President Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman - 947 Words

President Abraham Lincoln, admired by Walt Whitman, blossomed in â€Å"Whitmans writing and in American mythology†(Eiselein) for his leadership and nobility. Whitman hoped for a rugged, healthy, who knew what real, physical work was, to be the â€Å"[r]edeemer [p]resident of [t]hese [s]tates†(Whitman). His hopes came true â€Å"as in a dream†(Whitman) when â€Å"four years later, just such a beard-faced boatman†(Goodheart) entered the White House. Walt Whitman discovered the â€Å"comprehensive, all-directing soul he had long been seeking†(Reynolds) in Abraham Lincoln’s life. Therefore Whitman, a patriotic American, would see Lincoln’s death as not only a grave tragedy but also a â€Å"promise [of] ultimate purgation and unification for America.†(Reynolds). Dedicating countless hours to the war and politics before President Lincoln’s death, Whitman strained to restore the Union as a whole. Feeling obligated to participate in the war effort, Whitman secured a government position making â€Å"regular visit[s] [to] soldiers in war hospitals†(Constantkis). Whitman also participated in the Free Soil Party, a rising opposition to the progression and spread of slavery, and wrote political commentaries in his effort to strengthen the Union. These undertakings not only aided the Union, but also brought Whitman closer to his idol, Lincoln, who also wanted to preserve the Union. Devastated by the assassination of President Lincoln, Walt Whitman wrote â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!,† â€Å"This Dust Was Once the Man,† andShow MoreRelatedThe Lincoln Assasinations Impact on Walt Whitman Essay1149 Words   |  5 PagesThe Lincoln Assasinations Impact on Walt Whitman On the night of the awful tragedy an unreal action occurred in the box at the theater. Watching was the greatest man of his time in the glory of the most stupendous success story in our history. He was the idolized chief of a nation already mighty, and a symbol to all of the grandeur of a great nation. Quick death was to come on the central figure of that company -- the central figure of the great and good men of the century. The shotRead MoreWalt Whitman Research Paper1323 Words   |  6 PagesWalt Whitman and the Civil War Walt Whitman is considered one of America’s greatest poets. During his lifetime, Whitman wrote hundreds of poems about life, love and democracy, among many others. In particular, Whitman’s poetry reflects the spirit of the age in which he lived, the Civil War. In taking a closer look at one of his most renowned and brilliant pieces, â€Å"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d†, three particular themes are observed; his love for nature, the cycle of life, as representedRead More A True Patriot: Walt Whitman Essay1081 Words   |  5 Pages A True Patriot: Walt Whitman When one talks of great American Poets, if the person has any since of intelligence, then they can in now way fail to mention Walt Whitman. Whitman is unmistakingly a great American poet, So great, that Ralph Waldo Emerson said that he was an â€Å"American Shakespeare† (Tucker 247). While the debate still goes on about that comment, there is no debate about the greatness of Whitman. Walt Whitman was born in West Hills, NY on May 31, 1819 on Long Island. He was the secondRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem O Captain My Captain By Walt Whitman1337 Words   |  6 Pageswhen the poem was written. This poem, â€Å"O Captain, My Captain† was written by Walt Whitman in 1865 after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This death of the beloved president left the entire country devastated. Walt Whitman was a very strong admirer of Abraham Lincoln and often saw him as a fatherly figure in his life. Whitman writes many times in his poem yelling â€Å"father† (Whitman 13). Whitman truly believed that Lincoln had kept this country together, even though there was such hatred between theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Captain My Captain By Walt Whitman1412 Words   |  6 Pagespoem was written by Walt Whitman in 1865 after the assassination of a beloved president, Abraham Lincoln. The death of this beloved president left the entire country devastated. Walt Whit man was a very strong admirer of Abraham Lincoln and often saw him as a fatherly figure in his life. He writes many times in his poem yelling â€Å"father†. Whitman truly believed that Lincoln had kept this country together even though there was such hatred between the North and the South. Lincoln had accomplished theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem O Captain ! My Captain By Walt Whitman826 Words   |  4 PagesMany Leaders lack the ability to move people. Mourning the death of a leader is an even bigger task to take on. Abraham Lincoln, in this case was an exception. In the famous poem, â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† Written by, Walt Whitman in the year 1865. The poem, refers to a terrible event in American history; the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Instead of the country celebrating and rejoicing over the ending of the Civil War and being happy over the country being kept whole, everyone wasRead MoreWhitman’s Use of Extended Metaphor in O Captain ! My Captain!604 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† Captain Lincoln Steers the Ship to victory. â€Å"Where on the deck my captain lies Fallen cold and dead.†(7-8) This quote from the story refers to the assassination of President Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was President during the Civil War, and is considered to be one of the greatest presidents of all time. President Lincoln was assassinated on April 14,1865 and was in a coma for 9 hours before he died. With the death of the President the nation lost it’s most importantRead MoreWalt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln3895 Words   |  16 PagesWalt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln Table of contents 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 2. Whitman’s position in American literature†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 3. Whitman’s poetry before the civil war†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...............3 4. Lincoln’s death – a turning point for Whitman†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.6 5. Walt Whitman’s four poems on the American nation’s grief†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 5.1 Hush d Be the Camps To-day†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..7 5.2. When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 Read MoreSymbolism In O Captain ! My Captain By Walt Whitman984 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"O Captain! My Captain† by Walt Whitman is a poem written as a way to honor Abraham Lincoln after his assassination in 1865. The poem is about a sailor who is praising his captain for leading the ship through a long, hard voyage. As everyone starts to celebrate the homecoming of the vessel, the sailor notices his captain lying on the deck, dead. Whitman uses symbolism to aid not only himself, but the country, in the mourning of their president. The poem as a whole has a symbolic meaning; usingRead More Death and Regeneration in Walt Whitmans Poem, When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloomd550 Words   |  3 PagesRegeneration in Walt Whitmans Poem, When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloomd Whitman in 1865 wrote an elegy for President Lincoln entitled When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd. The Lilacs elegy is an outpouring of the deep sense of loss that Whitman felt after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The Presidents death was a great shock to the poet; it overwhelmed him in a very personal way. Whitman recognized Lincolns excellence and importance. When Whitman first heard