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Literary Devices In Thomas Whitman's Poetry

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“Since our complex societies are highly susceptible to interferences and accidents, they certainly offer ideal opportunities for a prompt disruption of normal activities”(Habermas, Brainy Quote). When certain aspects of life are broken apart, people become disturbed in different ways. Whitman discusses different ways that life may be affected or disrupted, and explains how it is inevitable to happen eventually. Literary devices such as tone, repetition, imagery and allusions may be used to visualize the disruption of life depicted within Whitman’s poems. Within Whitman’s poems, a dark and depressing tone can be visualized. Whitman seemingly talks sadly throughout his poems. Throughout several works by Whitman, there is rarely any happy scenes of any sort. “My captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still”(O Captain, 17). Since Whitman’s poems were written based on the Civil War, it is understandable for the poems to be depressing in tone. With Whitman’s depressing tone, several quotes build on the depressed theme that he tries to imply. Whitman speaks of the Union Army and how although victory was accomplished, loss was still apparent. “But I with mournful tread, walk the deck my captain lies, fallen cold and dead”(O Captain, 22-24). This quote was based on the loss of former President, Abraham Lincoln, who led the Union Army to victory, but in the end, had tragic misfortune. Whitman also …show more content…

When focusing clearly on literary devices such as tone, repetition, imagery, and allusions, the audience may understand clearly the reasoning to wy these poems were written. Whitman’s poems were highly based on events from the Civil War which explains the history of the United States from a different perspective. Focusing on the literary devices above not only gives one the visualization of how the Nation was built, but how devastating it was

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