Parker McCollum Professor Janice Filer English 251 16 July 2024 The American Civil War, a defining moment in the nation's history, left an indestructible mark on its literature. My essay explores the profound impact of the Civil War on American literature by examining the poetic works of several famous authors: Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass, Julia Ward Howe, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. These writers, each having a unique perspective, responded to the war and its aftermath through their poetry, shaping the landscape of literature during their time. Walt Whitman is one of the most renowned figures in American poetry, and his response to the Civil War was deeply personal and humanitarian. Whitman’s poetry …show more content…
The Drums. He calls for commitment to the war effort, urging the people to embrace the cause completely. The rhythmic urgency of the poem mirrors the relentless march of war, demanding attention. However, Whitman’s humanitarian perspective shines through in poems like "The Wound-Dresser," which provides a compassionate look at the suffering of wounded soldiers. The poem’s detailed depiction of tending to the injured highlights Whitman’s empathy and his belief in the importance of human life, even amidst the devastation of war. His poetic response serves as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the moral complexities of the Civil War. Whitman’s work not only reflects his personal experiences, but also the impact on society as a whole. His poems often have a sense of collective grief and the shared feeling of loss. In "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d," a quite serious poem for President Abraham Lincoln, Whitman mourns the fallen leader while contemplating the war’s broader implications. The poem’s symbolism and extensive imagery convey a deep sense of mourning and reflection, capturing the national feelings of trauma and the hope for
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. Walt Whitman’s early life and childhood
Walt Whitman was an an author of the transcendentalism period, and related a lot of work to the time period. His works, like the poem “Leaves of Grass”, are considered to be a landmark in the history of American literature (biography.com), talks about nature, and his poem, “Song of Myself”, talks about individualism, and how we are connected to each other. Both ideas are themes of the transcendentalism period. Walt Whitman’s life was characteristic of the time period in which he lived in (shmoop
Research Paper A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak and Grim written by Walt Whitman, an american poet focuses on a soldier walking through the hospital tent at camp. The soldier examines three deceased soldiers, one old, one young and one who is not young nor old. The poem was written during the Civil War and thus the setting of the poem is a campsite in the Civil War. Although a recognized American poet, essayist, and journalist Walt Whitman had little to no formal education, this however proved to
in America. He is the second child of Walter and Louisa Whitman’s eight children. Walter was given the nickname Walt to distinguish him from his father. Walter started his life well off but had to sell his farmland; leaving the family struggling to regain some of their previous wealth. Walt often describes his childhood as nomadic and unhappy since he was being moved around for work opportunities for his father. By the age of eleven Walt was pulled out of school to help bring in some income for
All around American history, Different poets have been said to have "changed American society". However, a standout amongst the persuasive poets of the nineteenth century might have been Walt Whitman, writer of the celebrated book of poetry, "Leaves for Grass". Whitman made new limits in the poetry world by displaying every inch of his mind in his works. Whitman modernized the way Americans wrote poetry by covering controversial topics, continuing to write even though others were harshly criticizing
American society has been drastically shaped through the strong beliefs of its poets, journalists and all around writers such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Gisnsberg, William S Burroughs and many more. Although each and every one of these writers are brilliant individuals, it is undeniable that they were highly influenced by the great Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman was a bright American individual who consistently crossed the conservative boundaries with his excellent writing skills. Walter “Walt” was an
Born in Long Island, New York on May 31, 1819, Walt Whitman was the second of nine children born into a Democratic family (Benka). By eleven, Whitman ended his formal education and sought employment to financially support his family (Benka). He was able to acquire a job as an apprentice on the Long Island Patriot, where he was exposed to the printing trade and was able to discover his own style of writing (Benka). At age fourteen, Whitman was able to expand his knowledge of writing by working under
idea of sprits. Many writers of the Romantic Period such as Rousseau, Montaigne and Walt Whitman all shared this idea of being individualistic and in most their works it came out as an ego of self expression. Being an individual at the time was a popular thought of people living in the 19th century; thus, the start of the Civil War after most of poetry from this period was published. During the 19th century Walt Whitman was known as an unconventional writer. His work was rebellious and did not
Walt Whitman's Influence on Germany Walt Whitman (1819-1892) is considered to be one of the greatest American poets of the nineteenth century. While Edgar Allan Poe may have been more widely read, Whitman had more international writers actively respond to him and his poetry than any other American poet. A century after his death, writers around the world are still in dialogue with him, pondering the questions he posed, arguing with him and elaborating on his insights. People have been attracted
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
Walt Whitman has a plethora of writing techniques that change the reader’s view of controversial topics. Walt Whitman engages with the reader’s by using the topics of homosexuality helping the individual fully develop, contradicting views on African Americans during the time of the Civil War, the idea of “sexual tolerance” and sexual “freedom” in the society, and how human traits can be depicted from an imaginary square relating to religious figures. Whitman uses homosexuality in his poetry to present
Views of War in Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade and Whitman’s Drum-Taps Even though Walt Whitman and Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote with different styles and ideals, the common theme of war gave them the similar purpose of exposing the destructive nature of battle while remaining inspiring and even optimistic. Tennyson’s "The Charge of the Light Brigade" reveals a fatal "blunder" that cost the lives of many English soldiers, while asserting that the unquestioning loyalty of the British troops
Walt Whitman had many ideas of how America was not living up to what the founding fathers had hoped to have achieved in their democracy a century before in succeeding from England. Whitman thought that the government was beginning to resemble what the founding fathers had fought and multitudes of soldiers died to escape from. In contrast to what the government had been returning to, Americans as a whole were finding their identity as a very young nation and were proud to call themselves Americans
The Civil War ravaged southern America and left property and residents in a state of disarray. A vast majority of the blame and frustrations to come would land on the federal government, particularly on President Abraham Lincoln. However, in the 150 years since this war ended, many people still forget that freeing slaves was never a priority for President Lincoln nor did he think he could legally decree such a thing. His primary goal had been to unify the succeeding states, which he would ultimately
times of War, from the Civil War to World War II, many were pro-war and still just as many, if not more, were anti-war. When you look back in time, you may notice and recognize a few authors for their contributions to our colorful country's history from your studies, but two names are almost always recognized, even by the unstudied, to have offhandedly advanced our culture, changed politics, and even confronted the impact of war on communities and families in two different countries. Walt Whitman