Read and analyze "When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer" by Walt Whitman. What Romantic ideas does it express, and how does the structure of the poem reinforce the meaning? When I heard the learn’d astronomer; When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me; When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them; When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, 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.
"When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer" by Walt Whitman is a poem that expresses several Romantic ideas, particularly the celebration of nature, intuition, and the rejection of the cold, analytical approach of science. The structure of the poem reinforces these ideas through a stark contrast between the first and second halves of the poem.
In the first half of the poem, the speaker describes sitting in a lecture room, listening to a learned astronomer present facts, figures, and proofs. The language used to describe this scene, such as "columns," "charts," and "diagrams," suggests a rigid and scientific atmosphere. The repeated use of the word "When" at the beginning of each line also creates a sense of monotony and routine.
However, the second half of the poem presents a stark contrast. The speaker abruptly leaves the lecture room, feeling "tired and sick." In the "mystical moist night-air," the speaker looks up at the stars in "perfect silence." This shift in setting and tone evokes a sense of awe and wonder in the face of nature's beauty. The word "mystical" suggests a sense of the divine and the unknown, contrasting with the analytical approach of science described in the first half of the poem.
The structure of the poem reinforces the meaning by creating a clear division between the scientific world and the world of intuition and wonder. The first half of the poem is written in a more formal and orderly manner, with a regular structure and meter, reflecting the scientific lecture being described. The second half of the poem, in contrast, is more free-flowing and less structured, reflecting the speaker's escape into nature and the more mysterious aspects of the universe.
Overall, "When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer" expresses Romantic ideas of celebrating nature, embracing intuition, and rejecting the cold, analytical approach of science. The structure of the poem enhances this meaning through a stark contrast between the scientific and natural worlds, both in terms of language and form.