Walt Whitman's Sea-Drift/Whispers Of Heavenly Death

In his poem “The Tide Rises The Tide Falls”, we can see the use of personification as nature comforts a traveler facing death. The seashores are busy throughout the day and night. Many people stroll by including a traveler moving in haste. In a place crowded by modern society the tides continues to rise and falls even when it is filled with darkness, leading up to the traveler’s death. With many different kind of people that passes by the nature of the waves Longfellow writes, “The little waves, with their soft white hands,/ Efface the footprints in the sands,/ And the tide rises, and the tide falls” (Longfellow lines 7-10). In this we can see the use of personification as he says that the waves have soft white hands. This shows a gentle and soothing effect in which nature has to clear the footprints off the sands with their hands. Death is inevitable as shown in a relatable cycle with nature where the tide rises and falls, giving a comfort to individual to understand that death is just a process. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poetry reflects his ideal on nature and its comforting

In conclusion I was personally moved by this well-crafted poem because of the poetic techniques used and the setting. The setting was what particularly moved me because of how much I personally relate to the ocean. On my trips to Byron Bay and the Sunshine Coast I have seen waves that were both angry and calm. I have seen the waves smash against the rocks and the helpless swimmers get dragged out by the strong current. However I have never thought about the ocean in way the poet has exposed it. I believe that this poem has touched my heart like no other poem ever

Also included in the poem is the image of a young child being embraced by their elders. This shows the gap in life and the aging process that we go through. When we are young we are carefree, but as we age we hold on to the ones we love because of the knowledge that we will one day have to make our departure. Out of this idea of death, Whitman shows that this is a natural part of life and

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 Whitman's poem still echo that same sentiment and emotion today almost as loudly as when the drums were first tapped.

In the middle of the poem, Whitman stops celebrating the joy of procreation and focuses more about the philosophy of death. Death is part of every day life and feared by many people. Whitman tells the child to not fear death because he says, “there really is no death” (38). He considers the grass that grows among the graves in the cemetery to be the “beautiful uncut hair of graves” (18). Even among death, Whitman considers life beautiful. He tells the child that even after a person “ceased” (41) to live, they still continue to live after death. What became

As an observation of the opposing natures of the ocean's surfaces and depths, Hawthorne's "The Ocean" illustrates the tranquility of a grave beneath the ocean's waves. The melancholy tone of the poem acts like a unifying current, pervading the text of the poem and saturating it with a feeling of peace mingled with undertones of sadness. Divided into two octaves, the poem first depicts the nature of the ocean referring to it as "quiet" and "alone" then the second half of the poem contrasts typical graves with the graves of mariners beneath the sea (2). The poem also relies on a detached observer to act as the speaker to directly connect the audience to the image of the ocean which it is describing. The poem starts with a description of the ocean and its caves and the first octave also establishes the inherent contrast between the ocean's "silent caves" and its "fury" (1-3).

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.”( Bio. A&E Television Networks 1) Walt Whitman's life was a representation of his famous quote. Whitman lived his life looking toward the future waiting for his radical ideas to become reality. Walt Whitman was arguably the best writer in United States history, and has written many famous pieces in the American Realism era. Whitman suffered through the Civil War, where brothers would often turn against brothers to fight for opposing sides. Walt Whitman rose up through turbulence of the Civil War during the American Realism era to write, “O CAPTAIN! My Captain!”(Whitman 1), a poem that illustrates a nation morning for their fallen leader.

Whitman’s works are full of imagery which helps depict a setting, which also helps the reader understand one of the most important things that make him an, American poet of romanticism. Whitman like most poets uses nature, to inspire him and his works. Another thing Whitman is remembered for is that he used great big stanzas that seemed to go on and on .Walt may use more conversational style, though he may not use rhyme or meter it doesn't seem to affect much. For example from his poem, “song of myself”, he like Dickinson used personification to add human qualities to his work, “The spotted hawk swoops by and accuses me, he complains of my gab and my loitering”. Also similar to Dickenson talks of death, “I depart as air,” instead of starting on the matter he slowly takes his time which a first you don't even know death is even evident in it, but after a couple read through it becomes more clear that he is talking about how death is an everyday thing in nature.

The use of symbolism throughout the elegy promotes his personal feelings towards the death of Lincoln. Whitman exemplifies: “Lilac and star and bird twined with the chant of my soul” (205). These three particular objects all represent Whitman’s “soul”, his inner thoughts on the subject of Lincoln’s death.

On this verse, we can see how Whitman tries to connect to mind, body, spirit and nature. In “Song of Myself” Whitman attempted to change the meaning of American poetry. I described identity issues that pertain to him, but that the audience was able to identify with. Whitman, opened the door to

The depressing realization of the captain’s death is evident and seen most within the last stanza as the tone changes from that of triumph and elation to heartbreak and grief. This is shown through Whitman’s use of imagery as the speaker states, “My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, / My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will” (lines 17-18). This provides a detailed description of the lifeless captain as he lies on the deck. The following lines describe the successfulness of the mission as the captain has led his crew to safety after accomplishing the goals which were set. This alteration in tone

Imagery is the strongest supporter of the theme. A description of the sea in its states of calmness and roughness are depicted. Sight and sound help intensify other images. The poems’ strongest feelings are usually expressed by their imagery, though rhythm is also used to convey meaning. Arnold uses the first stanza of the poem to create visual, auditory, and olfactory images that will allow the reader to picture the sea of which the speaker is viewing. Through the use of several poetic Figures of speech, sounds, and irony of words are also used. Line one; “The Sea is calm tonight”(1) has a gentle rhythm that can be compared to the “ebb and flow” (17) of the sea. With this description one can imagine a beautiful beach with water lapping upon the shore. The second line also gives the image of a calm sea. In the opening stanzas words such as “gleams”(4) and “glimmering”(5) are used, giving a sense of light. In contrast the ending stanzas use words such as

In the poem "Dover Beach",witten in 1867 Matthew Arnold creates the mood of the poem through the usage of different types of imagery. He uses a dramatic plot in the form of a soliloquy. Arnold also uses descriptive adjectives, similes and metaphors to create the mood. Through the use of these literary elements, Arnold portrays the man standing before the window pondering the sound of the pebbles tossing in the waves as representation of human suffering. The man arrives at the vision of humanity being helpless against nature. Arnold creates the mood by suggesting mental pictures, actions, sights and sounds the man sees. Some examples are "folds of a bright girdle furled", "lie before us like a land of dreams"

In Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”, the poet showcases his feelings of people and himself by using literary descriptors to convey his thoughts on these and various other subjects. In section 20, Whitman’s purpose is to showcase self-assuredness regardless of what the world tries to state otherwise by maintaining his resolute happiness in being himself. This is what sets him apart from being like the other people in the world.