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1861 Poem Analysis

In: English and Literature

Submitted By RoyalPachyderm
Words 554
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1861 is one of the several poems in Walt Whitman’s anthology titled Leaves of Grass. Whitman uses several literary devices in this poem also. Arm’d year! Year of the struggle! First off, I would like to point out that in this sentence, Whitman classifies this as year as the year of the struggle, but then punctuates that “sentence” with an exclamation mark. Most times you see an exclamation mark, its purpose is to help you recognize excitement. Here however, it is used to show pure passion. This shows how passionate that Whitman was about this poem. No dainty rhymes or sentimental love verses for you, terrible year! Not you as some pale poetling, seated at a desk lisping cadenzas piano; I see some imagery here because Whitman is describing a poet sitting at a desk trying to learn how to play the piano but constantly playing the wrong notes. But as a strong man, erect, clothed in blue clothes, advancing, carrying a rifle on your shoulder, I also see some imagery due to Whitman describing how the soldier looked in his eyes. With well-gristled body and sunburnt face and hands- with a knife in the belt at your side, Still, he is describing the appearance of the man as to help the reader to visualize what he is witnessing. As I heard you shouting loud - your sonorous voice ringing across the continent; I see a hyperbole and alliteration in this sentence. Shouting and sonorous are repetition of the S sound and they appear within close proximity therefore I classified this as alliteration. On top of that, your voice cannot ring across the continent, that’s why I counted this as a hyperbole. Your masculine voice, O year, as rising amid the great cities, Amid the men of Manhattan I saw you, as one of the workmen, the dwellers in Manhattan; The first device that I noticed in this sentence was the onomatopoeia. The other things that I see are personification,

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