War Takes Over Everything in Walt Whitman’s Poem, Drum Taps

Whitman also captures the chaos of war through the structure of the poem, descriptions of the battle will rapidly change throughout. For example, the artilleryman would first describe a distant victory: "While from some distant part of the field the wind wafts to my ears a shout of applause, (some special success,)" (19), moreover jumping to recalling the sound of cannons: "And ever the sound of the cannon, far or near" (20), ultimately, to describing the shift of army compositions as "And ever the hastening of infantry shifting positions—batteries, cavalry, moving hither and thither" (21). Primarily, the artilleryman never concentrates upon a specific element of the battle, intimating an atmosphere of chaos. Since the poem is written in the

In the second stanza the distinctive experience of power is present. The use of the technique of imagery and emotive words “to pluck them from the shallows and bury them in burrows’ tells us that the soldiers were strong, loyal and had enough power within a degree to assist fellow soldiers. The use of personification to create sound “sob and clubbing of the gunfire” This leads the audience to understand what the soldiers were up against without even directly saying it. The imagery visually shows the scene in their

Tennyson uses aural imagery such and alliteration to express the sounds of battle, for example "shot and shell" reflect the sounds of the bullets fired at the brigade from every direction, providing with highly effective sound effects to the poem. Tennyson also uses a lot of repetition and anaphora in the poem, intended to communicate the relentlessness of the charge, and of the dangers faced by the soldiers. The quotation "Cannon to the right of them, Cannon to the left of them, Cannon in front of them" presents the dangers as being unavoidable, with death inevitable. Furthermore, by using the biblical connotation of the "Valley of Death"- the central imagery of the poem - he emphasises how important this battle was, elevating the soldiers of the Light Brigade to heroes. Furthermore, Tennyson uses a rhetorical question at the beginning of the final stanza: "When can their glory fade?" to emphasise and conclude the point he was making in the five previous stanzas: their glory should not fade, as their sacrifice is symbolic of all those who sacrifice their lives for the

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

When a spider sends out it's web we can't hear it but if it had a pronounced sound we'd assume it had a long, hissing, rushing "f" sound as it shoots out, think about the sound it makes in the movie Spiderman. We can get the action, description, and sound of the spider's web spinning in only a few words. Repetition plays a major role in this the poem, all the sounds, words, and phrases just come rolling in as though it were waves of an ocean, coming in again and again. When we think of an ocean we think of how vast and vacant it is, and Whitman helps with that by telling us about the "measureless oceans",

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.

Similarly to trees who are cut down only to be replaced by another the soldiers were constantly being replaced by another because they were dying rapidly for a war that wasn't going anywhere. This proves the theme that the immature can fight, it takes true maturity to settle ones’ differences because, had the people been mature enough to settle their problems reasonably the soldiers wouldn't be piling up and they would instead be bearing fruit that would have actually worked to better the nation, instead of dying to settle an old feud. Diction/ Tone “People scorned the…” -Europe line 13 By using the word “scorned” to describe the Peoples feelings Whitman creates a disappointed tone toward his fellow americans.

Throughout the passage, the writing appeals to the senses of touch and hearing. As read in the text, “I heard the distant click of their picks and shovels,/ They have clear’d the beams away, they tenderly lift me forth” (lines 29-30). Whitman uses the senses touch and hearing to help the reader feel what is happening in the passage.

War is hell; there is no other way to put it. No matter how many times bards romanticize war and battle, there is that ultimate, inherent ugliness involved in the business of killing. There is no honor or heroism in dying for your country, you just die, it is a great tragedy and there is nothing you can do about it. Mortality is always present on both sides fighting the battle; there will continuously be casualties. Suffering, misery and destitution are constant whether on the march, sitting in the trench or charging across no man's land. The pain is felt on both warring sides, everyone suffers, war brings nothing but anguish, joy and happiness are non-existent. No one rejoices war, unless they are zealous

A drum, classified as a percussion instrument, does not bring the same cheerful and satisfying mood as other instruments. In fact, when compared to a different instrument family, such as the strings, drums are tumultuous and violent. The booming, sonorous drums are chaotic, dreadful, and gruesome—much like war. This symbolism is a connection cleverly made by both John Scott and Walt Whitman. The two poets were alive in different centuries and witnessed different wars, they accomplished their goals through distinct literary devices such as narrative perspective, personification, rhythm, and point of view, yet they share similar feelings toward war, like the brutal drums.

Upon reading Drum-Taps, a published collection of Whitman’s poems from the American Civil War, one cannot help but be struck by its incredibly hopeful tone, seemingly ill-suited for such a dark portrait of the United State’s at it’s most divided. But embedded in this hopefulness, is something deeply resonant about Whitman’s philosophy surrounding healing in the context of violence and political turmoil. Whitman’s account of the Civil War is so impactful because it stems from his experience serving as a medic in Union camps. In addition to this lived experience, Whitman is well suited for recording historical events, because his broad scope allows him to understand the historical significance of the war as it plays out, giving Drum-Taps an almost prophetic quality. It’s clear that Whitman is deeply disturbed by the violence he is witnessing, but he is constantly trying to assign some sort of purpose to the violence by attaching a sense of patriotic duty to the war. It’s clear that Whitman recognizes the historical significance of the war that’s playing out in front of his eyes, both for solidifying a sense of national identity, but also for asserting America’s place in the world. At the same time, contrary to his typical “vast similitude” worldview, Drum-Taps taps into specific cases of human suffering, stressing the role of individuals in making history. But even more important to Whitman, is the role of poets, to which he assigns the task of healing the nation.

The speaker states, “Rise up – for you the flag is flung- for you the bugle trills” (line 10). This is interpreted as the ending of the war due to the patriotic symbolism of the flag which stands for freedom and also victory. Within this stanza, the importance of the captain is now extended from just the speaker to all those who await the ship’s arrival. This is demonstrated as the speaker states, “For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning” (lines 11-12). The joyful tone of the stanza ceases towards the end as an unexpected downfall of emotions begins. Whitman uses repetition in lines 15 and 16 when he states “It is some dream that on the deck, / You’ve fallen cold and dead” (lines 15-16). This serves as a disturbing reminder that the figure which was most significant to the entire situation is no longer alive.

In the first stanza, Whitman tells us that he sees a hawk “accuses” and “complains” him. His response is to feel immensely humbled as he sees elements of himself in the hawk. In particular, the comparison between himself and the hawk is based on the elemental power within it and the fact that his voice is "untranslatable" and described as a "barbaric yawp”, which leaves us with an echo in the air. He uses similes to make himself be a hawk, to show his confidence and unruly voice. He is under no restraint whatever.

This poem then draws from the realities of the American history of war to put forth the arguments about war and its consequences. Longfellow in this poem depicts his rare support and campaign for peace. He depicts the magnitude in numbers of the guns that are in the arsenal, piling "from floor to ceiling/like huge organ"¦" he likens them with the organ, which is a strong irony since organs are meant for peaceful places yet these guns were meant for directly the opposite purpose.

​Just imagine an eccentric realist from the 19th century, who is obsessed with normal, ordinary human beings. He is also passionate enough about war to make a poem all about how the sounds of war affects ordinary people. Now picture him watching the movie "Saving Private Ryan", with the volume on full blast. What will he think? How will he react? He will marvel at how realistic and loud the action scenes are. He will be intrigued by how the movie will awake all of his senses. This will be going through the mind of one of the most prestigious American poets, Walt Whitman. Walt's poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!" shares many of the same concepts as the Steven Spielberg hit movie "Saving Private Ryan".