Symbolism in Whitman's Poem

Analysis of Whitman’s Bivouac on a Mountain Side First published after the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865, Walt Whitman’s poem “Bivouac on a Mountain Side” portrays more than just the tangible picture of a transcendentalist’s vision. The mood of the poem reflects the author’s observations and visions of the Civil War while stationed in Washington and Virginia as well as his beliefs about the war by use of imagery and symbolism. The use of imagery in “Bivouac on a Mountain…

In his poem "Ode to a Nightingale," John Keats uses powerful, distinct symbolism and imagery. The nightingale, for instance, is interpreted by many to be a symbol of Keats ' poetic inspiration and satisfaction. This symbolism can be seen by the vivid descriptions Keats hives the nightingale. However, the nightingale is definitely not the only item of symbolism in "Ode to a Nightingale." In a short piece of art, Keats apparently has mastered using many different items, phrases, and brilliant, descriptive…

From Grandeur to Arrogance Walt Whitman 's poem, "To a Locomotive in Winter" and Emily Dickinson 's "I Like to See It Lap The Miles" are two different poems about the same subject, the steam engine. Where Whitman uses solely free verse, Dickinson’s poem more closely follows standard writing practices, with very structured line breaks. Another key difference in these works is the speech they use; Whitman uses "old English" laden with thee and thy, whereas Dickinson uses fairly modern terminology…

Symbolism in the Poems of Robert Frost Nature has inspired countless poets from primitive times to the present. They have used it as a metaphor for virtually all human emotions-his stormy brow, her sky blue eyes, as wild as a summer storm. Very few, however, have so masterfully crafted their verse to fully express the range of nature’s power and influence, or suited the tone of a poem to encompass both human nature and ‘true’ nature. This is true in the poetic works of Robert Frost. The aspects…

The overall theme in Walt Whitman’s “Drum Taps” is about the way war consumes everything and monopolizes every facet of life; particularly the land the war is fought on. When analyzing the poem, the first stanza talks about the movement of war from the farms, the second stanza talks about the progression of war from the farm to the city. In stanza three this journey continues through the battlefield, through the halls of power and finally into the homes, moving from the public to private spheres…

Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter" could possibly be just a nonsensical rhyme meant purely for entertainment value. The fact that this is a nonsense poem inside a nonsense story makes it all the more difficult to decipher a deeper meaning. Like the author, who had a darker side to him, so too might his work. Carroll made this statement in a letter to an American friend,I'm very much afraid I didn't mean anything but nonsense. Still, you know, words mean more than we mean to express when…

Naturalism and Symbolism in the Poem "Design" by Robert Frost The poem "Design" by Robert Frost is a sonnet written about man's relationship with nature. Frost deliberately uses the form of a sonnet, using the octave for a discussion and the sextet for questioning the fact that there is a force that controls our existence. There are natural characters and some degrees of irony also that give this poem a naturalistic feel. Frost uses the style of a sonnet in "Design" to present a philosophical…

In literature, writers often use symbols of nature to symbolize emotion and reflection. Flowers may symbolize life as drought may symbolize death and a loss of hope. In the poems “The Road Not Taken,” “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,” and “A Poison Tree,” Frost and Wordsworth use the shallow image of a flower and the woods to symbolize a change of emotion and thought in one’s life. Two roads diverging in different directions lead to an unknown destination because no one knows where the…

Death and Regeneration in Walt Whitman's Poem, When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom'd Whitman in 1865 wrote an elegy for President Lincoln entitled "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd." The "Lilacs" elegy is an outpouring of the deep sense of loss that Whitman felt after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The President's death was a great shock to the poet; it overwhelmed him in a very personal way. Whitman recognized Lincoln's excellence and importance. When Whitman…

In the beginning of Emily Dickinson’s poem “754,” the narrator immediately compares her life to a weapon, “My Life had stood -- a Loaded Gun --” (754). Usually, when one thinks of a gun, he or she might think of death instead of love. In most cases, when a person owns or has a possession of a gun, that person might use the gun for protection. A gun is an inanimate object that has the potential or power to take the life of a human. From analyzing the poem “754,” the narrator symbolizes a loaded…