Walt Whitman and the Civil War. As a Transcendentalist poet, Walt Whitman focuses on the beauty and innate harmony

Similar documents
THE SOCIAL SENSIBILITY IN WALT WHITMAN S CONCEPT OF DEMOCRACY

Suggested Remarks for. Memorial Day 2013

Trends in Chris Adrian s Short Stories. As columnist Drew Nellins wrote on the literary blog Bookslut, No one writes like Chris

Accounts from outside on the street after President Lincoln was shot in the theatre and moved to the Petersen House.

COLLEGE GUILD POETRY CLUB-2, UNIT 3. EMILY DICKINSON and WALT WHITMAN

STUDYING DECADES: 1980s / 1990s / 2000s

WHITMAN AS A MYSTIC POET

AMÉRIQUE DU NORD 2018 ANGLAIS LV2 QUESTIONNAIRE A TRAITER PAR LES CANDIDATS DE LA SERIE L

The Tell-Tale Heart. LEVEL NUMBER LANGUAGE Advanced C1_1037R_EN English

HEAVEN SPEAKS ABOUT ABORTION. Direction for Our Times As given to Anne, a lay apostle

Plath: Poetry as a Journey, not a Form of Shamnism

Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Pearl Harbor Survivors Association 2010 Reunion Dinner Honolulu, Hawaii Admiral Patrick M. Walsh Tuesday, 7 Dec 2010

CAPITAL BIBLE CHURCH July 12, God s Answer for Dark Valleys Stress busters - Part 5 Psalm 23:4

PETE BUMGARNER MINISTRIES

Sources: "American Transcendentalism: A Brief Introduction." by Paul P. Reuben Perspectives in American Literature Transcendentalism pbs.

Prayer Service for the People of Christchurch

Walt Whitman, : He Created a New Kind of Poetry

Three Perspectives. System: Building a Justice System Rooted in Healing By Shari Silberstein

Psychological Effects of War in All Quiet on the Western Front. Erich Maria Remarque wrote All Quiet on the Western Front with one simple goal in

... Readers Theatre. Gettysburg and Mr. Lincoln s Speech. Resource 17: Every. Child. Reads

Psalm 88. (2015) The Bible not only reveals God s eternal plans purposes and promises. But also shows how you can know God for yourself.

Miriam Waddington s Poetry Enters Spain Stage Left

American Romanticism An Introduction

The Mystery of the Paschal Mystery *

Song at Sunset. Walt Whitman

MEDITATION MOMENT: 52 Weekly Guided Affirmations

Death, Spirituality, and Belief in 14 th Century Italy. The Triumph of Death fresco located in Pisa, in simplest terms, describes the

SCRIPTURE READINGS REQUIEM MASS

The Way of the Cross Through the Voice of Victims Supporting Victims of Clergy Sexual Abuse

Social Contact versus Isolation in Song of Myself and A Noiseless Patient Spider

Storytelling Suffers with Inability to Abstract in Joseph Conrad s Heart of Darkness

SPIRITUAL DEPRESSION IN THE PSALMS THINKING AND FEELING WITH GOD JOHN PIPER. Psalm 42

The Balance in Crossing Brooklyn Ferry. Rachel Carazo. Aristotle, a famous philosopher of the ancient world, once commented, "The best

Origins of Sin Lesson # 10 of 27

The Civil War: Told through Photography and Poetry

Henry Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Transcendentalism. By Cassidy Vinson

Chapter Twenty-one THE TRUTH ABOUT AGEING AND HEALTH

In the Shadow of the Divine. By Kevin Core.

The Motivating Affection of Sonship(Rom )

One Tuesday morning, two years ago today, I woke up to any regular day. I went to church to altar serve when our priest released the news.

ÕÐÏÕÑÃÅÉÏ ÐÏËÉÔÉÓÌÏÕ. Ministry of Culture General Directorate of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage

Can tragedy come to good people?

A life of faith demonstrates for us where we ultimately place our hope and what we really believe in.

Biblical Development #7 What Are We Leaving Behind? Philippians 3:13-14

What Makes Someone s Life Go Best from Reasons and Persons by Derek Parfit (1984)

Voices of the Transforming Lines

BACK TO BASICS. What does back to basics mean?

"THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN WASKOW" by ERNIE PYLE Analyzing a Primary Historic Source: Ernie Pyle's "The Death of Captain Waskow"

SERIES: A SURVEY OF THE BOOK OF ACTS ACTS CHAPTER 15 THE GREAT DEBATE

Why do bad things happen to Good People? John 16:33

FOR GOD SO LOVED... A Bible study focused on Jesus and His Amazing Love John 13-21

God designed our souls to thrive when we connect in loving ways with other people. The psalmist delights in the beauty of healthy community:

A Falling Muse. Salua Rivero

Pressure Points PRACTICAL FAITH FOR FACING LIFE S CHALLENGES

American Studies Early American Period

NIGHTFALL BY ANDREW WOLTER

CONTENTS. Much Love and Thanks... 9 A Place to Breathe 11 Part I: Exhaling 15. Part II: Inhaling 57. Free to Breathe 177

OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. As a kid, what made you say That s not fair!? QUESTION #1 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 67

The Monk of Horror. By Anonymous (1798)

Romanticism, Transcendentalism, and Dark Romanticism Packet

The Hope Of Help. A Sermon by Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh

Theism and the Problem of Natural Disasters

Restoration of All Things

Chaos and Comfort Message for 24 July 2016

Of What Are You Afraid?

Respected. Session 1 2 SAMUEL 1:22-27; 2:1-7. God calls individuals to lead His people, and they should be honored as such.

Online Activities for 1 st. Qtr. College and Career

Can you not stay awake with me one hour?

The Scarlet Letter: Evilness as a Theme. In Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter, evilness is presented as a prominent theme

LAMENTATIONS (Student Edition) I. The Destruction of Jerusalem 1 II. The Anger of God 2 III. The Prayer for Mercy 3 IV. The Siege of Jerusalem 4

DEMONSTRATIONS OF DEMOCRACY IN WALT WHITMAN S CONCEPT OF NATURE

return to religion-online

SALT AND LIGHT Matthew 5:13-20 First Presbyterian Church of Georgetown, Texas Dr. Michael A. Roberts February 11, 2018

Sounds of Love Series. Mysticism and Reason

We Are Consciousness Itself

Sophists vs. Aristotle in Sophocles's Antigone

(Slide #2) This looks rather modern, still with the timber look.

Remember. If we can believe it, on that same day, the Memorial Day Order was issued from

This Message In Christ Alone We Take Our Stand

SPIRITUAL WARFARE Part IV PRAYER Ephesians 6:18-20

Anthem for Doomed Youth

I Watch The News Everyday By Stan Stanchev

The congregation is asked to join in the responses in italics and the hymns. Sections in square brackets are suggestions only.

Of all the moments in Jacobs life - The writer of Hebrews grabs this one? Why?

The Things They Carried War Poems. Embassy W.H. Auden

William Blake ( )

WARRIORS, DEATH AND DYING

Six Word Stories of Faith

3. Liberty, Fraternity and Equality in Walt Whitman s Poetry

United Flight 93 National Memorial Dedication Address. delivered 10 September 2011, Shanksville, PA

HYPERLINK " Susan Robson

Kirby - Smith Camp #1209 Jacksonville, Florida EST

A Day Of Sober Rejoicing

オバマ広島演説 Remarks by President Obama at Hiroshima Peace Memorial May 27, 2016

Misfortune: Creating Opportunity, or Impeding Happiness? in accordance with some virtue, good fortune dictates whether we will experience

Anthem for Doomed Youth. What is the poem s purpose? Who is the poem s audience? What is the poem about? What are the key themes?

FUNERAL LITURGY SECOND READING ROMANS 8:31-35, ROMANS 14:7-9,10b-12. A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans:

Withman s poetic vision

Sermon Christmas I 2017 Year B Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Psalm 147 Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 John 1:1-18 Bill Watson December 31, 2017

Transcription:

Walt Whitman and the Civil War As a Transcendentalist poet, Walt Whitman focuses on the beauty and innate harmony between the self, society, and nature throughout his highly-esteemed collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass. Whitman s Leaves of Grass underwent a series of edits and reprints, but throughout all six editions, his love and celebration of the body, soul, and greatness of America remain constant. However, at the outbreak of the Civil War, Whitman s perception of society and nature drastically changed. The calamity of the Civil War didn t fully impact Whitman until 1862 when he received the news that his brother, George, had been wounded during battle. (Folsom and Price). Whitman travelled to Virginia to visit his brother and upon his arrival to the hospital, he was deeply moved by the tragedies both of illness and death that consumed the ailing patients (Folsom & Price). Whitman chose to serve as an unofficial nurse to the wounded soldiers and visited numerous battlefields in an attempt to understand the magnitude of catastrophes that resulted from the Civil War. In 1865, Whitman published Drum-Taps, a collection of post-war poetry that preserves Whitman s accounts during the Civil War (Gutman). By examining a series of poems from both Leaves of Grass and Drum-Taps, I intend to demonstrate the way in which the Civil War lead Whitman to adopt a new understanding of the connection between the self, society, and nature. Whitman discovers that death possesses the power to unite men and that identity expands far beyond one s connection to nature and society. Prior to the Civil War, Whitman s works possessed all of the necessary characteristics to be recognized as Transcendental he felt deeply connected to nature and focused heavily on himself (suggested by his constant use of I ), yet still believed that he was just one of the many parts that contributed to society. Whitman believed that man and the natural world were

