Walt Whitman's Poem 'O Star Of France'

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Walt Whitman “O Star of France” Walt Whitman’s poem “O Star of France” is a poem full of historic optimism. It is about faith in revolution and people who believe in the idea of revolution. In this poem Whitman expresses his hopes and faith in France and freedom. The poem was written during the last period of his creative work. In this part of his life Whitman was disappointed in American political system; he criticized society and was devoted to the idea of freedom which is also expressed in the poem about Lincoln. His poetry is romantic and full of hope in this period of life (Krats 14). I enjoyed reading this poem and really liked it. I like how every new stanza contains an epithet that describes how Whitman sees France. And every epithet …show more content…

And the poet wants them more than pretty garden with roses. The garden is not wild and free. Thus, one of the main themes is lack freedom (Rong). I like this major theme of this poem and find it interesting because it is unusual that a character prefers wild and uncomfortable place to well landscaped and clean. Doing a research to answer this question I’ve learned that this “wild” imagery represents a rebellion against conventional femininity and displays an implicit irritation about this conventionality. This poem is a manifest against ‘traditional’ femininity. Probably, after the divorce Doolittle wanted different femininity: stronger, alone, freer, not delicate, and beautiful (Gumpert). These bright images framed with sharped language represent her as an imagist. Wilfred Owen “Beauty” The poem is about beauty. Every person has its own perception of the beauty. Some love animals like horses and some find beauty in nature. Usually, all people find beauty in something elegant and beautiful. The poem ends with the image of the dead officer who wanted to return home and live calm life in the garden with roses. I cannot tell that I found this poem very interesting. I didn’t like a stereotype that women, unlike men, are preoccupied with the beauty: Men seldom speak of beauty, beauty as such, Not even lovers think about it much. Women of course consider it for