Leaves of Grass · Chapter
World Take Good Notice explained
A brief, urgent proclamation to the world, using vivid and ominous imagery of fading stars, a torn Milky Way, and burning coals to signal a warning from the shores of America.
What happens
A brief, urgent proclamation to the world, using vivid and ominous imagery of fading stars, a torn Milky Way, and burning coals to signal a warning from the shores of America.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the speaker fully internalizes the world’s suffering, feeling…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- America and Its People
The chapter presents America as a powerful, warning entity addressing the world.
Characters to notice
- America
Implied as the source of the warning, flaunting signals from its shores.
Key passages
“World take good notice, silver stars fading, Milky hue ript, weft of white detaching, Coals thirty-eight, baleful and burning, Scarlet, significant, hands off warning, Now and henceforth flaunt from these shores.”
Pay attention, world: the stars are dimming, the Milky Way is tearing apart, and thirty-eight burning coals send a red warning from these shores from now on.
The imagery suggests a dramatic, possibly apocalyptic signal of warning or change.
