Paumanok

This poem was really confusing. I had a hard time trying to figure out what tghe poem was about. I think that the poem was about Whitman's view of America. If this is true, then Whitman had a mostly positive view of the America that he lived in. If he had lived in the current America, then his view might not be as positive. Whitman shows that he likes America in this portion of part 14 of the poem:

"Land of coal and iron! land of gold! land of cotton, sugar, rice! Land of wheat, beef, pork! land of wool and hemp! land of the apple and the grape! Land of the pastoral plains, the grass-fields of the world! land of those sweet-air'd interminable plateaus! Land of the herd, the garden, the healthy house of adobie! Lands where the north-west Columbia winds, and where the south-west Colorado winds! Land of the eastern Chesapeake! land of the Delaware! Land of Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan! Land of the Old Thirteen! Massachusetts land! land of Vermont and Connecticut! Land of the ocean shores! land of sierras and peaks! Land of boatmen and sailors! fishermen's land!"

By describing America as a land of gold and other things, Whitman is also listing the thigs that America has to offer. Overall, I would have to say that I really did not like this poem. It was too long and did not seem like a poem at all. This poem als oconfused me because it seemed like Whittman just wrote several random statements praising America. I might have been able to actually undertand it better if it was more of a poem then a list of praises. 1200005643

I actually really enjoyed reading this poem. I thought that it was an interesting way to look at the view on America. I think that it kind of reminds me of the declaration of indepence in teh way that it says that all men and women should be created equal. He talks as though everyone deserves an equal chance in the world and has an equal oppotunity towards their dreams. I agree with psa in the fact that the poem was long, but i don't feel that it was too hard to follow. Some parts of the poem were confusing because he was speaking on more abstract topics. I also agree with Whitman when he states of the greatness in love, democracy, and religion because if you really think about it, those three things define a huge part of us. Overall i thought that this poem was really neat and look forward to other poems like it.1200012076ape2

This poem left me in an odd mood. It seems like such a long poem but I understand that it is not that long because apparantly a poem can be any length. The only thing is that he seems to have several points that he tries to get a cross involving America and he almost always repeats a thought or continues on it for some time. So the poem was not a real hit with me, i didn't dislike it it just seems that he could've gotten his point across much easier. However, I do like all of the ways that he adds his own personal twists into his writings that were not spoken and out of the ordinary for his time because it is cool to read about a writer who did what not many other writers did or do and that is appeal to the rebellious readers. He himself is a rebel in a way, it is obvious by how he talks about things most people of his time would leave unspoken and it also shows how bold this Whitman fellow really is. 1200013569

This poem is really long and boring. I don't understand why he uses words from other languages that we don't know what they mean. He calls Manhattan Manhatta like the Indians call it. Whenever he refers to a location he calls it by its indian name. he calls Long Island Paumanok, Walt likes describing everything around him and the places he talks about. I really don't care for Whitman's poems or poems in general. Paumanok is a bad poem I did not enjoy reading this poem it was too long and too boring like all poetry.1200323433

I really liked this poem because it dealt with our united nation, America. I feel that the words used to describe this poem were uplifting and respectful toward everything that America really, truly is. The part of the poem that meant the most to me was the fact the Whitman took extra time to write about each different part of the country. He used his own knowledge of what he knew about each country and put those ideas into words onto paper. To take extra time from your everyday life, and put that into something more respectful and meaninful to and for other people is extraoridinarily generous. Apart from expressing his ideas about each part of the country, he went into specific detail about what America had to offer to the rest of the world, and to the people within the country itself. Some people may be confused about what this poem was about or the importance behind the poem; without reading between the lines, no one will ever be able to comprehend what they have already read. That is why, with a writer such as Whitman, someone who expresses his thoughts in such detail with such respect for his profession, comprehending what he is trying to portray is an easy task. 1200326922