Final answer:
Walt Whitman includes sensory details like "moist night air" to create atmosphere and contrast the lecture room with the outdoors in the poem.
Step-by-step explanation:
Walt Whitman includes sensory details such as "moist night air" in the poem "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" to evoke a sense of atmosphere and immerse the reader in the experience. By mentioning the "moist night air," Whitman appeals to the reader's sense of touch and creates a vivid image of the setting. This detail helps to contrast the dry, tedious lecture room with the refreshing and natural outdoors, emphasizing the speaker's preference for a more experiential and intuitive understanding of the world.
Learn more about Sensory details in poetry