War is an unnecessary evil. Throughout humanity, many lives have been lost during times of bloodshed. Whether these times of bloodshed can be argued or not; one common theme can be connected to all wars. One must sacrifice his life for his honor. In “A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim,” Walt Whitman uses imagery, persona, and allusion to protest against a world of war.
Using imagery, Whitman depicts the grim conditions of war. As a soldier awakes to yet another working day with a musket, the beauties of this world seem to fail. As the soldier approaches a hospital tent Whitman writes, “Three forms I see on the stretcher lying, brought out their untended lying/ Over each the blanket spread, ample brownish woolen blanket.” Whitman uses this gloomy imagery to paint a horrid picture in our brains. He wants to drill in the readers mind these young men lying still and hopeless. He brings the reader in and makes them really see his viewpoint and perspective. In Charles Oliver article “A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim,” Oliver assersts, “there are also a number of color images that add to the oppressive tone … The
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Whitman writes his poem as the main character. He tries to walk himself through the life of the character. Whitman writes, “As slow I walk in the cool fresh air the path near by the hospital tent.” Whitman uses his unique point of view to walk the reader through the story. He wants the reader to walk in the shoes of a soldier who has seen first hand the horrors of war. This allows the reader to think like a soldier. Oliver writes, “the poet uncovers a dead soldier, third ‘a face nor child nor old, very calm, as of beautiful yellow-white ivory.” Oliver points out that the poet is the main character. This is Whitman use of persona. He allows himself to take on the role of the soldier. He allows the reader to imagine the thoughts of a man seeing comrades lying on a death