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Theme of Walt Whitman's poem in general
The theme of war in Whitman poetry
The theme of war in Whitman poetry
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Whitman Essay The poems “Beat! Beat! Drums!” “A March in the Ranks Hard-Prest, and the Road Unknown” and “Reconciliation”. The first poem “Beat! Beat! Drums” Whitman is saying that he thinks that war is necessary even though he really doesn’t like war. Whitman thinks that if in life and there is an emergency situation that war had to be an option than it should be taken into consideration. This first poem really shows that and his ideas and thoughts on war itself. The second one “A March in the Ranks Hard-Prest, and the Road Unknown” Whitman is now reconsidering the thought of war. He is double taking the thought that war is a good thing because he is seeing all these deaths and they are not real pretty. The sight of everything dying isn’t
There are many things in this world that are impossible to understand without first hand experience.This can be especially irritating for people who have the knowledge, but see everyone else with the wrong idea. Philip Larkin and Wilfred Owen show this in their poems about the common misconception of war glorification. Through imagery and the use of similes, they explain what it's really like for a person to go into battle. To outsiders, fighting in war is a noble cause worthy of envy and praise, but from the inside perspective the only thing war does is take away the innocence of
...he poem around a single figure: Fulton puts Joplin at the center of her poem, while Whitman’s poetic world is drawn around and even within himself. Both capture raw details of human life and misery in their imagery. Both use repetition to define an irregular but recognizable rhythm. Yet the two poems beat out their rhythms in distinct and utterly different measures, leaving me with two powerful figures, created by the poems’ forms, which have their own purpose and form in the larger world beyond poetry.
US Clergyman Henry Emerson once said, “The tragedy of war is that it uses man's best to do man's worst." And I agree with him. What is it about the human race and war anyway? Well, Carl von Clausewitz also said that, "To secure peace is to prepare for war." I also agree with that. War is an ironic subject at times. And war can also be a way of life for some people. Walt Whitman and Stephen Crane’s poems have no similarities and they both have different ways in writing about war.
Walt Whitman is considered one of the famous American writers who lived in the 19th century. The author is primarily known for his poetry, and also best known for his masterpiece, Leaves of Grass, which was published in 1855 as a collection of 12 poems. Whitman’s poems were different from those written during the era, and this is because they had a unique style, as well as a concentration of commonplace subjects. The use of commonplace subjects led to many people calling the author the “poet of democracy.” This paper compares Pre-war Whitman and Post-war Whitman. However, this is done through comparing the Song of Myself, Beat! Beat! Drums!, and The Wound Dresser. In addition, the essay also focuses on other facets of the poet.
One of the biggest decisions of my high school career came my sophomore year when I decided to try out for the role of drum major in my high school band. This decision was very tough to make due to the fact that I was a sophomore, and although I already had three years of experience under my belt as a band member at Northview High School, I knew that it would be very tough to earn the respect of my peers if I succeeded in becoming drum major. Out of the three years I had spent in the band, the biggest influence on my decision to try out came from my very first marching season, between August and December of 2012. From that year forward, after seeing many areas that the band could improve, watching how underclassmen and middle school band members
We were two weeks in. The sun had become the bane of our efforts and water breaks the saving grace. Sweat permanently stained my white gloves a faint yellow. Frustration, nervousness, and every concoction of the two precipitated deep impressions in my whistle; better to bite down inside than outside. New muscles were forming in my arms, stronger and more precise every day.
Whitman’s approach to poetry is a reflection of his thought. These thoughts are free and wild, and his typical run-on sentences and his endless litanies of people and places represent the thoughts trying to be conveyed. The overall effect of these run-on sentences provides the reader with a feeling of greatness and of freedom. All of the feelings that are evoked from Whitman’s style can be classified as quintessentially American democratic feelings. The belief that Whitman had no style would imply that Americans as a society have no style, a statement that not only Whitman but Emerson and Thoreau as well fought against through their writings. Whitman and Emerson fighting for the same cause is not coincidental, Whitman has often been viewed as the “child” of Emerson, his work being greatly influenced by Emerson. Whitman’s technique of looking at everything as a whole and always opposed to breaking up the whole can be linked to his belief of unity within our country and the reason why he took the Civil War extremely hard and personal.
Through reading this poem several times I decided that the message from the poem is that war is full of horror and there is little or no glory. Methods which I found most effective were Full rhyme and metaphor.
Upon learning the position of Drum Major has an opening, I did not immediately consider pursuing it. Simply being able to play my instrument in band was enjoyment enough, or so I thought. Pondering the idea more thoroughly, I came upon the realization of all that I could accomplish musically holding the position of Drum Major. I realize that this opportunity has many potential benefits in regards to my future. Being Drum Major would allow me the opportunity to hold a broader leadership position in the band than my currently held position as section leader.
In the beginning, at least, Whitman believed in the good that this war would bring. Whitman’s poem Beat! Beat! Drums! “served as a kind of recruiting poem” (p. 1079) during the Civil War. The reader can see Whitman’s upbeat attitude even while he makes statements that do not seem to be very enticing. The way
The American Civil War and the Spanish Civil War were primarily wars of principle. The conflicts represented a critical point for each respective nation, a time of either death or continuation for the countries. Both Whitman and Neruda exibit a key shared element in the poets' works of the concept of a cosmic rebirth illustrated in their poetry through a celebration of the perpetual cycle of life and death fostering optimism. This mutual philosophy is manifested in Neruda and Whitman's poetry in several interesting ways. One of the most striking biographical parallels between the two poets originates from their direct involvement in civil war. Whitman served as a nurse in war hospitals during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and his poem Drum Taps, published just after the war ended, chronicles his war experience and serves as a record of the conflict.
While the poem can be termed to be democratic, both in subject matter and its language, Whitman is viewed to be cataloging the ‘new’ America that he is seeing around him. The poem includes subject matter such as relationships, patriotism, heroes, family and ancestors, and a view on social commentaries too.
Although Whitman uses a great deal of structural ways to stress his ideas, he also uses many other ways of delivering his ideas. First of all, Whitman portrays himself as a public spokesman of the masses. The tone of the poem is a very loud, informative tone that grabs ones attention. The emphasis placed on the word “all” adds to the characterization of Whitman as a powerful speaker. Furthermore, Whitman takes part in his own poem. Participating in his own poem, Whitman moreover illustrates the connection between everything in life. Lastly, Whitman, most of all, celebrates universal brotherhood and democracy.
The dominant themes that are more pervasive in Whitman’s poetry are democracy, life/death cycles, individualism, and nature. These themes play major roles in some of his more notable poems such as “Songs of Myself” or “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” He used democracy as a theme to bring society together, and unite everyone based on their general beliefs. He depicted life and death cycles that merge society together on a spiritual level. Despite his eagerness to unite society he also embraced individualism, and is also a persistent theme in most of his poetry.
The poem has set a certain theme and tone but no definite rhyme. In this poem, the poet explores into a thought of the self, the all-encompassing "I," sexuality, democracy, the human body, and what it means to live in the modern world. He addresses that the human body is sacred and every individual human is divine. Hence, Whitman was known for writing poems about individualism, democracy, nature, and war.