What do you hear America Singing?

Today in class we took a look at Walt Whitman's poem "I Hear America Singing." Here's the full text of that poem:

I Hear America Singing
I HEAR America singing, the varied carols I hear;
Those of mechanics—each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong;
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work;
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat—the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck;
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench—the hatter singing as he stands;
The wood-cutter’s song—the ploughboy’s, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;
The delicious singing of the mother—or of the young wife at work—or of the girl sewing or washing—Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else;
The day what belongs to the day—At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.
- Walt Whitman

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For homework, we asked you to do a little writing. Here is that assignment:

I Hear America Singing Writing Activity
Walt Whitman tries to capture the spirit he saw in America in his poem “I Hear America Singing.”

Now, it’s your turn. Mimic Whitman’s style and list the things you hear America “singing.” What does this poem look like in 2010? What does this country sound like in 2010?

You may think that you don’t hear America singing at all. Maybe it’s screaming. Maybe it’s murmuring. Maybe it is rapping. I don’t know. Feel free to go off and spin Whitman to your liking.