Drum-Taps

Name: Drum-Taps
Author: Walt Whitman

By Walt Whitman

Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

American Literature History - American History - Warfare Poetry

About This Book

A sequence of poems confronts the realities of war and its aftermath, alternating rousing martial imagery with intimate scenes of suffering and care. Several pieces use drumbeat and march motifs to evoke public fervor, urban energy, and battlefield noise, while other poems linger at bivouacs, hospital wards, and graves to record private grief and the tending of the wounded. Recurrent contrasts between nature’s continuity and human violence shape reflections on mourning, duty, and reconciliation, producing shifts from trumpetlike exultation to elegiac tenderness and quiet moral reckoning.

About the Author

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist, often hailed as one of the most influential figures in American literature. He is best known for his groundbreaking work "Leaves of Grass," a collection that celebrates the human spirit, nature, and democracy through free verse and vivid imagery. Whitman's poetry reflects his experiences as a Civil War nurse and his deep appreciation for the individual and the collective American identity. His innovative style and themes of inclusivity and transcendentalism have left a lasting impact on poetry and continue to resonate with readers today.