitman celebrate the cultural diversity found in America today?
Whitman would describe the different lifestyles that people live at a deeper level. He would not only describe the positivity about equality, but he would also describe the negativity that still exists. This negativity may focus on prejudice, black on black crime, and religious separation.

7. What landscapes do you feel Whitman would praise today?
Because of his love of nature, Whitman would praise landscapes such as Kelly Drive and Penns Landing.

8. What sound devices would be reminiscent of Whitman’s style to describe these landscapes?
Whitman would describe the beauty of these landscapes.

9. Do you think Whitman would sing the praises of technology? Explain.
I think that he would not sing the praises of technology, because he was a simple man who enjoyed natural things.