inherently united the environment and man were one of the same. Whitman s Poem of the Child That Went Forth, and Always Goes Forth, Forever and Forever demonstrates his belief in oneness by illustrating and celebrating how nature shapes a child over a series of days, seasons, and years. All of nature s elements become a part of the child: water-plants with their graceful flat heads all became part of him. The field sprouts of April and May became part of him (282-283, lines 18-21) The unity between this child and nature is achieved gradually over time and eventually the two are indistinguishable from one another; the child becomes nature and nature becomes the child. This innate sense of inseparability adopted a darker meaning during the Civil War, thus causing Whitman to alter his understanding of togetherness. Men became one with nature by soiling the land with their blood and decaying bodies. Whitman also realized that men bonded over the mourning of death, just as they had in the celebration of life. The monotony of war the constant marching, the endless battles, the mass of fatalities became the new normal; a normalcy that Whitman struggled to accept. Death was not a prominent focus in the way of life illustrated in Leaves of Grass, but Whitman realized that death played a large role in bringing men together. A March in the Ranks Hard-Prest, and the Road Unknown is one poem from Drum-Taps that illustrates death s role in uniting men. The poem depicts the soldiers routine: marching through hospitals, mourning the demise of their fallen brothers with fellow nurses, doctors, and patients. Before leaving the dimly-light hospital that reeks of blood and life-preserving chemicals, the narrator says, But first I bend to the dying lad his eyes open a half-smile he gives me; / Then the eyes close, calmly close, and I speed forth

to the darkness (239, lines 22-23). The narrator and the dying lad share a brief moment of intimacy just seconds before death steals the ailing soldier. It is during their period of shared intimacy that the two men become one; they are forever connected by the final moments of the deceased soldier. The narrator does not fear death though, for he knows that death the inevitable, natural end of all living things will rescue him from the chaos of war and will once more unite him with his fallen brother. Although Whitman appreciated death s ability to create a bond between men, he criticized its destructive tendency, particularly with regards to the destruction of identity. Whitman constantly sought a connection with nature in order to establish his identity, as did the child in A Poem of the Child that Went Forth. He also relied heavily on his American heritage to create a respectable identity for himself. Whitman s praise of the great America is seen often throughout Leaves of Grass, especially in his Great are the Myths. He references the grandeur of America s foundational values when he exclaims, Great is Liberty! Great is Equality! (291, line 4). Whitman very much desired to be a part of the great; whether it be the boundless beauty and awe of nature or the magnificent America, he simply wanted to belong. The extraordinary image Whitman possessed of America was quickly shattered by the injustice of war. He watched as an abundance of young men perished and were left stranded on the battlefields. Death merely left them as wounded bodies, robbing them of their stories, thoughts, and feelings, and therefore stripping them of their identity. Identity, or the lack there of, is a common theme reflected throughout Drum-Taps. Drum- Taps serves as Whitman s attempt to identify those who served during the Civil War. He sought to record their stories, triumphs, and failures, so that they would exist forever and not just as soldiers who fought and fell, but as heroes. A Sight in Camp in Day-Break Grey and Dim is

one of Whitman s direct encounters with the struggle for identity. Whitman emerges from his tent and discovers three corpses covered by a dark and heavy blanket, Over each the blanket spread ample brownish woolen blankets, / Gray and heavy blanket, folding, covering all (46, lines 5-6). The symbolic blanket conveys the oppressiveness of war and its destruction of all. All encompasses a variety of meaning, but the two most important aspects of which the war annihilates are life and identity. The three corpses are left to rot, to remain covered and unseen, as if they were never there at all. Whitman, however, seeks to identify the three fallen men. He draws back the blanket to discover an elderly man, a young man, a man who possesses a striking similarity to Jesus Christ. Several times throughout the poem, Whitman raises the question, Who are you? (46, line 9). Whitman s question asks for more than just the name or rank of each corpse, rather it inquires about the lives of the three men. For the young soldier, Whitman may have wondered what his plans for life had been; for the older gentleman, he may have pondered what his life had entailed what he d seen and experienced. It is in this poem that we as readers can see Whitman s definition of identity expanding. He realizes that having an intimate relationship with the natural world and simply being American proves insufficient in establishing an identity. Identity is where you ve been, what you ve done, and how both experiences shape you. The Civil War was evidently one such experience that shaped Whitman for it lead to the creation of Drum-Taps and completely altered his perception of the inherent good of man and nature. Nevertheless, the Civil War did justify Whitman s belief that he was only one of the many parts the contributed to both society and the world around him. With this knowledge, Whitman did everything in his power to positively impact the lives of those in both the hospitals and on the battlefields. Drum-Taps

