What is the poem The Wound-Dresser about?
What is the poem The Wound-Dresser about?
Lesson Summary This poem tells of Whitman’s experience working as a war nurse to care for wounded soldiers. The speaker of the poem is an old man asked to tell about his experiences in war. He tells of being excited about war but then shifts to disillusionment when he sees its terrible impact on soldiers.
Where does the Wound-Dresser take place?
St Paul, Minnesota
| The Wound-Dresser | |
|---|---|
| Date | 24 February 1989 |
| Location | St Paul, Minnesota |
| Conductor | John Adams |
| Performers | Sanford Sylvan (baritone) Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra |
What stays with deepest and latest?
Now be witness again, paint the mightiest armies of earth, Of those armies so rapid so wondrous what saw you to tell us? What stays with you latest and deepest? of curious panics, Of hard-fought engagements or sieges tremendous what deepest remains?
What were Walt Whitman’s beliefs?
Whitman also had strong views about equality and slavery; his experiences witnessing slave auctions affected him deeply and inspired part of his famous poem “I Sing the Body Electric.” He was an ardent believer in equal rights for all people, and was a political activist for years, but it was through his poetry that he …
Did Walt Whitman fight in the Civil War?
Walt Whitman became involved in the Civil War in 1862 when his brother George, a soldier for the Union army was wounded. Walt traveled to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to visit him. He stayed in camp for two weeks, and for the remainder of the war he volunteered in hospitals in the Washington, D.C. area.
What is the scented herbage of Whitman’s breast?
The fragrant “herbage of my breast” suggests the poet’s poems, which are called “Leaves.” The poet’s death will not destroy his thoughts; the Leaves will continue to grow from his grave — for the Leaves are “blossoms of my blood” and unfold the poet’s heart. The breast contains the heart, poetically the source of love.
What is the meaning of beat beat drums?
The poet exhorts the drums and bugles to drown their dissenting voices. The drumbeat is a symbol of war and it creates highly passionate, even extremist responses; Whitman’s poems reflect these emotions. The verse is characterized by a rapidity of movement which reflects the poet’s enthusiasm, ardor, and passion.
Why is Walt Whitman so important?
Whitman is perhaps America’s first democratic poet. The free verse he adopts in his work reflects a newly naturalized and accessible poetic language. His overarching themes—the individual, the nation, the body, the soul, and everyday life and work—mirror the primary values of America’s founding.
What makes Walt Whitman unique?
Whitman is considered the father of free-verse poetry. But he was much more than that. He introduced readers to previously forbidden topics — sexuality, the human body and its functions — and incorporated unusual themes, such as debris, straw and leaves, into his work. Whitman’s innovations went even deeper.
What did Walt Whitman think of the war?
Whitman opposed slavery and supported the free soil platform advocating that only those territories that outlawed slavery should be allowed into the Union as new states. But he feared the Civil War would shatter his beloved nation.
Did Walt Whitman write about the war?
The poet Walt Whitman wrote about the Civil War extensively. His heartfelt observation of life in wartime Washington made its way into poems, and he also wrote articles for newspapers and a number of notebook entries only published decades later.
What is the meaning of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry?
“Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is a poem about a man taking the Brooklyn ferry home from Manhattan at the end of a working day. It is one of Walt Whitman’s best-known and best-loved poems because it so astutely and insightfully argues for Whitman’s idea that all humans are united in their common experience of life.
What was the theme of Walt Whitman’s poem The Wound Dresser?
‘The Wound-Dresser’ is the centerpiece of the Drum-Taps section of Leaves of Grass, a series of 43 poems on the subject of the American Civil War. The poems in the Drum-Taps section, including ‘The Wound-Dresser,’ focus on human suffering related to the Civil War.
How long is the poem The Wound Dresser?
The Poem. Walt Whitman’s “The Wound-Dresser” is a sixty-five-line free-verse poem in four sections describing the suffering in the Civil War hospitals and the poet’s suffering, faithfulness to duty, and developing compassion as he tended to soldiers’ physical wounds and gave comfort. Published at war’s end, the poem opens with an old veteran…
What is the meaning of the Wound Dresser?
The Wound Dresser is an intimate, graphic and deeply moving expression of the act of nursing the sick and dying. The poem is remarkable for its lack of exaggerated portrayals of pain and suffering. Yet, the attention to detail, the depiction of images, etc. are very sophisticated for a poem written in the nineteenth century.
Why did Walt Whitman write a poem about the Civil War?
The poem is specifically about the Civil War, so this should help too. Whitman’s recollections about the war’s focus on the sad elements largely because these are what he saw, namely the aftermath of the fighting since he served as a wound-dresser. You can find quotes to help support ideas around the section where it says, “…