Fundamental
(A Discussion on the Similarities and Individual Aspects of Two Texts) Throughout history, there have been a number of profound texts. Plato’s Republic, Homer’s Iliad, and many, many others. Two of the greatest contributors to this vast store of knowledge are William Shakespeare, a sixteenth century playwright and poet, and Walt Whitman, a nineteenth century poet and philosopher. There more famous works, such as Leaves of Grass and Romeo and Juliet are some of the greatest writings in the history of the written word. However, this does not undermine the importance of some of their less well known works. The texts of “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman and “Sonnet 30” by William Shakespeare are similar in many ways, and yet are individually astonishing at the same time. The first text, “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman is quite a moving piece. In in, Whitman details how he can hear America singing as the different kinds of people who inhabit this country go about their daily business. The message is a strong one. Their ‘singing’ is clearly a metaphor. Whitman is saying that America is happy and content, most of all when hard, honest work is put forth, and that this is the way to true peace and happiness within the soul. I find this message to be a very true one. I only wish that America would sing…show more content… At first glance, this piece seems quite depressing. Shakespeare lamentates the loss of friends to death, and uses vivid language to describe the amount of loss and sadness he feels. However, the final two lines of this piece detail how all his sorrows seem to vanish when he thinks of a specific person, who could only be the mysterious lover detailed in the rest of his sonnets. Whoever that may have been, I am sure that the great writer was very enamored with