Whitman and the Civil War

Paper Summary:

The paper explains Walt Whitman's real connection to the Civil War; he not only witnessed the ravages of war, he saw what war did to humanity. The paper therefore shows how "Leaves of Grass" is more than a collection of poems; it is a collection of human experiences. The paper focuses on the poem "Song of Myself" and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd." The paper concludes that Walt Whitman is an exceptional poet because he captures the essence of his life in a personal way.

From the Paper:

"Walt Whitman is every man's poet because he felt a deep connection to his fellow man. Part of this experience includes Whitman's real connection to the Civil War. Whitman not only witnessed the ravages of war, he saw what war did to humanity. Whitman had tasted success before the war but it was the war itself that drew Whitman closer to the collective soul of every man in the universe. The poet's eyes saw what terrible events led up to the war and they saw the suffering of each and every soul. The poems "Song of Myself," "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," and "So Long!" allow us to see how the art does indeed imitate life. The war was not something that Whitman saw from a distance - it was something he touched with his hands and felt with his heart and, as a result, related with his pen."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Folsom, Ed. "Antebellum Writers in New York." Dictionary of Literary Biography. GALE Resource Database. Site Accessed July 16, 2008. <http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com>
• Spiller, Robert, et al. Literary History of the United States. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company. Inc. 1974.
• Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." Leaves of Grass. New York: Signet Classics. 1958.
• ---. "So Long." Leaves of Grass. New York: Signet Classics. 1958.
• ---. "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd." Leaves of Grass. New York: Signet Classics. 1958.

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