Work Songs

The work songs mentioned in Whitman's poem clearly show a sense of self-adherence to values such as reliability and a sense of confidence, and the such. This is clearly American. Whatever America stands for, it stands in these workers. A nation built upon democracy, the common people, is mostly made up of the common people and Whitman decided to include the common people in his poem. The common people are able-bodied Americans who heave around heavy stones or work on houses. They sing songs to express how much they love their jobs. This kind of reminds me of Soviet propaganda, to show how hard people are working and how much they love their jobs. It might be American propaganda, after all, because Whitman could've been hired by a bunch of guys in caps and wigs to write this poem. We're all supposed to feel inspired by it, but truthfully I don't see what's so special about this poem. It's mediocre, it doesn't really invoke any senses literally or any senses figuratively such as in the head about like virtue or anything. It's just a poem about a bunch of people singing. While doing other work. But nonetheless, I suppose it does show a degree of Whitman's love for America.