The title of Walt Whitman's poem, "A Patient and Silent Spider", implies that the poem will be about a spider who is most likely working on his web as this is the most common of spiders. It turns out that the poem is about a spider working on its web, more specifically the spider is trying to start the web. He's throwing his web in many directions trying to get it to stick to something. In the second half of the poem Whitman compares the spider to his lonely soul trying to find its way. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The entire poem is an extended metaphor comparing the spider and Whitman's soul. They are both alone and looking for the way forward and something to connect with Whitman uses his description of the spider as "a patient and silent spider" (1), as a personification of the spider. People are normally described as quiet and patient, not like spiders, making the spider seem more like a person. He does this to enhance the effect of the metaphor he uses in the poem. He also uses alliteration when describing the spider when he says “vast, vast environment” (3). The purpose is to emphasize that the spider is alone and isolated. Using alliteration again, Whitman then says, “he threw strand, strand, strand, out of himself” (4). Use this alliteration to add to the image of the spider repeatedly throwing out its webs trying to find something to connect to. Next, Whitman uses an apostrophe when he says “O my soul” (6). He addresses his soul to introduce the other half of his metaphor and to present it as a living thing by addressing it directly. He also makes his soul seem alive by personifying it when he says, “meditating, adventuring, casting incessantly” (8). The personification of both the spider and its soul together helps connect the two in the metaphor. The tone of this poem is lonely and helpless as the narrator is searching for something his soul can connect with. The descriptions of the spider and its soul both include words that show this tone as isolated and surrounded. There is a big change in the poem from line 5 to line 6. The first half of the poem describes the spider and its struggles to find something to attach its web to. In the second half, Whitman never mentions the spider again but goes on to describe its soul which is the other half of a metaphor comparing the spider and its soul. The title of the poem, “A Noiseless, Patient Spider,” actually means that the poem is about a spider seeking a beginning for its web and how this connects to the lonely soul of Walt Whitman. The theme of this poem is that Whitman feels that his soul is isolated from the real world. The purpose of the extended metaphor in the poem was to bring this theme to the reader's attention. The spider and the soul are both isolated and can't find anything to hold on to. The title of Walt Whitman's poem, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer", implies that the poem will be about Whitman's experience of hearing an astronomer talk about space. The poem is actually about being at a lecture by a famous astronomer who talks about “the evidence, the figures, were laid out in columns before me” (2). The astronomer is talking about the stars mathematically and it is boring the speaker, so he leaves and walks out. He sees the stars in the sky and is much more satisfied with actually seeing them than with hearing the astronomer talk about numbers. This poem is an anecdote told by the speaker about him attending a conference on astronomy. At the beginning of the poem, Whitman uses anaphora with the repetition of "when" at the beginning of each line. He uses it forgive the effect the astronomer is digressing about in his lecture. Whitman also lists many mathematical terms such as proofs, figures, diagrams, and divisions to create an image for the mathematics reader and to associate the astronomer and the lesson with mathematics. He wants this connection to contrast with how he wants you to see the outside world. Once the speaker is outside, it is described as mystical, humid and perfectly silent to create an image of nature and make the outside seem superior to the conference. Whitman uses juxtaposition for this effect as the location of the descriptions of the conference and the outside world emphasizes their differences. Another way Whitman highlights this comparison is with alliteration when he says, “in the mystic damp air of the night, and now and then, I looked in perfect silence at the stars” (7-8). There are three instances of alliteration in these last two lines of the poem, which really bring light to the point that the natural view of the stars is better than the mathematical view. Finally, Whitman uses hyperbole when he says he slipped out of the room. This is an exaggeration since he couldn't have actually glided, but he says he did it to demonstrate how easy it was for him to leave the conference since he didn't want to be there. It was natural and it took no effort to convince herself to come out of where she belongs. The tone of the poem is negative towards the astronomer, positive towards nature, and it is also lonely. The description of the astronomer's view of space makes it seem inferior to the speaker's natural view, which shows that the tone favors nature. The tone is also lonely, which can be seen as the speaker seems to be the only one experiencing these feelings and says, “I have wandered off on my own” (6). The poem has a shift when the speaker leaves the lecture in line 6. The beginning of the poem describes the speaker listening to the lecture and not satisfied with the way the astronomer talks about space. When the speaker goes out into nature, the atmosphere of the poem becomes much happier and peaceful and the speaker is much more satisfied looking at the stars themselves. The title of the poem, "When I Listened to the Learned Astronomer," actually means that the poem is about the speaker's feeling that the learned astronomer has it all wrong and that nature is superior. This is the theme of the poem, that nature is superior to nurture. Whitman is trying to convey a transcendental message that people should go out and look at the stars and experience them instead of calculating things and learning astronomy. I connect with this particular poem because I agree with Whitman's sentiment that nature is superior to nurture. I feel like I get a lot more out of going out and actually observing the way nature works instead of learning about it in biology or actually observing things that happen instead of calculating what would happen in physics. I feel like sometimes the things we learn in school are useless, like how Whitman felt the astronomer's lecture was a bunch of ramblings. On a slightly unrelated note, I hated gym class in sixth grade due to the lack of real physical activity. We spent so much time doing worksheets and looking at powerpoints that talked about exercise and never actually took the time to exercise. I feel like I could have gotten a lot more value out of going outside and playing sports instead of learning it in a classroom setting. This is similar to Whitman's vision of learning about nature through mathematics because he would much rather simply go and experience nature firsthand. The title of the poem, “Song ofMyself,” gives the reader the impression