One of his poems that very well explains this point is,”When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer.” A line from that text states, “How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself, in the mystical moist night air, and from time to time, Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.” The text simply explains a situation in which a student
time, Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.” I read the poem, When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer, by Walt Whitman. In first person Whitman writes an exquisite piece that is short, but very powerful. It contains a powerful statement to scholars and follows ideas of transcendentalism. The poem’s message was influential and its mechanics were masterfully put. The basic premise of the poem is this; Whitman sits in a room listening to an astronomer talk about analyzing and measuring the stars. He
experience. Walt Whitman conveys this precise message in his poem, “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer,” and the essay “Walden,” by Henry David Thoreau, captures the essence of transcendentalist ideals by discussing the author’s experience with abandoning his worldly possessions and living in nature for two years. Through these pieces, it is shown that in order for one to find meaning and purpose in life, one must personally