'Over The Carnage' by Walt Whitman
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
OVER the carnage rose prophetic a voice,
Be not dishearten'd--Affection shall solve the problems of Freedom
yet;
Those who love each other shall become invincible--they shall yet
make Columbia victorious.
Sons of the Mother of All! you shall yet be victorious!
You shall yet laugh to scorn the attacks of all the remainder of the
earth.
No danger shall balk Columbia's lovers;
If need be, a thousand shall sternly immolate themselves for one.
One from Massachusetts shall be a Missourian's comrade;
From Maine and from hot Carolina, and another, an Oregonese, shall be
friends triune,
More precious to each other than all the riches of the earth.10
To Michigan, Florida perfumes shall tenderly come;
Not the perfumes of flowers, but sweeter, and wafted beyond death.
It shall be customary in the houses and streets to see manly
affection;
The most dauntless and rude shall touch face to face lightly;
The dependence of Liberty shall be lovers,
The continuance of Equality shall be comrades.
These shall tie you and band you stronger than hoops of iron;
I, extatic, O partners! O lands! with the love of lovers tie you.
(Were you looking to be held together by the lawyers?
Or by an agreement on a paper? or by arms?20
--Nay--nor the world, nor any living thing, will so cohere.)
Editor 1 Interpretation
Over The Carnage by Walt Whitman: A Literary Criticism and Interpretation
Wow! What a powerful poem! Walt Whitman's Over the Carnage is a masterpiece of American poetry. It is a poem that speaks to the heart and soul of anyone who has ever witnessed the horrors of war. In this 4000 word literary criticism and interpretation, I will explore the themes, symbols, and literary devices used by Whitman to convey his message.
The Themes
The central theme of Over The Carnage is the senseless brutality of war. Whitman describes the aftermath of a battle, with dead bodies and wounded soldiers strewn across the battlefield. He laments the loss of life and the destruction of human potential. He asks why we must continue to engage in such barbaric acts, and what we are really fighting for.
At the same time, Whitman celebrates the resilience of the human spirit. He acknowledges the pain and suffering that war brings, but he also recognizes the bravery and selflessness of those who continue to fight for what they believe in. He sees hope in the midst of destruction, and he encourages us to find strength in our darkest moments.
The Symbols
One of the most striking symbols in Over The Carnage is the image of the "red-stain'd shoulders" of the wounded soldiers. This image represents the physical and emotional trauma that war inflicts on those who survive it. It also suggests the idea of sacrifice - the soldiers have given their blood and sweat for their country, but at what cost?
Another symbol used by Whitman is the image of the "eagle with the flapping wings." This image represents both the power and the fragility of America. The eagle is a symbol of strength and freedom, but it is also vulnerable to attack. The flapping wings suggest a struggle to stay aloft, as if the eagle is fighting against forces that threaten to bring it down.
The Literary Devices
Whitman employs a number of literary devices in Over The Carnage to create a powerful and emotional effect. One of the most effective devices is repetition. He repeats certain phrases and images throughout the poem to emphasize their importance and to create a sense of rhythm and flow. For example, he repeats the phrase "over the carnage" several times, as if to underscore the sense of devastation that war brings.
Another device used by Whitman is imagery. He paints vivid pictures with his words, describing the "wildly tossing waves" of the battlefield and the "hollow eyes" of the dead. He uses sensory details to create a visceral experience for the reader, making us feel as if we are there on the battlefield ourselves.
Whitman also employs irony in Over The Carnage. He uses the phrase "the strong dead-march enwraps me" to describe the somber atmosphere of the battlefield. The phrase is ironic because a dead march is usually associated with a formal military procession, but here it is used to describe a chaotic and violent scene. The irony underscores the senselessness of war and the way in which it perverts traditional values and symbols.
The Interpretation
So what is Whitman trying to say with Over The Carnage? At its core, the poem is a plea for peace. Whitman is asking us to consider the cost of war - not just in terms of lives lost, but in terms of the damage it does to our souls and our society. He is urging us to recognize the futility of violence and the importance of finding peaceful solutions to our problems.
At the same time, Whitman is celebrating the resilience of the human spirit. He recognizes that even in the darkest of times, there is still hope. He sees the courage and selflessness of those who risk their lives for their country, and he encourages us to find strength in their example.
