During class this Wednesday we focused on the analysis of Walt Whitman’s poem, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry. I really enjoyed the poem and feel like it stands out especially to me being a New Yorker. We discussed the author’s use of repetition to convey meaning. In this case, the repetition was used to emphasize the theme of longevity of the author’s connection to New York and the harbor, and to those who will observe the same scenery in the future. Walt Whitman found intense beauty in the city, and he does a masterful job of expressing this even for someone who has never seen New York. It was interesting to learn that the author was a gay man. This seems to slightly change the way you look at the poem, to try to see if his writing style is influenced by his sexual orientation.

Along with the analysis of the poem, we listened to the song ” A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” by Bob Dylan. I love the song, personally being a Bob Dylan fan. In comparison to the style of Walt Whitman’s poem, it is very similar. Many lines start off with the same word (I met, I heard, I saw). BD uses a lot of repetition and similar rhythm in his verses. To me, this creates a comforting feeling, yet if you listen carefully to the lyrics they are often distressing. There is a consistent shift of emotion in the song through the lyrics, and this is contrasted by the simple melody of a few guitar chords. The chords also happen to be major chords that give a bright tone to the song. The listener is not necessarily pointed towards any particular emotion they should feel.