The speaker listens to an esteemed astronomer lecture on the stars. The astronomer displays various mathematical proofs and evidence in columns to the audience in support of a scientific argument. The astronomer also displays various charts and diagrams and explains the mathematical calculations behind them.
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When I heard the Learn'd astronomer summary and analysis?
Walt Whitman: Poems Summary and Analysis of "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer". Summary: The speaker of this poem describes listening to a learned astronomer lecture. He sees proofs and figures in columns before him, as well as charts and diagrams that he is supposed to analyze mathematically.
Where is the speaker in the poem when I heard the astronomer?
Walt Whitman's 1867 poem "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" finds the speaker in a lecture room with the astronomer talking about the stars and showing off "charts and diagrams." In the first... Please explain the following quote from "When I Heard the Learn'd Astromer."
What does the speaker do during the astronomer's lecture?
The speaker listens to an esteemed astronomer lecture on the stars. The astronomer displays various mathematical proofs and evidence in columns to the audience in support of a scientific argument. The astronomer also displays various charts and diagrams and explains the mathematical calculations behind them.
What happens in the second half of when I heard the astronomer?
In the second half of the poem, the speaker leaves behind the lecture hall, where he'd previously been listening to the astronomer, and goes wandering off outside to gaze at the stars. The... What is the central idea of Whitman's poem "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"?
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What is the main idea of when I heard the Learn D astronomer?
Whitman first published "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" in 1865 in his poetry collection Drum-Taps. In the poem, Whitman conveys his belief in the limits of using science to understand nature. Rather, Whitman suggests, one needs to experience nature for true understanding, instead of measuring it.
What is the main theme or message of Whitman's when I heard the Learn D astronomer quizlet?
The theme of this poem is to experience nature personally.
When I heard the Learn D astronomer How does the lecture make the speaker feel?
The speaker of this piece is weary of listening to the dry lectures. To depict his true feelings, Whitman uses this device. What made Whitman feel tired and sick? The proofs, figures, charts, and diagrams presented by the “learn'd astronomer” made Whitman feel tired and sick.
Why does the poet leave the lecture in when I heard the Learn D astronomer?
The scholarly astronomer lectured with the aid of figures, charts, diagrams, and tables. Soon the poet felt tired and so he escaped from the lecture room and went outside, where he breathed "the mystical moist night-air" and "look'd up in perfect silence at the stars."
What is the purpose of the poet's use of the phrase learn'd astronomer in line 1 of the poem?
What is the purpose of the poet's use of the phrase "learn'd astronomer" in line 1 of the poem? to suggest that the astronomer is a great scholar in his field.
Does the speaker respect the Learn D astronomer explain your view?
Because the speaker, being of an artistic bent, sees the stars above him not in the same way as the astronomer sees them—as objects of scientific study—but as things of beauty in their own right. The astronomer can produce dozens of charts and diagrams detailing the precise movement of the planets and the stars.
What does when I heard the Learn D astronomer suggest about the poet's view of the world?
What does "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" suggest about the poet's view of the world? He considers the world to be a place that deserves much contemplation.
When I heard the Learn D astronomer what romantic ideas does it express?
Although one of its important themes deals with the idea of unity and individualism that resonates with the struggle for the Union of States, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" is chiefly a poem about romanticism, nature, and astronomy.
What do the stars do for the speaker of when I heard the Learn D astronomer that the lecture hall does not?
What do the stars do for the speaker of "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" that the lecture hall does not? The stars offer first-hand knowledge.
Which words or phrases show that the astronomer is respected by the poet and the audience?
Answer: The word, 'Learn'd' and phrase, 'with much applause' shows that the astronomer is respected by the poet and the audience.
What according to the speaker is the best way to understand nature?
Answer: In this poem the speaker describes that lecture can be make child boring but, experience is the best way to learn , the child would be interest in. Nature can be not define as in lecture it can be only experienced.
What do you think the speaker's thoughts were about when he looked up at the stars?
Answer: The speaker, in fact, finds a deeper enlightenment and "perfection" simply by going outside to look at the stars. The astronomer, therefore, represents what the speaker views as humanity's misguided desire to measure and understand nature through science.
What do you think the speaker's thoughts were about when he looked up at the stars?
Answer: The speaker, in fact, finds a deeper enlightenment and "perfection" simply by going outside to look at the stars. The astronomer, therefore, represents what the speaker views as humanity's misguided desire to measure and understand nature through science.
What according to the speaker is the best way to understand nature?
Answer: In this poem the speaker describes that lecture can be make child boring but, experience is the best way to learn , the child would be interest in. Nature can be not define as in lecture it can be only experienced.
Which words or phrases show that the astronomer is respected by the poet and the audience?
Answer: The word, 'Learn'd' and phrase, 'with much applause' shows that the astronomer is respected by the poet and the audience.
What is the purpose of the astronomer in the poem?
In this poem, Whitman uses the example of the astronomer to show the difference between academic learning and experiential learning. The speaker finds the astronomer's lectures stars and mathematical formulas to be boring. He does not feel any sort of connection to the subject matter until he goes outside and sees the stars for himself. Looking up at the night sky is not an experience that one can experience in a classroom, no matter how "learn'd" the teacher might be Whitman felt very strongly that experiencing life's marvels was the only real way to learn.
Why does Whitman write the speaker's voice?
