Walt Whitman on The Civil War

Walt Whitman's "Beat! Beat! Drums!" is more of an urgent harangue than a poem, and its portrayal of the war differs greatly from that of Horton's and Timrod's. The poem seems more like a battlecry because of its excitement denoted by the exclamation marks and because of its insistence on silencing beautiful things. For instance, Whitman writes, "Leave not the bridegroom quiet--no happiness must he have now with his bride, nor the peaceful farmer any peace, ploughing his field or gathering his grain." This attitude is angry and pertinacious; it insinuates that the war is necessary and should involve all. This is different from the way that Timrod and Horton portray the war, but it does support Neely's opinion on Whitman's perspective.
Neely states that Whitman viewed the war not as "a war for liberation", but "a war for union". Whitman does indeed express this desire for union by mentioning many different people in the poem. Specifically, these people are dropping what they are doing because of the loud beating of the drums and playing of the bugle. For example, Whitman commands the drums to beat so loud "into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation, into the school where the scholar is studying." He also speaks of talkers, singers, and lawyers being interrupted by the persistent beating of the drums. These excerpts represent Whitman's desire for unity because he is not only talking of those who are in the army; he includes occupations from all ends of the spectrum: from farmers to scholars. In addition, Whitman enforces "Mind not the timid--mind not the weeper or the prayer". By commanding the drums to dismiss the "timid" and those who cry and pray, Whitman expresses that he not only wants union, but a strong union.
This standpoint differs from that expressed by George Moses Horton in his poem "The Spectator of the Battle of Belmont". In this work, Horton speaks of the war passionately and tragically, speaking of "the blood-crimson veil which spreads over the field." This contrasts with Whitman's lack of mentioning a battle at all. Horton also talks of how "the conflict begins from the twang of the drummer, and ends with the peal of a tragical tale." This is similar to Whitman's poem in that the drummer initiates the battle.
Henry Timrod is also a Southern poet who speaks of the Civil War in his poems differently than Whitman. Timrod says of the war, "if it may be, save these sacred fields of peace from stain of patriot or of hostile blood!" Timrod's "The Cotton Boll" contrasts directly with Whitman, who says to let not "the peaceful farmer [have] any peace". On the contrary, Whitman and Timrod are somewhat similar in their fervent drive for war. For instance, Whitman's zealous feelings are expressed with his repetition of "Beat! Drums! Beat!" and the strong insistence, as denoted above. Timrod expresses his passion through his cry to God to "strike with us!"

The Role of Nature within Benito Cereno

Herman Melville's Benito Cereno is a sea story based around an American sea captain, Delano, who discovers a peculiar Spanish ship in need of supplies and ship repair. This ship's captain, Benito Cereno, is injured and often appears in a daze or depressed. One of the main elements that Melville leads us to believe is causing Cereno's demeanor is Nature. Throughout this story, nature is personified as sinister and tricky. For instance, when Delano first boards the Spanish ship, Benito Cereno becomes distraught as he explains the troubles his ship has endured. He states "Off Cape Horn we had heavy gales. In one moment, by night, three of my best officers, with fifteen sailors, were lost, with the main-yard". He then goes into a coughing frenzy and becomes faint. His servant remarks, "His mind wanders. He was thinking of the plague that followed the gales." With this anecdote appearing at the beginning of the story, the reader is already given an idea of how harsh nature has been on this ship. In addition, the damage to the ship is described, plus the loss of those men that Cereno mentioned.
Another example of nature's personification occurs when Cereno tells Delano that he cannot accompany him to his ship. The narrator comments, "Meantime the sound of the parted waters came more and more gurglingly and merrily in at the windows; as reproaching him for his dark spleen; as telling him that, sulk as he might, and go mad with it, nature cared not a jot; since, whose fault was it, pray?" This excerpt highlights the unsympathetic trait of nature, and how it can be mocking it a way. Benito Cereno is suffering from some kind of illness, obviously in pain and full of troubled thoughts. Yet, the sounds of the waves are "merry", mocking Benito Cereno. In addition, the rhetorical question at the end of this excerpt is ironic because, at this point in the story, it is believed that nature is actually responsible for Benito Cereno's pain, as well as the rest of his crew's. Looking back, after finding out what really happened to Benito Cereno's men, this question is somewhat foreshadowing.
Lastly, nature is seen when Delano talks of his superstitions about Benito Cereno and the slaves. He says, "Hitherto, credulous good-nature had been too ready to furnish excuses for reasonable fears." He refers to his thought process as a result of "good-nature". This is ironic because Delano was right in thinking that something strange was indeed happening upon this strange ship. Good-nature, in my mind, is the equivalent as common sense or logical thought process. In saying this, Delano is actually blinding himself from the reality of the situation by erasing the possibility some gone wrong with good sense.
Overall, nature is personified as cruel, unforgiving, and unsympathetic throughout Benito Cereno, which is, I believe, a common description for nature in sea stories. It's unpredictable and brutal.

