Walt Whitman celebrated the laborers in “I Hear America Singing” with a happy and content tone. I think Walt Whitman is idealizing the Americans’ works because he only mentioned the positive aspects of the jobs (how the people sang as they work, and how the fisherman looks happily at the fish he caught), he didn’t mention the negative aspects of their work. The laborers in America have to work for a very long hour each day to earn only a meager pay. Walt Whitman is expressing a positive yet unrealistic aspect of American life at that time. Having studied US history last year, I saw how many Americans immigrants struggled to make a living in the 18th century because of the great depression. Families lived in constant worry that their husbands will lose their job, since most of the companies are discharging many of their workers every day. The people suffered and many even committed suicide. Even in the present days, laborers don’t enjoy a good life. They still have to do long, hard work for only a small amount of pay. Therefore, I think Walt Whitman is expressing only positive and unrealistic aspects.
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