serves as Whitman s promise to his comrades to rediscover their stories and identities and to never let them be forgotten. Drum-Taps and Sequel to Drum-Taps, Whitman s second collection of post-war poetry, were integrated into the later editions of Leaves of Grass. This addition suggests that Whitman wants his readers to comprehend the realizations he made during his time at war not everything is harmonic and beautiful, disagreements and death are inevitable in nature. The addition also suggests that the war and its aftermath remains as important to Whitman as the content in his previous writings. The Artilleryman s Vision demonstrates the extent to which the war impacted those involved and indicates that the war will not be soon forgotten. The poem s narrator, a Civil War veteran, is aroused from sleep as a result of the haunting nightmares that force him to relive the utter pandemonium of war. Upon waking, he recognizes that he is home with his wife and child, but the memory of battles continues to invade on his attempt to regain normalcy: And my head on the pillow rests at home, and the vacant midnight passes, There in the room as I wake from sleep this vision pressesupon me; The engagement opens there and then in fantasy unreal, And ever the sound of the cannon, far or near, (rousing even in dreams a devilish exultation and all the old mad joy in the depths of my soul,) (248, lines 3-4, 7-8, 34-36).

Like the traumatized veteran, Whitman struggled to suppress the horror and trepidation he felt towards the Civil War. For Whitman, the soul represented life, for it contained all that was essential and of utmost importance to the individual. The fact that the memory and old mad joy (248, line 34) of war shook the narrator to his very soul implies that war has become a part of his identity; his combat experience is one that contributed to who his current sense of self. The sounds of war echo throughout the thoughts of the narrator, suggesting that the memories of combat will continue to pervade his every day life, forcing him to accept his new identity and to alter his understanding of normalcy. The Civil War forced Whitman to reevaluate the greatness and togetherness he previously assigned to America, society, the individual, and nature. While Whitman s transcendental beliefs were not entirely destroyed as a result of the war, the changes the war enacted lead to a permanent transformation in Whitman s writing and theories. In the latter half of his works, Whitman focused primarily on the aftermath of war death, separation, and the rebuilding of a nation. The destructive nature of war consumed him for a long period of time, but his love for man encouraged him to persevere through the grief and discover the beauty behind the combat. Whitman witnessed the indestructible bond between soldiers and the genuine care doctors and nurses exuded towards their patients. Drum-Taps represents Whitman s process of recognizing, accepting, and memorializing his journey in discovering the harmony between death, comradery, and identity.

Works Cited Folsom, Ed, and Kenneth M. Price. To the Battlefield. Walt Whitman. The Walt Whitman Archive, n.d. Web. 11 Nov 2015. http://www.whitmanarchive.org/biography/walt_whitman/index.html#civilwar Gutman, Huck. Drum-Taps. The Walt Whitman Encyclopedia. The Walt Whitman Archive, n.d. Web. 11 Nov 2015. http://www.whitmanarchive.org/criticism/current/encyclopedia/entry_83.html Whitman, Walt. A March in the Ranks Hard-Prest, and the Road Unknown. Leaves of Grass. Philadelphia: David McKay, 1891-2. 239. www.whitmanarchive.org. Web. 11 Nov 2015. Whitman, Walt. A Sight in Camp in Day-Break Grey and Dim. Leaves of Grass. New York: W.E. Chapin & Co., Printers, 1867. 46. www.whitmanarchive.org. Web. 11 Nov 2015 Whitman, Walt. Great are the Myths. Leaves of Grass. New York: W.E. Chapin & Co., Printers, 1867. 291. www.whitmanarchive.org. Web. 11 Nov 2015 Whitman, Walt. Poem of the Child Who Went Forth, and Always Goes Forth, Forever and Forever. Leaves of Grass. Brooklyn: Fowler & Wells, 1856. 282-283. www.whitmanarchive.org. Web. 11 Nov 2015. Whitman, Walt. The Artilleryman s Vision. Leaves of Grass. Philadelphia: David McKay, 1891-2. 248. www.whitmanarchive.org. Web. 11 Nov 2015.