Popularity of The Raven

Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven became very popular in the 1840s and is still popular today because of its fluid rhyme scheme and ominous, controversial storyline. After listening to Christopher Walken eloquently read the poem, I realized how smoothly each rhyme and repetition flow between each line and each stanza. Many of his stanzas contain lines that are virtually the same with the exception of one or two words. For instance, in lines 76 and 77 Poe writes, "On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er/ But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er". The end of these phrases almost repeat exactly, making both of the lines easier to say. Saying it out loud also naturally feels poetic. Some poems are disjointed and feel like simply reading random words or phrases. However, Poe's work can be read with more emotion; since so many words and lines repeat, you feel the need to change your voice when you say the same word so as not to be monotonous. In addition, Poe sometimes adds emphasis to a word to build of the emotional impact of the story. For example, in lines 63 and 64, he states, "Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster/ Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore". The "fast" and "faster" indicate a buildup of suspense and emotion, making the poem more exciting.
This leads into my second point about why the poem was and still is popular. In the 1840s, not many authors were writing such dark content as Poe. In the biographical note in the Heath Anthology, it says that Poe spoke to "the darker side of nineteenth-century American culture, probing the limits of scientific method...and defilement endemic to a democracy that practiced and accommodated slavery". For America in the late 19th-century, Poe's The Raven was bold and different, which I think caught many people's attention. A lot of times, people like a thrill; they enjoy being scared. This poem gave readers a spooky mystery. In addition, those who looked beyond the literal meaning of the poem may have seen a controversial statement about America keeping slaves. Because the controversy referenced was slavery, the poem held relevance for a long time, and still holds relevance today for historical purposes. I don't want to go into much more detail because this is partly what we will be discussing in our presentation Friday.

Judge Meagre's speech

One of the characters in Warren's The Group is a Judge Meagre. His name suggests that he would be feeble, but his speech in Act II, scene III, is anything but meager, or "meagre", the British spelling. Meagre's fierce opinions are first expressed in lines 3 and 4 when he states, "It is not my temper ever to forgive, when once resentment's kindled to my breast." This personification of resentment makes his statement stronger and somewhat sadistic. Meagre continues on to say how he hates the colonists, specifically Brutus, for his "noble stand against the oppressors of his injured country". His character also describes their fight as "generous efforts to be free." I believe that Warren chose adjectives like "noble" and "generous" to describe the colonists' fight because that is what she herself believes their efforts to be, and putting these words into the Tories' mouths creates a comical, yet powerful statement. When I first read the poem, I did not see how this play was satire because I did not understand barely anything about the play! However, after today's discussion, I can more easily pick up on how Warren is poking fun at these British bigots. This speech in particular must have been especially enjoyable for Warren to write because, as Kelly wrote, Brutus is Warren's older brother.
Another way that Warren criticizes the Tories is by making Meagre's character praise "the noble Claudia of old", an immoral Roman noblewoman who poisoned her husband and was punished by Cicero. Meagre wishes to imitate Claudia by riding "over the people, if they don't give way". Also, Meagre tells of the Tories' failures by announcing their failed senate bribe attempts, as well as "the people...see through the schemes of our aspiring clan". He is recognizing his inability to persuade the people to give in to England. Meagre's speech reveals Warren's inner feelings and images of Meagre and the Tories like him. Through the clever use of this off-stage play, her propaganda must have had a strong effect on those involved with the birth of the Revolutionary War.