The "The Little Drummer" by Fanny Falks, is a great descriptive poem about a young confederate drummer boy who is injured in a battle. He longs for his mother to be with him while his lies dying in a hospital in St. Louis, along with other strangers. He finds a women stranger who comes to him and shows pity and care for him. She helps the boy through his last dying moments.

Slumbered is to sleep, to lie dormant or latent Prest= to be ready

Heeding to notice, attention, give consideration to

In the first part of the poem the poet explains how the young confederate drummer boy is dying with strangers around him and is longing for his mother to be with him to give him kisses and for her to caress him. As he turns his eyes, he spots a woman near him. The women bends down and shows her pity for the boy, as she can hear his dying words.

In the last part in the poem the poet explains how kind the boys mother was to others, and would do the same as the woman is doing for the boy. The boy tells the women that if it were her son, his mother would take care of him the same as the woman does for him. The lady bends down beside the boy, looks at his dying lips and comforts him as he slips into his final rest.

The writing in this poem creates a sad and depressing mood. For the boy only wishes for his mother to be with him through his last dying moments. His caresses and kisses he misses. These are things that make the reader feel sad for the boy and give them a depressed feeling inside.

The author treats the subject with sympathy and with sorrow. By showing the care the women shows for the young boy shows the sympathy in the poem. By showing how much the boy longs for his mother and needs her creates sorrow in the poem.

This poem is written in the first person point of view and is followed by a rhyme scheme of ABCB. The rhyme scheme helps the poem flow nicely and gives more interest to the poem. This poem includes examples of imagery. One example of imagery is the "women’s gentle face". This example applies to sight, by allowing you to get a picture of what the woman looks like and by expressing the opinion the boy has towards the women. If the boy did not like the women he would have expressed his idea in another manner. Imagery helps you to better understand what is happening in a poem by drawing an image in your head.

Poem information URL

A journal made by Kerra

1812

Dear Journal,

Today Hampden was taken over by the British, they are calling it the War of 1812. We moved to Vermont just in time. My father’s drinking is becoming a real problem, people are calling him abusive. My mother’s mental state right now is not good. I have to take care of my two brothers. It seems as if my childhood is slipping away from me. The household is becoming unstable everyday. Some days when the fighting gets bad my brothers and I go to my grandmother’s house in Boston.

My Father can be a great person when he has not been drinking. He has been teaching me since I was little how to read and write. I am ahead of all the children in my class. I am beginning to teach my brothers of what my father has taught me. I have started to develop a passion for reading and for teaching others.

My parents are talking about moving to Worcester, Massachusetts. My mother has been getting horrible headaches and with my father’s heavy drinking habits, it is getting harder for them to take care of the boys and I.

1814

Dear Journal,

My grandmother has taken us into home. My Mother and Father were sent off to live with some relatives of mine. Although my brothers and I are staying with my grandmother, I am still in charge of taking care of the boys. With a seventy- year old grandmother, I still have to help take care of things around the house. My grandmother is very wealthy and is demanding for me to have the same interests as a wealthy girl. She has even hired a dance instructor and seamstress to cater my personal needs. I know that she wants the best for me but these things are not what I want. The other day there was a beggar near our front gate and I offered them some food and clothing. My grandmother got mad and had me severely punished. Living with my grandmother is not fulfilling my true needs in life.

1816

Dear Journal,

My grandmother has sent me to live with my Great Aunt Duncan, who is my grandmother's sister. She will take care of me and says that she will turn me into a "lady." Grandmother says that Mrs. Duncan has always been fond of me. They say that I have caught on fast of learning to become a "young lady." My great aunt has many parties. I met my second cousin, Edward Bangs the other day. He is older than I am but I can talk to him about my plans of being a schoolteacher. He gave me some ideas, He told me of how I could start a Dame school. I wasn't sure at first what this was and he explained to me that, women right now aren't allowed to attend public schools but can be taught privately, and Dame schools are private schools that women can attend. I was very interested in his plan. He said that he would help me get things started if I were to go along wit his plans. He told me that he heard of a place on Main Street that would be perfect to start up a small school. Edward is very nice and I hope to spend more time talking to him in the future.

