By Nikki

Walt Whitman was an American poet born in Long Island, New York. His poems where praises of the United States of America and the cause of democracy. Whitman wrote in a form similar to "thought-rhythm." This kind of form was found in the Old Testament poetry. The rhythm suggested the rise and fall of the sea. Whitman was a volunteer assistant in the military hospitals during the Civil War. Thus intrigued Whitman to write many of his poems on helping those in the military hospitals. In the poem "Come Up From the Fields Father", Whitman wrote in third person objective.

 

 

COME UP FROM THE FIELDS, FATHER

Walt Whitman

Come up from the fields, father,

here's a letter from our Pete,

And come to the front door,mother,

here's a letter from thy dear son.

Lo, 'tis autumn,Lo, where the trees,

deeper green, yellower and redder,

Cool and sweeten Ohio's villages

with leaves fluttering in the moderate wind,

Where apples ripe in the orchards hang

and grapes on the trellis'd vines,

(Smell you the smell of the grapes on the vines? Smell you the

buckwheat where the bees were lately buzzing?)

Above all, lo, the sky so calm,

so transparent after the rain,

and with wondrous clouds,

Below too, all calm, all vital and beautiful,

and the farm prospers well.

Down in the fields all prospers well,

But now from the fields come, father,

come at the daughter's call,

And come to the entry, mother,

to the front door come right away.

Fast as she can she hurries,

something ominous, her steps trembling,

She does not tarry to smooth her hair nor adjust her

cap.

Open the envelope quickly,

0 this is not our son's writing,

yet his name is sign'd,

0 a strange hand writes for our dear son,

0 stricken mother's soul!

All swims before her eyes, flashes with black,

she catches themain words only,

Sentences broken, gunshot wound in the breast,

cavalry skirmish, taken to hospital,

At present low, but will soon be better.

Ah, now thesingle figure tome,

Amid all teeming and wealthy Ohio

with all its cities and farms,

Sickly white in the face and dull in the head,

very faint, By the jamb of a door leans.

Grieve not so,dear mother

(the just-grown daughter speaks through her sobs,

The little sisters huddle around speechless and

dismay'd), See, dearest mother, the letter says Pete will soon be better.

Alas, poor boy, he will never be better

(nor maybe needs to be better,

that brave and simple soul),

While they stand at home at the door

he is dead already,

The only son is dead.

But the mother needs to be better,

She with thin form presently drest in black,

By day her meals untouch'd, then at night fitfully sleeping,

often waking, In the midnight waking,

weeping, longing with one deep longing,

that she might withdraw unnoticed,

silent from life escape and withdraw,

To follow, to seek, to be with her dear dead son.

The imagery is very descriptive in Whitman's poem. He describes the colors and smells so that you can capture in your mind what every tree and flower would look like. In the second and third stanza, Whitman describes the features of the land.

"Lo, 'tis autumn, Lo, where the trees, deeper green, yellower and redder, cool and sweeten Ohio's villages with leaves fluttering in the moderate wind, where apples ripe in the orchards hang and grapes on the trellis'd vines, (smell you the smell of the grapes on the vines? Smell you the buckwheat where the bees were lately buzzing?)

Above all, lo, the sky so calm, so transparent after the rain, and with wondrous clouds,

below too, all calm, all vital and beautiful, and the farm prospers well."

Whitman uses onomatopoeia to describe the sounds and feelings of the characters. In the following sentences taken from the poem, are examples of onomatopoeia:

--with leaves fluttering in the moderate wind

--(Smell you the buckwheat where the bees were lately buzzing?)

--something ominous, her steps trembling

--(the just-grown daughter speaks through her sobs)

-- weeping, longing with one deep longing

The end of the poem has a slight twist to it. The letter written to the family said that the son has been hurt but he will soon be getting better, when at the exact time they are reading the letter, the son is actually dead.

Alas, poor boy, he will never be better (nor maybe needs to be better, that brave and simple soul),

while they stand at home at the door he is dead already, the only son is dead.

In the first stanza the daughter calls to her father to come up from the fields, because they have received a letter from their son, Pete, at war. In the second and third stanzas Whitman writes about the land and the surrounding fields. He includes the colors of the fruit and their smells, he also writes about how the sky is calm and the clouds are wondrous. Then in the fourth and fifth stanza the father and the mother come forth to hear the news. The father comes up from the fields and the mother hurries from inside the house. The mother is very worried about what message the letter may hold. In the sixth stanza they open the letter. The handwriting is not at all like their sons, but it has their son’s name signed at the bottom. In the next stanza it describes the contents of the letter. Pete received a gunshot wound in his breast and was put in the hospital. He was at that time presently low, but would soon be getting better. In the eighth and the ninth stanza the mother and sisters become scared and start to sob and weep. In the tenth stanza the daughter reminds them the letter said he would soon be getting better, but little do they no that he is actually dead already. And last in the eleventh stanza it skips ahead to the future. The mother is very depressed, she will not eat her meals and refuses to leave her room. The daughter thinks that the mother will soon withdraw from life and, seek to be with her dear dead son.

http://ed.hartford.edu/www/rader/

http://www.iglobal.com/walt/waltbio.html

 

Lee and the Wounded Union Soldier

By Nikki

 

Lee and the Wounded Union Soldier was a true story about a young man who was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg. The soldier very much disliked the south. He had been wounded during the battle of Gettysburg, and was lying on the ground not very far from Cemetery Ridge. General Lee and his troops rode by upon their retreat. The wounded soldier shouted, "Hurry for the Union!" General Lee heard and dismounted his horse. He walked over to the soldier looked in his eyes and said, "My son, I hope you will soon be well." From that day forth the soldier's mind was greatly changed about the South.

The battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1 and continued though July 3, 1863. Gettysburg is considered by most the turning point in the war. The battle was also marked the last time the Confederate army invaded the North. At the end of the battle the Union army lost 23,000 men, the Confederates lost at least 25,000.

The solider had been wounded near Cemetery Ridge, where the most dramatic actions of the battle occurred. General George E. Pickett's troops charged across an open field at the Union forces. This was known as "the bloody angle." The Unions held there ground, ending the battle in a victory.

 

 

General Robert E. Lee commanded the Confederate troops during the Civil War. He was born on January 19, 1807 in Stratford, Virginia. He was known for his dignity, leadership, and calm manner. He kept the Confederates alive though the four years of the Civil War. Some of General Lee's battles included Antietam, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg.

 

Biblograpy

 

--Encarta 99

--They Met At Gettysburg

By General Edward J. Stackpole

 

--A Civil War Treasury of Tales, Legends, and Folklore.

By B.A. Botkin