Walt Whitman Research Paper

The tension between a number of disjointed states and the democratic government of the United States had started to fracture through the smoke of rifled muskets and scattered artillery. The Southern states were fighting to secede from the North and a bloody, four-year war had begun. This war was to define the course of American history and nearly every aspect of the American cultural landscape was affected, including the poetry of a working writer in Brooklyn, New York. Walt Whitman was a poetic voice for American democracy, and even though he could not fight directly in the war, he felt that he needed to do something for the war effort and for the causes in which believed so deeply. His contributions were through the broad strokes of his …show more content…
Initially, the poet remained in Manhattan and Brooklyn and confirmed his support for the Union; however, this general confidence began to stagger after the Battle of the First Bull Run, which forced the Union troops to retreat to Washington (Fuller). As Whitman expressed, the outcome of this battle provoked one of “those crises…when human eyes appeared at least as likely to see the last breath of the Union as to see it continue” (Kaplan). However, in spite of this initial pessimism, Whitman kept his trust and confidence in the Union, which is reflected in the opening poems of Drum Taps in which he asserts that Northerners should join the army to defend and uphold the splintering …show more content…
Like most northerners, Whitman also believed that the war would not be a long lasting one and he felt very enthusiastic about the war (Fuller). These poems reflect that sense of urban excitement and welcoming of the war, and invite the spirit of war to move everyone to enlist and defend the unity of the nation. Although these poems want to justify the cause of war and the participation from the northerners, they also include traces of doubt, fear, and anxiety. He places poems like “Beat! Beat! Drums!”, “First O Songs for a Prelude”, and “Song of the Banner at Daybreak” which welcomes mystifies the war. Whitman experiences the war first as a civilian, walking along the streets of his beloved Manahatta and learning of the war through newspapers and journals. A number of these poems within the first portion can be classified as “civilian” as they provide a generalized portrait of the war from the civilian perspective. One of these poems in particular is entitled “Beat! Beat! Drums!” and summarizes how the war was affecting the families and friends of the soldiers back home. This is a very sympathetic portrayal and, while it tries to extensively cover their hardships, fails to address the terrifying thought that some soldiers may not come back to these homes and loved ones. “Beat! Beat! Drums!” is a poem that summarizes how the war affected the civilians left behind while stressing how sudden and

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