Walt Whitman employs numerous poetic devices in “A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak
Gray and Dim” to convey meaning, tone, and significance. He uses assonance in line 1 repeating the long a sound in the three syllables of “daybreak gray” and in line 12 repeating the long e sound in “sweet…cheeks.” There are several examples of alliteration: in line 1,
“daybreak…dim;” in line 7, “silent stand;” in line 8, “fingers…from…face…first;” in line 9,
“gaunt…grim…gray’d;” and line 15, “dead…divine.” Repetition is found in lines 9, 10, 11, and
12 with the phrase “Who are you…” He also uses repetition in line 4 with “lying…lying,” with the word “blanket” twice in line 5 and once in line 6, and with the phrase “I think” twice in line
14. A simile is found in line 13 with the words “a face…as of beautiful yellow-white ivory,” a
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This comparison signifies the strength and honor of the dead man and the purity of his sacrifice.
In Line 6, Whitman uses the symbol of the “Gray and heavy blanket” to evoke the sadness of physical death, and “…covering all” to signify the permanence and universal aspect of death. In lines 14 and 15, Whitman uses allusion when he refers to the face of the dead young man as being “the face of the Christ himself” and calls the young man “divine” and “brother of all” just like Christ is. The young man’s sacrificial death for a cause greater than himself may also be thought of as symbolic of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to atone for the sins of
Guinn’s critique starts with the fact that he first viewed the poem as a simple and straightforward piece. He goes on to add that at first he took it as it came and did not search for any further meaning because “Sometimes a duck is just a duck.” I can not agree with him more. At first glance it seems as though Walt’s short poem is simple and offers no further symbolism. But after reading into it more, one can find that it is filled will literary devices. Guinn explains that Walt chooses to explain the characteristics to bring to light that the draft brought forth men of all ages. This is spot on considering that these men were drafted from ages ranging from twenty to forty five year old. Scott goes on to state why the author, Walt Whitman chose to make the face of the third soldier that of christ. Scott's opinion is that “ it is a justification for the lost innocence.” Although, I do not agree with this part of his critique I do agree with Guinn when he goes on to say that this godly face of christ is meant to mean that the deaths of these soldiers were for a good cause, for the good of the country. However, perhaps another take on the imagery of christ is that it is symbolic to the belief that christ died for your sins and is always with you, even in war. Guinn states that “The imagery evokes the reality of war by showing how the cost was paid by
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.
Firstly, Whitman tells of how confederate actor John Wilkes Booth killed Lincoln inside a theater while the president watched a play with his wife. How Lincoln was killed seems to come out in this quote, “This arm beneath your head!” Booth shot Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head, which shows that Whitman knew how the president had died in the hands of his attacker. However, it’s not exactly a metaphor in itself, but which the next few lines the metaphor comes out through the poem’s metaphor of the captain. Once
A cold stare, and a hand on his hip, is how Walt Whitman introduced himself to his readers in 1855. The style of Whitman’s frontispiece was uncommon for its time, a man with a loose collar and a worn hat would have been found more commonly on a farm than adorning a literary scholar in the mid-nineteenth century. Whitman wanted to show that he was no better than anyone who would read his poetry. Whitman conveyed himself to his audience by showing himself as an everyday workingman; his wrinkled shirt shows that he is use to working hard for everything that he has. The stare he gives back to his audience looks as if he is examining the reader the same way they may be examining him or his work.
In one of the sections from the poem, “Song of Myself” Walt Whitman starts out with a child asking a question, “What is the grass?” Grass is a symbol of life. God, who created both the heavens and the earth also gave birth to life. When Whitman refers to grass as a “handkerchief of the Lord” (7), as a gift. When people look at the grass, they do not think of it as a creation but rather just a plant. Whitman refers to the grass as “a child, the produced babe of vegetation” (11, 12). Here, the grass is a metaphor for the birth of a child. In often cases, the birth of anything is celebrated because it symbolizes a new life, a new beginning.
