I Hear America Singing

1 I Hear America Singing “I Hear America Singing” is a poem that depicts an idealized version of the American workforce. The setting of the story is various places across the whole of the United States ; from the city, to the country to the sea and to the shores. It shows the working class singing ‘carols’ happily as they diligently go about their duties. It presents the United States as a place where people work hard and take pride in it.. The writer says that he hears America singing because the songs of these people as they work hard in their duties collectively form the sound of America. It is apparent that the poem is a celebration of the United States as a nation where people find joy in doing honest, satisfying and meaningful work. It is also a nation where diversity and individuality are embraced.

The poem encompasses a wide variety of workers. It talks about the hatter in the towns making fashionable hats for townsmen, it talks about the boatman at the shore as he prepares to go out to fish, it also talks about the wood-cutter in the country as he chops wood. The writer also hears the deckhand , the shoemaker, the mechanics, the carpenter, the mason, the mother and the young wife sing.

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2 Each of them sings their individual song with much joy as they work. These different groups of people, despite having different songs, are referred to as “America” to show that the United States is not just a geographical location, it is the everyday people who are committed to building it in their small or big ways. The writer mentions the mother and young wife in the poem to show that women’s contribution to the US workforce is equally important. The inclusion of people of different professions, locations, classes and gender is meant to depict that there is unity in the process of nation building (Donaldson, 2014). In the poem, all these different workers are singing joyfully in the course of their duties. While it might not be true that professionals across the country are signing as they work, it is representative of the joy and pride derived from doing honest work. The writer says that they are each singing a song that belongs to them and no one else. This is to show that they attach a lot of importance to their work because they derive meaning from it.

The poem shows ordinary working-class Americans in blue-collar jobs who are proud of their jobs (Donaldson, 2014). They are not depicted as being wealthy or highly-educated; in fact, such work is physically demanding and tiring. However, despite their seemingly humble occupations, they are considered worthy to be sung about in a poem. This emphasizes that America values people of all walks of life and all levels of society. The fact that these people sing as they work shows that Americans value their occupations and treasure the opportunity to do honest work. The word “carols” is used to mean “songs” in the poem. Carols are joyful songs that are often associated with religion; therefore, when used in this context it shows that Americans work at their jobs with so much joy, devotion and commitment, as though it were a religious prayer. It is symbolic of the passions that American’s have towards building themselves and their country. It is a poem about American pride, patriotism and hard work.

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Reference Donaldson, R.C. (2014). "I Hear America Singing": Folk Music and National Identity. Temple University Press