Entry 43: What I Hear Singing

How does Whitman's America differ from the America you know? How does it differ from Taiwan or the world at large? How have social, historical, religious, and ethical influences changed from his time to yours? Reflect upon your own life, and then create a catalog of items that describe America or Taiwanese society as you see it today.

• Walt Whitman's America is very different from the America I know. First, the most obvious difference is the economic gap between the two periods. In Walt Whitman's days, the majority of the population had jobs that were related to actual labor. In present day America, the population has oriented towards jobs that were related to service. Secondly, people in present day America are not that optimistic anymore. There have been many cases as well as studies created in America showing that there are many people who experience depression, and sometimes even commit suicide because of the extreme amount of pressure and depression. There are also very high crime rates in America, which may be another topic that creates the differences between present day America and Walt Whitman's America. The last difference may be that the people in Walt Whitman's days were very religious, but the people in present day are not that religious, compared to the past.
• Taiwanese society is also very different from the American society during Walt Whitman's time. Present day Taiwanese society is extremely fast paced. It has become quite a modern, mechanized, and industrialized country throughout the last decades, and can now be considered as a more developed country. Taiwan also has one of the lowest poverty rates in the world. Taiwan also has many service related jobs, or jobs that require high levels of skills. In Taiwan, education is also a very important aspect.