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Who Is Walt Whitman's Elegy For J. F. K?

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Many poems, especially elegies, are written after a famous or well-known person passes away. “O Captain! My Captain” by Walt Whitman and “Elegy for J.F.K” by W. H. Auden are two such poems written after the passing of important figures in history. Even though these poems are elegies written after similar role-filling people, they are extremely different in many ways including: structure, tone, and style of writing. One similarity is that these poems were written after presidents who had been assassinated during presidency. “O Captain! My Captain” was written for Abraham Lincoln after he was shot while seeing a play. “Elegy for J.F.K.” was for president John F. Kennedy after he had been shot as well. Although these elegies were written with sadness for the leaders, they were written with completely different structures. “Elegy for J.F.K.” was written in standard format while “O Captain! My Captain!” was written with indentions, adding a suspense effect. …show more content…

Both these poems are not in celebration or remembrance of these figure’s deaths, but an emotional narrative. Each of these express the sadness of either the Captain in “O Captain! My Captain!” while the sadness is expressed towards John F. Kennedy in “Elegy for J.F.K.”. And although these tones are similar, they are also slightly different. “O Captain! My Captain!” has a tone of despairing hopefulness. This can be see on lines 18 and 19, “My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;” where the writer is expressing that his captain is dead, but everything is over and everyone is safe. In “Elegy for J.F.K.”, the tone is more depressed in the moment. Seen in lines 4, 5 and 6, “Why than, why there, Why thus, we cry, did he die? The heavens are silent”, the writer is talking of a hopelessness immediately after John F. Kennedy’s

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Throughout history, one of the most common occurrences during times of warfare is the death of the soldiers who are fighting for their country. Depending on one’s point of view, a soldier’s death at war could be honorable and glorified, or it can be a gruesome, anonymous demise. In the two poems, “Epitaph on a Solider” by Cyril Tourneur and “The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner” by Randal Jarrell, there is a stark contrast between the emotional impacts experienced by the reader. Through each author’s unique writing style, “Tourneur’s Epitaph on a Soldier” shows glory in a soldier’s death and is supportive of war, while Jarrell’s “The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner” gives a much more painful impression of war and the passing of those involved in it.

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This creates a sense of connection, on a religious level, and it also shows that JFK is a god fearing man, as many were religious during this time. Another way that JFK took an ethical approach to his speech was through his use of juxtaposition. A juxtaposition is the combination of two contrasting items often done deliberately to highlight their differences. Kennedy writes, “we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace.”

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In his speech, “Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Address,” Clinton announces “I am honored to be here today to represent the American People,” and “Hillary and I also come as parents, as husband and wife, as people who were your neighbors for some of the best years of our lives.” He was basically telling the audience that he knew what he was talking about, and had experience with family, so it allowed them to connect. On the other hand, Robert F. Kennedy uses ethos to show the people of America that he feels the same way about Martin Luther King Jr’s death because his brother, John F. Kennedy, former president, was also assassinated. In his speech, “A Eulogy For Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” Kennedy stated, “I can only say that I feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling.

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John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, leaving his Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson, in charge of a hopeless and disbanded country. Shortly after he was sworn in, Johnson attempted to ease those emotions in his speech, "Let Us Continue." In his speech, "Let Us Continue," Johnson's purpose is to persuade his audience that the country needs to be united again in order to move on and to ease the hopelessness and emotional tension after Kennedy's assassination. Johnson first addresses his audience, and then starts out with the usage of an antithesis, stating that "The greatest leader of our time has been struck down by the foulest deed of our time," creating an empathetic mood in order to soothe the emotional tension within the audience.

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“Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight” (Kennedy 1). This is just one of the three rhetorical devices Robert F. Kennedy used, logos, pathos, and allusion. RFK’s speech following the death of Martin Luther King, by Robert F. Kennedy. This speech is spoken by RFK following the death of MLK. RFK explains and persuades his audience to not erupt in hatred but to turn to compassion and love.

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Death is a sad topic so the audience might not only feel understanding but also sad. After Kennedy talks about this, he discusses how we have to forgive each other. This gives the audience a feeling of forgiveness and will start to calm them down. The most important part of this evidence is the last part that says that we have to keep going even in difficult times. The crowd all knows how the death of Martin Luther King will affect America and so when Kennedy says this it reminds them to persevere.

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President John F. Kennedy gives a eulogy to the nation for the late poet, Robert Frost. Kennedy tells the nation of the great life Frost lead by making a contribution in each of lives of the people who read his poems. Frost had great insight into the world we all live in and Kennedy praises Frost for not only being able to see the reality of the world but for also holding faith in the spirt of man. Robert shared his insight to the people of his generation and future generations and is able to them strength. Kennedy recognizes the great things that Robert achieved in his life and also recognizes the way he impacted the world and will continue to impact the world.

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President Barack Obama uses anecdotes and contrast in his eulogy for Senator Ted Kennedy to praise and memorialize him. In his eulogy of Senator Ted Kennedy, President Barack Obama honors and remembers him with anecdotes and contrasts. In his speech Obama says, "through more pain and tragedy than most of us will ever know" with "the spirit of resilience and good humor. " The difference between "good humor" and "pain and tragedy" highlights Kenndy's resilience in the face of adversity. His humor and good spirit endured despite the terrible events in his life, which most of us would have lost in our grief.

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, for example "O Captain! My Captain", and "fallen cold and dead"’(O Captain 9). Similarly, “Elegy for J.F.K.” repeats a whole

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He again appeals to the emotions of the listeners by stating that “we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much” (Reagan, 1986), “Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit to say, “”Give me a challenge and I’ll meet it with joy”” (Reagan, 1986), and “They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us” (Reagan, 1986). He expresses his mourning to the loved ones in order to show that he truly cares and that “we’re thinking about you so very much” (Reagan, 1986). Reagan conveys a touching tone that we feel the pain and sadness you do towards your loved

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