In this line, the reader is introduced to the horrors woman went through back in the day. From, them being disrespected or physically abused, woman had tough roles to play in society. On lines three and four the speaker shows the reader an act of violence it says, “I see a wife misused by her husband, I see the treacherous seducer of young women. (Whitman 23). This is where the author revels to the reader that woman are not well respected and that domestic abuse is an everyday norm. Not to mention, young women seducing married men, describing the effects of lusting for someone and being misused by their husbands. In this particular part of the poem Walt Whitman uses personification when he says, “I see the workings of battle, pestilence, tranny, I see martyrs and prisoners.” (Whitman 23). This is personification because he is giving a human ability to something that is not alive. Lastly, in line seven, when the speaker talks about famine and disease and sailors giving their lives to save others. We see some compassion even through the ugliness, people dying because they don’t have any clean water or the right medicine. Soldiers coming back from the war, traumatized by what they have seen. Images we keep in our heads to remind us of what not to be. We grow up with the best intentions just to realize we are all fighting wars
Whitman utilizes the tool of alliteration to fully express the action of the workers in a way it shows the unity of the country. For example, the speaker expresses the action of the workers by saying: “The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench.” (9) This shows that even though a shoemaker is not the happiest job in America, the worker are still proud of who he/she is. The shoemaker is carrying out the American pride by being happy with his job. In addition, the author states the quote, “The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat.” (7) This shows that the boatman is proud of his job and what he does on the boat. Being a boatman is not necessarily the most fun job in America, but you get a lot of time to enjoy the view. The use of alliteration makes the action of the workers sound very important and it is
The theme of Time to Come presents the mystery of life after death and calls attention to how vulnerable it’s victims are. Whitman begins his poem with the strong metaphor “ O, Death! a black and pierceless pall” (1). This bold statement allows the reader quickly realize that the work will somehow be connected to death, but in an insightful manner. The alliteration of “pierceless pall” emphasizes death’s ruthless approach. Whitman then describes death as a “mystery of fate” that " No eye may see, no mind may grasp” (3-4). This points out that death lingers in the future, essentially waiting to seize lives and nobody can know when th...
Throughout the poem, there is repetition of the line “I am the man, I suffer'd, I was there, ” to emphasize his empathy. He also includes alliteration such as “rent roofs” and powerful imagery like “the long roil of the drummers” to liven the poem. Additionally, he helps the reader experience the events in the poem by using similes to compare the challenges to things that the reader has experienced. One line reads, “The twinges that sting like needles his legs and neck”. In the poem, Whitman becomes the heroes, but by incorporating the literary devices, Whitman allows the reader to experience the same experience as the heroes as
"I Hear America Singing" and "A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim" have two very different tones about the same subject. "I Hear America Singing," this poem has a very cheerful, happy, and robust tone which is evident even in the title. Whitman describes many different types of people singing "their strong melodious songs." The different trade each person has represents different ethnic backgrounds in the people of America. Whitman writes this poem to show how wonderful America is and how much he loves living here. "A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim" has a much different tone. During the civil war, Whitman's brother was wounded while fighting. His experiences while working in hospitals full of wounded and dying people inspired him to write such a dreary poem. Whitman's tone throughout the whole poem is solemn and dreadful. Describing three dead soldiers, Whitman seems to write how cruel and unjust people have been in killing the young, old, and even what he sees as "the face of the Christ himself." In each poem, Whitman uses opposite tones to describe America at different times and in different ways.
(A critique of Walt Whitman’s themes and ideas in Song of Myself 6, 46, 47)
Whitman is giving a more graphic example of how sex is a natural thing. By comparing the act of reproduction to death he shows just how natural of an act sex is. Everything that is born will eventually die. He feels that the natural curiosities of the human sexual appetites should not be denied or not discussed because of social standards. Not only is sex a "miracle" that is a part of him, but also nature and the universe, and each individual part should be celebrated.
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.
As Whitman, the specific individual, melts away into the abstract, “Song of Myself” explores the possibilities for communion between individuals. Whitman addresses the reader in a particularly direct manner. He integrates his reader into the poem, and is freed of the constraints of poetic principle and social etiquette. The poem presents entire body lounging on the ground, leaning and idling. Whitman deliberately conflates natural world and poetical world. “Song of Myself” goes beyond the boundaries of Transcendentalism in the relationship of the physical and spiritual, individual and universal. The self that Whitman cheerily sings and celebrates substantiates a ‘uniform hieroglyphic’: suggestive, multiform, and awash with inconsistency. “It is as much a physical presence as a projected spiritual possibility” (Jason 2). Even as it blatantly and fervently expresses Whitman’s faith in evolution (and therefore in the necessary indivisibility of self-reliance), “Song of Myself” also conveys a separation with the “self,” the poet himself, and the co...
This also follows along with the first part of the quote, but expands on the side of how quickly emotions can boil up and be transformed from one emotion to another. This relates to the theme because on the outside it seems like the person is okay but on the inside they are actually filled with emotions. Clearly, Walt Whitman uses comparisons within his poem in order to demonstrate the theme that they way people act around others is not always how they feel on the inside because he wants people to believe they they can show