Walt Whitman, generally ignored in his time, has come to be recognized as a great poet among the American romantics. His works emphasize romantic ideals such as reverence towards nature, examination of the inner self, and distaste for scientific thought. Whitman’s poems piece together life lessons and observations of existence into a message which promotes reader based reflection. His strongest works are debatable, but his poems with the strongest messages remain clear. “When I Heard the Learned Astronomer,” “A noiseless patient spider,” and “A Clear Midnight” each present a fascinating insight into the nature of human existence.
“When I Heard the Learned Astronomer” describes a speaker who is unaccountably disgusted by an astronomy lecture, but feels better once he leaves to look at the stars. This discontent with categorical and unimaginative scientific thought is an important point of romantic ideals. The emotional bounty of this poem is the message of loving the mystical......
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