When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer by Walt Whitman

Summary: In When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer by Walt Whitman, Man listens to a lecture on astronomy and looks at the stars.

Section One:

  • The astronomer explains everything about the stars with math and diagrams
  • People applause the lecture, the narrator suddenly feels sick and leaves
  • The narrator walks in the night and looks at the stars in silence.

Other Notes:

  • Whitman was trying to say the stars and the universe should not be explained but instead appreciated
  • Whitman says the night is mystical, suggesting he felt feels science should not be used in attempts to explain the stars

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