"When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer" by Walt Whitman – Flashcards
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What techniques does the astronomer use to present information?
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Columns, charts and graphs to present science = scientific data;empirical evidence; facts
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What does this suggest to you about the astronomer's approach to his subject?
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Scientific approach; just the facts; sees mechanisms - doesn't see the beauty or the poetry
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What does the speaker do in lines 6-8: 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.?
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Leaves the classroom to wander outside
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What conclusions can you draw about the speaker based on these actions?
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Bored with speaker; he doesn't see nature scientifically; he doesn't want to observe the mechanism; he wants to experience nature for himself; he wants to see the beauty.
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How does the speaker's method of studying the stars differ from the astronomers?
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Speaker directly experiences the magic of nature
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What does this difference imply about the speaker's values?
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The speaker values intuition and self-reliance
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How does the parallelism reinforce the message of the poem?
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opening parallelism creates tedium; emphasizes contrast
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In what way is the speaker's attitude reflect the attitudes of the Emerson and Thoreau? How is the speaker a Transcendentalist?
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Experience nature yourself; experience not just the surface of nature -- facts and figures -- but go deeply be experiencing the spiritual reality of nature; goes against the common stream
