Beat+Beat+Drums

This poem was pretty confusing. I had a hard time trying to figure out Whitman's point. I think it has something to do with his reaction to the Civil War at its start. He was one of the people who wanted to avoid war, so I think this poem expresses his anger that the conflict between the states errupted into war. I think that he is also describing the effects that the war had on civilians living near the battlefields. A perfect example of this is the very first stanza:

"Beat! beat! drums!--blow! bugles! blow! Through the windows--through doors--burst like a ruthless force, Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation, Into the school where the scholar is studying; Leave not the bride groom quiet--no happiness must he have now with his bride, Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, ploughing his field or gathering his grain, So fierce you whirr and pound you drums--so shrill you bugles blow."

In these lines, Whittman is listing some people whose lives are affected by the war, even though they are not fighting in it. Overall, I thought that this poem was OK. I had a hard time trying to understand it. 1200665530

I too found this poem rather hard to process, once I was done reading it. I wasn't completely sure of how Whitman exactly felt about the overall concept of the Civil War. I noticed how he didn't believe in war and the violence involved in it. This poem showed me how even our own country, a place where unity should be strongly expressed, lacks peace and serenity and has it's flaws when it comes to practicing that. The poem also showed how the war had a very strong impact on those living during this crisis. When I read the stanza's posted by Psa, I noticed that Whitman was pointing out certain audiences and their take on the war itself. He also seemed to be pointing out how happiness and joy wasn't brought out during the war. Only sorrow and pain was. 1201352768