Ellis, William
1-20-09
As we all know, Mr. Whitman did not use and lyrical poetry when he broke away from the norms of his time (i.e. Fireside Talks and the common use of rhyme scheme and meter.) Instead, he created brilliant poems by using free verse and provided vivid and thought provoking mental images for his readers throughout his career. The most intriguing to me being “Cavalry Crossing a Ford”; which is taken from his collection entitled Drum Taps. This poem describes a troop of Cavalry soldiers moving across a stream perhaps on their way to battle or simply engaging in a training exercise. Whitman uses several sensory adjectives to describe the sight of these soldiers and their horses while crossing the stream. These adjectives made me feel as if I were standing alongside the stream watching the soldiers. This poem was particularly interesting to me because of my future career in the Army. I took notice as some of you might have, to the reference of the guidons flapping in the wind. This was a thought provoking line for me because, it exemplified how they were being displayed with honor and also showed how proud the soldiers were to being serving underneath them. This poem left an impression on me that I have reflected on since and have collected a stronger sense of purpose that will help drive me through my career and life.
What a wonderful observation. I too have been affected by this beautifully crafted poem. Whitman does all but paint this snapshot in time as these rugged soldiers cross the ford. I too have taken notice of the significance of the guidons flapping in the wind. This provoked the notion that even though this seemingly unorganized group of men appear to in a ruckus they are still united under the battle standard that still waves proudly in the wind. Another thought to consider is the connection between Whitman's own use of free-verse and the seeming unrestricted nature of the people in the poem. Unlike typical vision of military troops aligned in neat symmetric columns, the soldiers like Whitman's poetry are not orderly and dressed but free to craft a wonderful picture in time.
ReplyDeleteVery insightful for a student who may have not read the poem, "EWhiskey," puts together an excellent argument for the solid style and grace of Whitman. EWhiskey not only provides a history of Whitman and an overview of his writing style, but also relates to the reader how the poem coincides with his future career. This blog post is the standard that all future posts should be compared to.
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