Walt Whitman's Poem 'When I Heard The Learn' D Astronomer
Whitman’s poem, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" portrays the importance of active learning and the power of intuition. The child's fascination with the stars motivates his well-meaning parents to take him to an astronomy lecture. Frustrated and bored by the discourse, the young boy retreats to the great outdoors to explore the heavenly panorama that is spread across the night sky. Whitman suggests that a person who constantly applies the world to science cannot fully appreciate its real wonders and beauty. Similarly in Jewett’s White Heron her young protagonist Sylvia moves from a childlike-fantasy world to a more mature worldview that allows her to reach a deeper understanding of her own morals. Due to the conflict between her and the