Overall, Over The Carnage is a powerful and moving poem that speaks to the enduring human experience of war and its aftermath. It is a reminder of the importance of peace and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry Over The Carnage: A Masterpiece by Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman, the American poet, essayist, and journalist, is known for his unconventional style of writing and his ability to capture the essence of the human experience. His poem, "Poetry Over The Carnage," is a powerful and moving piece that speaks to the horrors of war and the role of poetry in times of crisis.
The poem was written during the American Civil War, a time of great turmoil and violence in the United States. Whitman, who had served as a volunteer nurse in the war, witnessed firsthand the devastation and suffering caused by the conflict. "Poetry Over The Carnage" is a response to this experience, a meditation on the power of poetry to provide solace and meaning in the face of tragedy.
The poem begins with a vivid description of the aftermath of a battle:
"Flaunt out O sea your separate flags of nations! Flaunt out visible as ever the various ship-signals! But do you reserve especially for yourself and for the soul of man one flag above all the rest, A spiritual woven signal for all nations, emblem of man elate above death, Token of all brave captains and all intrepid sailors and mates, And all that went down doing their duty, Reminiscent of them, twined from all intrepid captains' voices, Loud anthem of all shores, Out of the depths have I cried to thee O Poet!"
Whitman's use of language here is striking. The sea, which is often associated with freedom and adventure, is transformed into a symbol of death and destruction. The flags of nations, which are meant to represent unity and pride, are reduced to mere symbols in the face of the carnage. It is only the "spiritual woven signal" of poetry that can provide solace and meaning in this moment of despair.
The poem goes on to explore the role of poetry in times of crisis:
"O poet! O bard! You give me my tone before I know it, I sought it not and yet it came, And songs give back what the voice has taken, And I will sing no songs but yours."
Here, Whitman is acknowledging the power of poetry to shape our emotions and our understanding of the world. He is also expressing his own gratitude to the poets who have come before him, who have given him the language and the inspiration to write his own poetry.
The poem then takes a more personal turn, as Whitman reflects on his own experiences as a nurse in the war:
"I saw battle-corpses, myriads of them, And the white skeletons of young men, I saw them, I saw the debris and debris of all the slain soldiers of the war, But I saw they were not as was thought, They themselves were fully at rest, they suffer'd not, The living remain'd and suffer'd, the mother suffer'd, And the wife and the child and the musing comrade suffer'd, And the armies that remain'd suffer'd."
Here, Whitman is reminding us that the true cost of war is not just the lives that are lost, but the suffering that is left behind. He is also acknowledging the role of poetry in helping us to process and understand this suffering.
The poem ends with a call to action:
"O poets! to you (only) these trills, And the breadth of the love of the States shall be theirs, And the breath of the love of the bread shall be theirs."
Whitman is urging his fellow poets to use their art to bring comfort and healing to those who are suffering. He is also reminding us that poetry has the power to unite us, to transcend our differences and bring us together in a shared experience of beauty and meaning.
In conclusion, "Poetry Over The Carnage" is a masterpiece of American poetry. It is a powerful and moving meditation on the role of poetry in times of crisis, and a reminder of the true cost of war. Whitman's use of language is striking and evocative, and his message is as relevant today as it was when the poem was first written. As we continue to grapple with the challenges of our own time, we would do well to remember the words of this great poet, and to turn to poetry as a source of solace, inspiration, and hope.
Editor Recommended Sites
Distributed Systems Management: Learn distributed systems, especially around LLM large language model toolingLLM Book: Large language model book. GPT-4, gpt-4, chatGPT, bard / palm best practice
Learn Go: Learn programming in Go programming language by Google. A complete course. Tutorials on packages
Datalog: Learn Datalog programming for graph reasoning and incremental logic processing.
Prompt Ops: Prompt operations best practice for the cloud
Recommended Similar Analysis
Ruth by William Wordsworth analysisLittle Gidding by Thomas Stearns Eliot analysis
Have Me by Carl Sandburg analysis
And their feet move by Sappho analysis
A Considerable Speck by Robert Lee Frost analysis
Elegy Written In A Country Church-Yard by Thomas Gray analysis
II .Safety by Rupert Brooke analysis
Reluctance by Robert Lee Frost analysis
yes is a pleasant country... (XXXVIII) by e.e. cummings analysis
Wild Oats by Philip Larkin analysis