Nov 6, 2019 By: yunews
Dr. Cynthia Wachtell, research associate professor of American studies and director of the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at , penned a contribution to the North American Review鈥檚 project, 鈥,鈥 in which the editor of the project, Brian Clements, poses the question that the contributors attempt to answer: 鈥淭wo hundred years after Walt Whitman鈥檚 birth, how do we grapple with the complexities of his legacy?鈥
Dr. Wachtell鈥檚 contribution focuses on Whitman鈥檚 use of 鈥渟ong鈥 and 鈥渟inging鈥 in his poetry: 鈥淪inging is the most compelling metaphor of the final version of Leaves of Grass. It reflects Whitman鈥檚 optimistic faith in America鈥檚 democratic enterprise. Nowhere is this articulated more elegantly than in 鈥業 Hear America Singing,鈥 in which he hears 鈥榯he varied carols鈥 of the carpenter, boatman, shoemaker, mother, and others. Whitman imagines 鈥楢merica singing,鈥 a harmonious coming together of diverse voices.鈥
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