A Sight In Camp In The DayBreak Gray And Dim

By: Jamie 8-1

Walt Whitman, born in Long Island, New York in 1819 began writing at age 11. In 1862 Whitman served as a nurse for the Union forces during the Civil War. In his poem "A Sight In Camp In The Daybreak Gray And Dim," he portrays just one of many hardships soldiers, nurses and doctors endured during the war.

The main focus and theme of this poem is the three forms under the wool blankets. In the beginning of the poem he simply walks through the "cool fresh air" to the hospital tent. He notices the forms lying there, and is very curious. He describes each form, the first by saying, "elderly man so gaunt and grim." The second figure was a young boy and the third he explains as Christ. I think the Christ figure is a symbol of (popularity) and is familiar to this man.

  "Then with light fingers I from the face of the nearest the first just lift the blanket." I believe that this line of the poem contains alliteration, imagery, and onomatopoeia. It repeats the "F" sound, with this sound the reader can hear the man’s scratching fingers along the wool blanket. In the last stanza Whitman elaborates on the third face, the face of Christ. To me it symbolizes all the men who died in the war and all the loved ones who were lost. It gives me a sense of appreciation for what all these men and women did for our generation by fighting in the war. It also represents a time of hardships and difficulties and during these times we really look for and test our faith.

Next the mood of the poem demonstrates sadness and depression. The setting plays a very important role in this mood, because its early in the morning, its gray and dim outside, and it’s during the war in a camp. The tone of the poem portrays curiosity, silence, sadness, and sobering. He was curious to see what was under the blankets, but when he found out in the third stanza the poem reached a serious point continuing till the end.

Lastly I think many lines contain imagery. For example "Over each the blanket spread, ample brownish woolen blanket." In this line the reader can imagine the brown itchy wool blanket. Another example is "As slow I walk in the cool fresh air the path near by the hospital tent." Here the reader can smell the fresh air and breath it in.

To conclude I thoroughly enjoyed this poem. I think it displays a true situation during the Civil War. This poem demonstrates that many, many lives were lost in the Civil War, and it wasn’t always " someone else’s" loved ones it was yours too. I think Walt Whitman was a very talented and experienced poet.

The Red Badge of Courage By Stephen Crane

Report by Jamie Ingold 8-1

" He had, of course, dreamed of battles all his life- of vague and bloody conflicts that had thrilled him with their sweep and fire. In visions he had seen himself in many struggles. He had imagined peoples secure in the shadow of his eagle-eyed prowess. But awake he had regarded battles as crimson blotches of the pages of the past. He had put them as things of the bygone with his though-images of heavy crowns and high castles. There was a portion of the world’s history which he had regarded as the time of wars, but it, he thought, had been long gone over the horizon and had disappeared forever."

This passage gives the boy’s thoughts and views on war. In this passage the book has just begun and "the youth" dreams of going into battle. His mother, however, thinks he should stay and help on the farm since his dad pasted away. A little later in the book Henry does enlist in the war as a Union soldier. The boy thinks of the war as something of wondrous value, something he longed to participate in. He refers to a battle as " heavy crowns and high castles." He regards it as something that rarely happens and he puts it on a pedestal. In the book when he finally reaches the battlefield, I don’t think the war in general to him was everything he dreams it would be. When he’s about to go to battle he ponders fleeing the skirmish, but in the end he remains.

" He was being looked at by a dead man who was seated with his back against a columnlike tree. The corpse was dressed in a uniform that once had been blue, but was now faded to a melancholy shade of green. The eyes, staring at the youth, had changed to the dull hue to be seen on the side of a dead fish. The mouth was open. Its red had changed to an appalling yellow. Over the gray skin of the face ran little ants. One was trundling some sort of a bundle along the upper lip."

In this passage the boy comes across a corpse. In this part of the book Henry has just entered a swamp. He is walking through the brush when he comes across the body. He describes the corpse in depth and I think it made an impact on him. It seemed like he has never seen anything like this before in his young life. After the passage above he still talks about death and I think he is almost afraid of death. He continues through the rest of the chapter to mention death. Psychologically I think it really affects him. I assume this because of the way he talks about death so thoroughly.

" At times he regarded the wounded soldiers in an envious way. He conceived persons with torn bodies to be peculiarly happy. He wished that he, too, had a wound, a red badge of courage."

In this passage " the youth" is essentially saying that he wishes he could be wounded just as the other soldiers are. He's jealous of them since they have a "red badge of courage." I think Henry believe that a wound means your important and you did your job on the battlefield. I also think that Henry finds the soldiers as role models or someone he wants to be. He looks up to them because they went into battle and weren't afraid, and he is afraid. Crane also describes a "red badge of courage."

In The Red Badge of Courage Crane uses much imagery. For instance, "The eyes staring at the youth, changed to the dull hue to be seen on the side of a dead fish." The reader can imagine this scene and the eyes of the corpse. Another example is, " But awake he had regarded battles as crimson blotches on the pages of the past." This same line is also used as a simile. It is comparing a battle to crimson blotches. Cranes written is also extremely descriptive. During the battles Henry goes through, Crane gives step-by-step descriptions of the scenery and the events that are taking place. This keeps the reader involved and interested throughout the book.

To conclude this is an interesting and realistic story about the Civil War. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction will thoroughly enjoy this book. The Red Badge of Courage, gives the reader a sense of national pride, thankfulness for our loved ones , and our freedom…….. forever.

The Red Badge of Courage was written by Stephen Crane and was first published in 1895.

I would like to thank the following people for their help and support:

• Ms. Patterson
• Mrs. Joldersma
• Mr. Petersen
• Mrs. Diorio