Walt Whitman and War Essay - 1626 Words

Walt Whitman was a revolutionary poet who let his emotions run free through his poetry. Whitman was never afraid to express himself no matter how inappropriate or offensive his emotions might have seemed at the time. This is why Whitmans poem still echo that same sentiment and emotion today almost as loudly as when the drums were first tapped. Life in its ever-evolving glory seems at times to be nothing more than a serious of random events that lead us from one place to another. It takes many years of grace and wisdom to see that life is much more than that. Life is far bigger than any one person or group of people. Life is a lesson and sometimes lessons need to repeat. Life during the time of Walt Whitman was oddly and sadly similar†¦show more content†¦Some will come home but countless others never will. No poem proud, I chanting bring to thee, nor masterys rapturous verse, But a cluster containing nights darkness and blood-dripping wounds, And psalms of the dead ( Whitman 260). These are the true cold harsh realities of war. It in all its painful and bloody visceral imagery is something that was Whitmans forte. Whitman told the true story of what it was like to be in the middle of war. Although Whitman himself was never in the army, His visual style can sometimes make it seem as though he was right there on the front lines fighting the enemy: With its cloud of skirmishers in advance, With now the sound of a single shot snapping like a whip, and Now an irregular volley, The swarming ranks press on and on, the dense brigades press On, Glittering dimly, toiling under the sun-the dust coverd men, In columns rise and fall to the undulations of the ground, With artillery interspersd-the wheels rumble, the horses sweat, As the army corps advances ( Whitman 242-3). Whitman was able to do this almost effortlessly because he saw what was really going on. He volunteered as a wound-dresser; he wrote letters for wounded soldiers, he gave of himself tirelessly. Whitman saw his nation divided and stood to tell his tale. He was an everyman; he was any man. Whitman was the human embodiment of undying compassion. Most of all Whitman is somethingShow MoreRelatedWalt Whitman and the Civil War Essay955 Words   |  4 Pages Walt Whitman is a famous poet in American history and the founder of free style of writing poem. He was well-known with his work of Leaves of Grass and Drum-Taps. Walt Whitman was inspired to write poems about Civil War and changed his style of writing after experiencing the horrible result of the war. Walt Whitman was born in West Hills, Long Island, on May 31, 1819. He is the second son of eight siblings in the family. In his early life, Whitman received a formal education until age of 11 becauseRead MoreAbraham Lincolns War Aims Compared to William Sherman and Walt Whitman739 Words   |  3 Pagesoffice of presidency, the south had seceded from the Union and brought on the beginning of the American Civil War. 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