Leaves of Grass, Part 158 summary
Part 158 of 358 · Book 5: Calamus · 1 min to read the part
In America, for Too Long, the speaker tells America to stop learning only through pleasure and prosperity and to face anguish without retreat. The appeal shifts from peaceful experience to collective trial, asking the nation to show the world what its children are together.
What happens
- The speaker addresses America as a nation accustomed to peace, pleasure, and prosperity.
- The speaker urges America to learn through suffering and confront extreme hardship without retreat.
- America receives a call to reveal its children's collective character to the world.
- The speaker ends by asking who else has understood those children as a whole.
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In this part
What to notice
The closing question presents the speaker as someone who understands America's children collectively. It joins the public appeal to a personal claim of insight.
Quick check
What does the speaker urge America to learn from now?
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