In Walt Whitman's “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer,” Whitman wanted to portray the importance of challenging authority, and promote hands-on learning. In today’s society, there is a certainty that in order to comprehend an idea, and understand how the world works, one has to be limited in a controlled environment, listening to a famous figure lecture about the topic at hand. Whitman apprehended a new outlook on learning, the capability to step outside into his surroundings, and be one with nature. He let all his guards down, leaving all intrusion from people behind, and allowing nature into all aspects of his life. In the line, “I wandered off by myself,” Whitman shows us that being alone allows one to appreciate the surroundings as the
