Please provide me with a summary of the poem:

Whitman's poem "I Sit and Look Out" is a reflection poem.
In this poem, Whitman reflects on the things that he sees from his place of almost
omniscient power.

Whitman sits and listens to the sounds of
anguish of men, the wife and mother mistreated by both her husband and children. He
looks out upon the effects of war, and the famine sailors must face when toiling for the
fish all so desperately need. Whitman also reflects upon those who deem themselves above
all others.

In the end, Whitman admits that even with the
pain and agony he sees in the world, he sits silent.

Poetry
is meant as a poet's personal reflection on life: their life and the lives of others.
This being said, Whitman actually sets up a dichotomy: while he is physically sitting
silent, his poem speaks for him. This is the purpose of a poem. To speak for the author
in a way they may not be able to verbally. Poems touch on very painful, private, and
controversial topics.

The purpose of the poem "I Sit and
Look Out" is one in which Whitman can speak about what he sees, stay silent, and allow
his pen to speak for him- in the same way the tears of the man speak to his anguish. In
reality, Whitman is not silent; his pen is simply speaking for
him.