Walt Whitman was a man that served as a nurse helping wounded soldiers in the Civil War. While he was there, he took what he saw and wrote them in his poems. Every aspect of each poem related to the time that he was in and he wrote about every experience and feeling he had about what he saw. Whitman had three themes that he used to focus all of his poems on and these themes were individuality, democracy, and freedom. With writing with these themes, Whitman could make an impact on what the reader imagined in their head while reading and he was also able to convey a certain feeling through his poems that he wanted the reader to feel. Whitman had a unique style of writing, which was free verse. Through free verse, Whitman could direct and write a poem in a way that he liked and in a way where he was able to give more detail rather than writing in a rhythmic way. Through Walt Whitman’s themes of individuality, democracy, and freedom, Whitman was able to express his feelings about war and leaders in the poems that he wrote during the Civil War time. After the First Battle of Manassas, the Union suffered its first lost of the Civil War. Whitman wrote this poem to try and recruit young men to come out and fight for the Union. In “Beat! Beat! Drums!” Whitman explained that the men should come to the army no matter what was in their way “Make no parley – stop for no expostulation!” (16). In this quote, one can see that Whitman wanted soldiers to not mind what anyone said to them about fighting in the army, and that it was ultimately the right choice for them to fight. “Let not the child’s voice be heard, nor the mother’s entreaties” (19). Whitman wanted the soldiers to think that they made the right choice to come out and support the arm... ... middle of paper ... ...the heavy hearts of soldiers” (11-12). This quote shows that the soldiers had heavy hearts when Lincoln was buried because they looked up to him all throughout the war. In “This Dust Was Once The Man,” Whitman is talking about how Lincoln saved the United States “Was saved the Union of these States” (4). In this poem, Whitman views Lincoln as a hero. He describes how he was “gentle, plain, just and resolute” (2). With this view of Lincoln, many looked up to him as a hero that saved the United States. Whitman’s poems made a life long impact on the people who lived in American and read what he had to say. The poems that he wrote reflected what he felt about different situations and views on the war. The themes that he focused the poems around ultimately helped Americans to understand what message Whitman was trying to get across through his poems.
Walt Whitman was a famous American poet who wrote many great poems during the Civil War. Though he originally worked for printing presses and newspapers, he later became a famous poet. During the Civil War, Whitman wrote many patriotic poems that supported the ideas of the North. Whitman’s poems will forever be linked to the American Civil War era of poetry. Walt Whitman was an iconic American poet with an interesting life that later impacted his works of poetry.
The way he writes the poem shows how he was in love with the president on how Lincoln conducted himself during the war. He refers to Lincoln as the captain of the ship which is the Union, throughout the poem he begins to call out to the Captain acting like the president was never shot. Through this all, it seems like Whitman could never bring himself to acknowledge the assassination of the late president. He also wrote it as a way to express the grief of losing the beloved commander and chief, and also explain to the American people how Booth killed the man who helped bring the Union together once again. However, he makes the metaphor in this poem explain why he would have wrote it, it shows that through an imaginary situation that things begin to seem alright in the world. Finally, Whitman deals with the pain through the metaphor to cover up the hurt America feels even if he despised the poem later on in
In his poem, Whitman expresses the American Dream in its most traditional sense. He portrays the very basics of the dream itself; American pride, hard work, unity, and individuality. Whitman mainly conveys the sense of pride when talking about the everyday people of America. He focuses on the hard work the citizens partake in within a variety of jobs; from seamstresses to masons, Whitman celebrates them all. Throughout celebrating the people of America, Walt Whitman provides a sense of individualism without straying from the idea of unity. The entirety of the poem insists that every individual in America sings in unison while maintaining their “varied carols”. By focusing on the simplicity of the everyday individuals as well as the ordinary jobs held by those in his poem, Whitman is able to relay his belief of the American Dream as a reality. The freedom the American people have to live the lives they desire throughout the poem is a reflection of the reality in which Whitman existed. The idea that each person could create their own dream and their own opportunities were the foundation of Whitman’s “American
There were so many injuries of the Civil War which were extremely tragic but Whitman took everything in a positive and beautiful way. I examined one narrative in particular titled Back to Washington which was very significant and portrayed an image to the audience without having to actually be there. In my perspective, Back to Washington illustrates what Whitman thought was the greatest injury of the Civil War. The loss of humanity was definitely portrayed in this narrative.
He feel like he needs to help others. He would care for the wounded during the civil war, listen to their stories and write letters to the patients families. Even years after the civil war Whitman continued to visit soldiers who experienced the worse of it. Whitman's own love for America and its democracy can be at least partially attributed to his upbringing and his parents.
The soldiers that fought during the civil war were fighting for their livelihood. The northern soldiers needed to bring the south back to the north, and the southerners were fighting to keep their way of life. Whitman was amazed at how far each side was willing to go and was amazed at the sacrifices that the men gave to their causes. The soldiers according to Whitman went through hell just to get to battle which if in the case of Gettysburg was even worse. Food was hard to come by, their clothes were tattered, they marched through heat, cold, rain, through mud, and anything that they needed to to get to where their next battle was, only to march on again once the battle has past (Whitman 333). While Whitman worked as a nurse, he was moved by how strong the soldiers were, and when he was going from Fredericksburg to Washington D.C., he wrote to the wounded soldiers families, as he felt that this was one of the best was he could comfort soldiers as they traveled to hospitals (Home). Whitman’s dedication to these wounded soldiers shows how even if he couldn’t fight in the war, he could help in the recovery of the injured. Walt Whitman thought that the way that the developing culture of the arts was beginning to take shape in what was going on around America. Claiming wilderness for fertile farmland, being able to ship goods anywhere along the coast and further, and expanding the railroad so it could touch the furthest reaches of the Louisiana Purchase allowed new ideas to flow and mingle in the new areas and then be condensed into literature and
After reading more on Walt Whitman, I found it interesting to learn more about his poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!" and how it was a rally call for the North during the civil war. When reading more about Walt Whitman and the civil war, I also found it interesting how when Whitman saw a name similar to his brother's on a list of fallen and wounded soldiers, he immediately began to search for his brother to make sure he was alive. Thankfully, he found him alive, but his journey affected him greatly. While trying to find his brother, it was said that seeing the rage of war greatly affected Whitman. It is also admirable that Whitman served as a volunteer nurse within army hospitals.
