Life Experiences And The Effects They Have On Writings

8 Pages 1893 Words

hows the reader are clearly the colors of the Union flag and the fact that they “flutter gaily” indicates that it is a happy moment for these soldiers, both because they are returning from battle and because they have won that battle. The role that Whitman’s background has in this poem is a major one. Had Whitman supported Confederate troops his poem would likely have read much differently. It would have been one of sadness and anger instead of a poem of joy. It was Whitman’s background in the North and the values that he took from there that enable him to write a poem that reflects on the victory in a positive manner.
Although he does write this poem about the victory of the North and the values that are embraced there, Whitman also reveals a line that he hopes will make people take a closer look at the direction that the nation was headed before the war. In 1848, many years before he wrote this poem, Whitman had lost a job at a newspaper because “of his unyielding support of the Wilmot Proviso of 1846” (Olsen-Smith). The Wilmot Proviso was presented with the hope of banning slavery in any new ter...