C. 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 re
C. 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 re
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Transcribed Image Text:**Title:** Analyzing "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" by Walt Whitman
**Text:**
**C. Read and analyze "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" by Walt Whitman.**
**Prompt:** What Romantic ideas does it express, and how does the structure of the poem reinforce the meaning?
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**Poem:**
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.
**Discussion:**
Whitman's poem juxtaposes the structured, analytical approach of science with the intuitive, emotional experience of nature. The speaker's restlessness with scientific analysis and subsequent peace in nature highlights Romantic ideals of personal experience and awe of the natural world. The structure mirrors this transition, starting with ordered lines that reflect scientific reasoning and shifting to a more fluid, tranquil conclusion.
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