Topic > Literary Analysis of Walt Whitman's "Give Me The Splendid Silent Sun" he states bluntly that his poetry collection Drum Taps “satisfies my ambition… to express… the pending action of this time and the land we swim in, with all (its) desperation… the unprecedented anguish of the sufferers, of the beautiful young people, in death and total agony." But in contrast to this view, Whitman also declares that Drum Taps is a collection that reverberates with "the blare of the trumpet and the tints of... camaraderie and human love, with the clear notes of faith and triumph" (Bradley 765). .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In his poem “Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun,” first published in Drum Taps in May 1865, Whitman describes his emotional attachment to the Civil War through his experiences in New York City, where the efforts Northern wars were examined and discussed by practically every citizen. In his seminal work American Renaissance, F. O. Matthiessen notes that Whitman's "deeper perception of the meaning of suffering," brought on by his "decision to become a volunteer nurse during the Civil War," led to the creation of Drum Taps. While living in Manhattan, Whitman heard "the sound of bugles and drums" (line 30), "the rustle and clank of muskets" (line 39), and witnessed "soldiers in companies or regiments" (line 31) and "of the thick band . . with tall military wagons" (lines 34-35), all examples of the ongoing struggle between the Union and the Confederacy over states' rights and slavery. This poem, however, is not entirely concerned with war. , as in Whitman's hymn "Beat! Beat! Drums!" in which he explores his dedication to the military principles of the North. In "Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun", Whitman offers two contrasting points of view, the first is a calm and peaceful coexistence with nature that can only be achieved through a complete indifference to war, and the second, a turbulent war. - freighter attitude full of flag waving, cheering crowds, marching soldiers, and displays of military pomp and circumstance on the streets of Manhattan. Whitman's use of declamation or rhetorical speech, as in "Song of Myself", is also highly represented in "Give Me, the Splendid Silent Sun", as he interprets and defends his ideals of nature with commands such as " Give me a field” (line 3), “Give me a bower” (line 4), “Give me fresh corn” (line 5), and “Give me perfectly still nights” (line 6). Instead, he demonstrates his ambivalence with lines such as "Keep your woods o nature," "Keep your clover fields," and "Keep the buckwheat fields blooming," all relating to his desire to join in the festivities in streets of Manhattan due to his love of city life. “Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun”: Analysis In the first stanza of “Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun,” Whitman presents a portrait of nature separate from the “noise of the world” (line 12), a metaphor indicative of the urban dissonance of the city, product of the industrial revolution. The "beautiful silent sun" symbolizes the source of all life on earth, where "beautiful" denotes changes in the seasons that produce ripe fruits, wheat fields, bowers and fresh greens, while "silent" denotes the sun's indifference towards human societies. Whitman's primal connection with nature is shown in lines such as "Give me a garden of beautiful fragrant flowers at dawn" (line 8), "Give me a child, 1979.
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