Throughout his life, Walt Whitman was clearly a man who was creative and tried to create memorable poems for his audience. He had made many poems in the past like: “Leaves of grass” “O Captain, my Captain!” “Song of the Open Road” and much. . . Much more. He was a person who took on many jobs in the past including being in the printer company's and working as a press boy with being a printer’s devil which meant they were a apprentice of a printer
That is the very reason he also stressed on the idea of political liberty in his poetry, which he deemed to be indispensable. Keeping this fact in mind, many critics contend that Whitman’s , A Child Said What Is Grass?” is basically an eulogy for all those individuals who died in the American Civil War ( 1864) , since this poem came to be composed around the same time
The poem opens with the line “ Ashes of soldiers North or South” (Whitman 1). Whitman is trying to express the idea that whether it be a Union soldier or a southern one, their lives mattered. He cares for the soldiers, since he was a nurse during the Civil War. Whitman volunteered during the war and as a “private man tending the wounded in the hospital wards” (Whitman 1). Since he was a caretaker during the war, Whitman had compassion for their lives and all their bravery. He realizes that these deceased soldiers are now voiceless and decides to “chant this chant of my silent soul in the name of all dead / soldiers.” (Whitman 1). Since the soldiers are no longer alive, Whitman takes it upon himself to be the voice. Whitman pays respect to soldiers from both the Union and Confederacy
Poetry is a form of writing that is written by very few but Walt Whitman is able to write his poetry in such a way that it will last for centuries. A poet would like all parts of a poem-words lines, stanzas, thoughts, metaphors, rhythms, imagery, diction, syntax, etc.- to work in perfect harmony. In poems like “A Noiseless Patient Spider” and “O Captain, My Captain!” Walt Whitman uses literary devices such as rhythm, syntax, imagery and diction. All of these devices take poems like “A Noiseless Patient Spider” and “O Captain My Captain!” and add a splash of life, giving everything a meaning only for him to really understand but something for everyone to enjoy.
Whitman uses this poem to show was America is supposed to be like. He wants the country to be at peace, not just with itself, but with the countries around it,“Come, I will make the continent indissoluble,” (1). Whitman uses this line as a reference to the peace he wished America had. America was originally created with the purpose of freedom and happiness. The American people wanted the country to be a melting pot where everyone was accepted. Now, during the Civil War, everyone is fighting and the country is divided. With the Civil war dividing the nation, Whitman wished that everyone could get along. In reference to the separation of the nation Whitman says,“I will plant companionship thick as trees along all the rivers of America” (6). In order to return democracy and peace to America everyone needs to get along. Whitman wanted the country to be filled with people who care about each other and want to prosper together, “I will make inseparable cities with their arms about each other’s necks,/By the love of comrades,” (7-8). Whitman wanted to make the country what it once was, an open place where people could live freely, by
Whitman’s poetry reflects the vitality and growth of the early United States. During the nineteenth century, America expanded at a tremendous rate, and its growth and potential seemed limitless. But the violence of the Civil War threatened to break apart and destroy the boundless possibilities of the United States. As a way of dealing with both the population growth and the massive deaths during the Civil War, Whitman focused on the life cycles of individuals: people are born, they age and reproduce, and they die. Robert Martin mentions that Whitman sees death as a natural part of life. Whitman doesn’t believe in physical death, and he assumes that when one person dies, he or she will rise again in another transformed one, “They are alive and well somewhere, the smallest sprout shows there is really no death” (40). In this line he also affirms his contribution to the world, where he argues that even after he dies, his body will contribute to the establishment of a new life on the earth. He also tries to encourage people to don’t expend their life regretting things. Describing the life cycle of nature helped Whitman contextualize the bad experiences he witnessed during the Civil War, linking death to life helped give the deaths of so many soldiers’ meanings (Martin
Whitman approved of the influence when he wrote, “I was simmering, simmering, simmering; Emerson brought me to a boil” (qtd. in Reynolds, Walt Whitman: Lives and Legacies 11). In addition to Emerson, he was influenced by Italian opera, the King James Bible and the spatial vastness of astronomy. “But the crucial factor was Whitman’s sense of himself and the potentials of his craft: for him, poetry was a passionate gesture of identification with his native land” (Gray 109). After Emerson had read Leaves, he wrote to Whitman, “I am very happy in reading it, as great power makes us happy. . . . I rubbed my eyes a little to see if this sunbeam were no illusion; but the solid sense of the book is a sober certainty” (qtd. in Whitman, The Portable Walt Whitman xv). Although Emerson had written comparable encouragements to other beginner poets, “by his own admission he had ‘looked in vain’ for the poet he described … and thus can be said to have genuinely hailed Whitman as the fulfillment of his hopes” (Krieg 395). To understand Whitman and his literary innovations, it is necessary to consider Whitman in this
In his poem he reveals, “Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else...Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs” Whitman is exhibiting his love for America and the mass amount of achievement people encounter by living there. His poem is like a description of the various whistles he hears as people work, which to him is a sign of the assorted amounts of prosperity by these people. To Whitman, America is the beautiful place of success and when anyone comes they too will fine the creative work they have longed to