Leaves of Grass, Part 120 summary
Part 120 of 358 · Book 5: Calamus · 1 min to read the part
In I Sit and Look Out, the speaker observes suffering across private relationships and public life, from remorse and family abuse to war, famine, and racial degradation. The closing statement draws attention to the speaker’s silence despite seeing and hearing so much pain.
What happens
- The speaker sits observing the world’s suffering, oppression, and shame.
- The speaker hears remorseful young men and sees mothers and wives mistreated, alongside seduction, jealousy, and unreturned love.
- The survey expands to battle, disease, tyranny, martyrs, and prisoners.
- At sea, starving sailors draw lots to choose someone to kill so the others can survive.
- The speaker observes humiliation directed at laborers, poor people, and Black people, then declares continued silence.
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In this part
What to notice
The ending contrasts intense awareness with silence. It makes the speaker’s response, rather than only the suffering observed, central to the poem.
Quick check
Why do the sailors cast lots?
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