that the poem will be about Walt Whitman. himself and will describe what makes him who he is as a person. The poem is really about how Whitman sees himself and the world, what he believes in and his personality. The given section is the first part of the poem. He starts by saying that the poem will celebrate himself. Then he talks about how he loves nature and how he is part of nature. He says that people should not take things from others but should rely on it about themselves. In the end, observe themselves and says he is beautiful in every way. Whitman uses the personification of his soul when he says, “I laze and invite my soul, I lean and laze at ease watching a blade of summer grass” (4-5). personification as he makes his soul seem like a person he can invite to come and look at the grass with him does to create the effect in the poem that his personality has different parts and his soul is one of them these parts sound like people makes it easier for the reader get the point. He also uses hyperbole when he says, “every atom that belongs to me as a good belongs to you” (3). Of course the reader doesn't actually have every atom of Whitman but exaggerates to connect with the reader, allowing them to better understand the poem. As another method of connecting with the reader, Whitman uses rhetorical questions to the reader. For example, he says, “Have you calculated that a thousand acres is a lot? Have you valued the land highly? (31). He also uses the repetition of “thou shalt” at the beginning of lines 35-38 to emphasize that people need to rely on themselves instead of others in society. This is also an allusion to Ralph Waldo Emerson's transcendental essay, “Self-Reliance.” The tone of this poem is optimistic, happy and loving. Whitman shows that he appreciates himself as a beautiful person and that he loves life. He also loves nature, the way the world works and the way he is part of it. He changes the subject many times in the poem from talking about himself to talking again about nature, society, and himself. The title of the poem really means that the poem will celebrate Whitman and describe who he is. The theme that Whitman is trying to convey in this poem is being self-sufficient and loving yourself for who you are. The whole poem talks about how Whitman loves himself and directly states that "you will listen to all the sides and filter them out for yourself" (38), which means that you should decide things for yourself instead of letting other people do it for you. .These three works by Walt Whitman all share similar concepts related to transcendentalism. Traditionally, transcendentalists believe in four fundamental premises which are the power of the individual, the universe duplicates the self, nature is symbolic, and self-realization as push and pull. These four premises can be seen in the three poems through their themes and literary devices. In the poem “A Silent and Patient Spider,” transcendentalist principles can be seen in the themes and language. The second, third and fourth premises of transcendentalism can both be found in this poem. The second premise, the universe duplicates the self, is shown by the extended metaphor used by Whitman. This metaphor comparing the spider to Whitman's soul shows a connection between the way the human soul works and the way nature works in the spider weaving its web. The third premise, nature is symbolic, can be seen in the personification of the spider. Whitman describes the spider as "A silent and patient spider" (1), giving it human characteristics. This personification shows that Whitman sees the spider as a symbol of the way his soul is lost and also tries to hold on to something. The fourth premise, self-realization as push and pull, isshown in the theme of the poem that Whitman's soul is isolated from the real world. This refers to the push and pull felt by transcendentalists to withdraw from society or remain part of society. The poem "When I listened to the learned astronomer", also includes transcendental elements. It includes the first and fourth premises of transcendentalism. The first premise, the power of the individual, is shown when the speaker leaves the conference to be alone. He relies on himself instead of relying on what the astronomer tells him is true. He sees more value in seeing the stars for himself rather than listening to someone else talk about them, showing the power of the individual. The fourth premise, self-realization as push and pull, is also shown in this poem and the speaker leaves the lecture. He feels the push part of this because he feels the need to be alone in the fresh air and away from society, which is the conference. This poem also shows the transcendentalist belief that a connection with nature is superior. This is demonstrated by the theme that nature is superior to nurture. The speaker gets more from experiencing nature than from education. This is also demonstrated by the fact that Whitman uses alliteration to describe the outside as “mystical moist night air” (7). Whitman uses this to point out that the speaker sees nature as perfect and magical while he sees the lecture as boring and pointless. The anaphora of the word “when” at the beginning of the poem also contributes to this. This repetition makes the astronomer's lecture seem pointless and as if he is simply rambling. Transcendentalism is also shown in the poem "Song of Myself", by Walt Whitman. This poem includes the first and second premises of transcendentalism. The first premise, the power of the individual, is shown as Whitman says: “neither shalt thou look through my eyes, nor take things from me, hear all sides, and filter them out of thyself” (37-38). . He emphasizes that the reader must rely on himself. This is also an allusion to Ralph Waldo Emerson's “Self-Reliance,” in which he discussed the need to rely on oneself instead of others. The second premise of transcendentalism, the universe duplicates the self, is shown as Whitman talks about his love and connection with nature. For example, he says, "atmosphere is not a perfume, it does not taste like distillation, it is odorless, it is for my mouth forever, I am in love with it" (18-19). This demonstrates his connection to nature, similar to the connection transcendentalists aspire to. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay All three poems show characteristics of transcendentalism including the four premises. They all share a similar theme that nature is superior and a relationship with nature is necessary. The connection between nature and humans is shown in "A Noiseless, Patient Spider" as Whitman uses a metaphor to connect the way a spider creates a web to the way its soul searches for something to hold on to. In “When I Listened to the Learned Astronomer,” this connection is shown as the speaker feels the power of experiencing nature firsthand instead of listening to the astronomer. Finally, the connection to nature is shown in “Song of Myself” as Whitman describes his love for nature and the relationship he has with nature. He says he is part of nature and is in love with nature. These three poems all show the transcendentalist side of Walt Whitman through his language and themes. Works Cited Whitman, Walt. "A patient and silent spider." Foundation of poetry,., 2010.