How does Walt Whitman's atitude change toward death during his poem "When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom'D" What does he learn?
I know that through the poem he speaks of the death, but I don't know how his atitude changed. I think he learns the truths of life and death, but I'm not sure how his atitude changed. I'm having a hard time understanding this. Any help would be appreciated.
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-60,pageNum-42.html
"develops from ... to ... " = attitude change
Interesting commentary:
http://www.bibliovault.org/BV.book.epl?BookId=5743
Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "Whitman lilacs death" to get these possible sources:
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/roots/legacy/whitman/lilacsweb.html
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0030-8129(198201)97%3A1%3C31%3AW%22ATGO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F
http://alpha.fdu.edu/~jbecker/americanlit/lilacsnotes.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/whitman/section7.rhtml
In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search.
I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.
To understand how Walt Whitman's attitude changes toward death in his poem "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," we need to analyze the poem and observe the shifts in tone and imagery.
1. Setting: The poem is set in the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, where Lilacs symbolize mourning.
2. Initial Attitude: Initially, Whitman expresses profound grief and sorrow over Lincoln's death. He portrays death as a pervasive and personal experience, mourning not only Lincoln but also the soldiers lost in the Civil War.
3. Acceptance and Transcendence: As the poem progresses, Whitman begins to find solace and acceptance in the cycle of life and death. He contemplates the natural world and how it continues to thrive despite loss and death.
4. Connection and Unity: Whitman begins to recognize that death does not signify the end but rather a reunion with nature and the eternal. He perceives spiritual connections that transcend mortality, finding comfort in the thought of Lincoln's soul merging with nature.
5. Celebration of the Departed: Towards the end of the poem, Whitman's attitude shifts from grief to celebration. He learns to commemorate the departed souls while simultaneously embracing the beauty of life and the renewal that death brings.
Ultimately, Whitman's attitude toward death evolves from overwhelming grief to finding solace, transcendence, and affirmation of life's eternal cycle. Through his journey in the poem, Whitman learns to reconcile with the inevitability of death and finds a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all living beings.