I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

Basic set up:

This is the beginning of Walt Whitman's poem "I Hear America Singing."

This poem is a celebration of America, and of the ideals of freedom and democracy on which the American nation is built. The poem's democratic ideal is reflected in the fact that we're getting a whole cross-section of people represented: mothers and shoemakers and woodcutters and masons and carpenters, among others.

What's more, all of the people represented are singing their own songs—their voices are distinct and individual. They're free to sing what they want to. And although their songs are unique, they're singing in harmony together. Each person, in other words, has the freedom to express themselves the way they want. Aww. That makes us feel super warm and fuzzy inside.

In this poem we can see Whitman's free verse in action. There are no rhymes and the lines are of varying lengths. By breaking with poetic convention, Whitman is embodying the ideals of freedom and democracy in the very form of the poem.

That's because Whitman's lines are "liberated" from the conventions that limited poetry (especially European poetry) at the time. What's more, his poem is itself a "song" among the many songs that it speaks about. It's like the carpenter's song or the mother's song. It represents one voice among the many voices of America.