Whitman writes the speaker's voice to emphasize the fact that he is not an academic. For example, he shortens "learned" to "learn'd" when describing the sophisticated professor. The speaker quickly grows bored while listening to the astronomer talk about theories and mathematical equations. The astronomer, however, represents a highly educated ...
What does the speaker of this poem describe?
The speaker of this poem describes listening to a learned astronomer lecture. He sees proofs and figures in columns before him, as well as charts and diagrams that he is supposed to analyze mathematically. At the end of the the lecture, everyone else applauds the astronomer. Meanwhile, the speaker sits in the lecture room, feeling sick and tired.
Does Whitman feel any connection to the subject matter?
He does not feel any sort of connection to the subject matter until he goes outside and sees the stars for himself. Looking up at the night sky is not an experience that one can experience in a classroom, no matter how "learn'd" the teacher might be Whitman felt very strongly that experiencing life's marvels was the only real way to learn.
When I heard the learned Astronomer?
Historical Context. ‘When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer’ first appeared in “Leaves of Grass.”. It was a collection of Walt Whitman’s poems that the poet continued to refine, edit, and re-publish throughout his lifetime. It is considered to be one of the most important volumes of poetry in American literature.
When I heard the learned astronomer, what does the second half of the book mean?
He describes beginning to feel “tired and sick” soon after the lecture begins. The reason is “unaccountable” or unknown.
What does the phrase "learn'd astronomer" mean?
The phrase “learn’d astronomer” contains irony. Whitman uses this phrase to say that the astronomer was well-versed yet his lectures could not inspire him. When he came out in nature, he felt more inspired than his factual lecture.
What literary device does Whitman use to portray the speaker's state of mind?
Anaphora: The first four lines of this poem begins with the word “When”. It’s called anaphora. Whitman uses this device to portray the speaker ’s state of mind.
How does the poet describe feeling ill and bored during a scientific lecture on astronomy?
There he is shown a variety of figures, columns filled with dry data, charts, and diagrams. The instructor asks him to add, divide, and measure the facts. This process seems extremely tedious for him. That’s why he goes outside, gliding out into the mystical moist night. After going outside and looking up at the stars, he seems to feel better.
What does the repetition of lists in the first half of the poem mean?
This repeated use of lists in the first half of the poem is meant to symbolize the sense of boredom the speaker felt. Imagine a lecture being merely a long list of facts that one cannot follow and does not understand. Trying to pay attention to the lecturer could easily become a mind-numbing exercise.
What do the first four lines of the poem start with?
The first four lines each start with the word “when” which makes them seem like a list of facts more than part of a poem (although repetition is of course a poetic trope ). The second, third, and fourth lines list the ways astronomy is discussed by the lecturer and the audience ’s reaction to that discussion.
What is the central idea of when I heard the Learn D astronomer?
In the poem, he describes how wisdom and knowledge are two different things. The central theme of the poem is to show the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
When I heard the learned Astronomer analysis?
When I Heard The Learn’d Astronomer Analysis: Walt Whitman, Walter Whitman in total, was one of the most famous 19th American poets. Most of his compositions talk about democracy, love, human emotions, friendship, and describing pastoral beauty.
What is the meaning of the poem "Learn'd"?
The poem’s title talks about an Astronomer or a figure of science, who is ascribed to be ‘Learn’d’ that is, educated by scientific terms. The poem accounts the poet’s experience of what happened to him or what he realized on listened to the ‘Learn’d Astronomer. When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in.
What is the poem Anaphora about?
The device of Anaphora as ‘When I’ is repeated at the inception of each line to affirm the view and opinion of the poet.
What does an astronomer lecture on?
The speaker listens to an esteemed astronomer lecture on the stars. The astronomer displays various mathematical proofs and evidence in columns to the audience in support of a scientific argument. The astronomer also displays various charts and diagrams and explains the mathematical calculations behind them.
What does rising and gliding mean in the poem?
The line’ rising and gliding’ accounts for it; significantly increasing signifies the elevation of thoughts in Transcendentalism.
What does the first four lines of the poem talk about?
The first four lines technically talk about the whole experience of the poet listening to the Astronomer. This section of the poem projects proportional in technicality, where the hypothesis was proved upon technical terms and ‘ranged in columns.
Speaker/Audience
Rhetorical Situation
- The poem starts off with the speaker hearing about a professional astronomer. As they are listening to all these explanations of how astronomy works they got overwhelmed and decided to go outside. Once the speaker was outside they looked up to the stars. They realized that sometimes the beauty of the simple things can be lost by over complicating i...
Figurative Interpretation
- The tone throughout the poem is a tone of almost un-amusement. The speaker literally becomes “tired and sick” of the lecture on astronomy. They sound kind of annoyed. The imagery once the speaker goes outside to admire the stars is very strong as they went out “in the mystical moist night-air”. You can almost feel the air sticking to your skin.
Symbols
- The stars would be a universal symbol. The astronomer in this poem is a literary symbol as I think he represents more than just an astronomer.
Symbolic Action
- Stars usually represent heaven or angelic beings sometimes purity. People rely on the stars for guidance whether you’re relying on them because you’re a nature buff or it is part of your culture to read the stars. In the poem these stars represented the beauty of the earth as the astronomer was showing the diagrams and the complicated ways to calculate the stars the people in the roo…
Personal Response
- Even though this poem was written in 1865 I think it’s theme still holds true. People are not valuing the soil beneath our feet our the stars above our heads. If people would just look down or look up maybe they’d genuinely care about our planet and not treat it like garbage. This poem truly speaks volumes in todays climate.