Later in the fall

1816

Dear Journal,

I am writing to you shortly because today I will begin my first career as a teacher. I am very excited. I will soon face my first twenty students. Their ages range from six to eight years old. Edward still visits me and he says that he will drop in every now and then to see how things are going. I will forever be grateful to Edward for helping make my dreams come true.

1819

Dear Journal,

Edward has told me that he has fallen in love with me. I was so frightened at first. I did not know what to do. I closed down the school and moved back to Boston with my grandmother. Edward followed me here and proposed marriage to me. I decided to accept his proposal. I have not yet decided on a date yet for I fear that the marriage might one day became a marriage like my parents. To me marriage means desertion of children, emotional outbreaks, fights, and heavy drinking.

I have found some old books of my grandfather's from when he attended Harvard University. I would like to use the Dix Mansion as a school, but I feared that my grandmother would never allow it. Therefore, I wrote her a letter asking her to let me run a school for poor children who could not afford an education. I also told her I would have a class for wealthy girls who deserved an education too. To my surprise, I talked to my grandmother and her reply was yes, also to my surprise she was trilled that Dorothea was doing such a good thing for the children.

1821

Dear Journal,

I am writing to tell you that my Father has just recently pasted away. I know now that in this time in my life I am not suppose to marry Edward and I plan to return the engagement ring soon. I plan to spend my life devoted to teaching children and helping others and to work on expanding my horizons.

1830

Dear Journal,

I am still managing to teach classes and I have continued to write several children books. Lately I have become ill and weak. My dear friend Dr. Channing has asked me to accompany his family to St. Croix to tutor his daughters. I hope that the time I spend away will allow me to fully recuperate so I can return to school in Boston. I plan to stay away for a year or so. This will allow me to take the rest that I have been needing for quite a while.

 1836

Dear Journal,

My grandmother is very sick. I am taking care of her for now. Between taking care of her and teaching classes at school, my life is becoming very busy. There is so much to do, and too much to handle. The doctor says I need to slow and take it easy or I could suffer a severe mental break down. The doctor told me to take and rest from school. Therefore, I am taking a vacation, that Dr. Channing setup in England. I hope my grandmother will be all right while I am gone I will have to find someone to help take care of her. The vacation should do me some good, I have been needing the relaxation.

1841

Dear Journal,

I have returned from my long trip. When I got home, I received some terrible news. My grandmother had died while I was in England and two days after that my mother died. I can only remember how helpful grandmother was to my family and me as we went through all those hard times. I know that I will always remember her.

March of

1841

Dear Journal,

Today I visited the East Cambridge Jail. I have volunteered to teach a Sunday school class for women inmates. While I visited this jail, I saw many terrible images. Prostitutes, drunks, criminals, retarded individuals, and the mentally ill people were all crammed into one-jail cell. These cells were unfurnished, unheated, and they smelt horrible. I will never forget what the man who worked there said to me. I asked him why are these living conditions so bad? He replied by saying, "The insane don't feel heat or cold." Seeing these images make me want to change the way, the mentally ill are treated. I will see to it that the mentally ill will receive better staying conditions. Next week I will go to the courthouse and see what can be done.

1848

Dear Journal,

I have decided to go after another dream of mine. I have sent another request to the United States Congress asking that five- million dollars be set aside for the use of the mentally ill. So far the bill has been passed through both house but is now in the hands of President Franklin Pierce. I have become very tired lately and worn out, and if the President chooses to veto the bill I will go and take a break and rest in Europe. I could work on improving conditions of the mentally ill in Europe also. I t would be a great opportunity for me to help the mentally ill in other countries and for me to see new places.

1861

Dear Journal,

With the outbreak of the Civil War, I have volunteered my services to the Union. I have been placed as Superintendent of union nurses in the army. This will allow me to help the wounded and sick. With this job, I am required to put all my strength and energy into helping those who are sick or wounded. I am making a dress code for my recruits to follow it consists of modest blacks or brown skirts and hoops or jewelry is forbidden. I hope that when the end of the war comes, that I can move on to improving the conditions of the mentally ill. My life up this point has been very meaningful to me, although my childhood was taken from me, but I feel that my life has made a difference to many.

Bibliography Subject Date

http//:www.civilwarhome.com Dorothea Dix April 26, 00

http//:www.webster.edu/~woolfln/dorotheadix.html