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May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892
Left school at age 11 to work and bring in money
for his family. Jobs included printing,
publishing, teaching, writing, journalist, etc.
As early as 1850, he began writing what would
become Leaves of Grass.
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Whitman felt that the strength of the republic lay in its
hardworking, patriotic citizens.
He observed those citizens, jotting impressions of
everyday scenes in a notebook.
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“The expression of American personality through this war is
not to be looked for in the great campaign and the battle-fights.
It is to be looked for in the hospitals, among the wounded.”
Ward K, Armory Square
Hospital, Washington, D.C.
[August 1865]
Library of Congress Prints &
Photographs Division
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Brother George immediately
enlisted in the Army.
His descriptions of battles gave
soldier’s feelings/reactions to the
war.
In December 1862, Walt saw the
name of his brother listed among
the wounded at Fredericksburg.
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Visited military hospitals first in
NY, then DC. "a heap of amputated
feet, legs, arms, hands, & a full load
for a one-horse cart."
Worked as a clerk in several gov’t
offices, but mostly interested in
helping troops.
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President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation
on September 22, 1862
It freed all slaves in the Confederate States
Slaves in the border states were not freed yet
This was the building block to the 13th Amendment to the
Constitution
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The 13th Amendment completely abolished slavery and
prohibits it’s existence today
At the time it was passed, slavery was only legal in
Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland and New Jersey
The 13th Amendment freed the remaining slaves in those
states
Although President Lincoln proposed the 13th
Amendment, he was assassinated before it was passed
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On April 14, 1865, John
Wilkes Booth entered
Ford’s Theater and
assassinated President
Abraham Lincoln
Booth was a
Southerner that did not
agree with President
Lincoln’s views on
slavery
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“I see the President often. I think better
of him than many do. He has
conscience and homely shrewdness;
conceals an enormous tenacity under
his mild, gawky Western manner. The
difficulties of his situation have been
unprecedented in the history of
statesmanship. That he has conserved
the government so far is a miracle.” April 27, 1864
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Whitman was devastated by Lincoln’s
assassination and wrote “O Captain! My
Captain!”
Poems appeal to our emotions and imagination, as well as to
our sense of reason.
Wow, that’s
really sad.
To help us feel and imagine, poets use poetic devices.
To help us feel and imagine as we read a poem, poets use
poetic devices, such as these:
imagery
symbols
figures of speech
Imagery
Read these lines from “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest
Lawrence Thayer. To what senses do these images
appeal?
Ten
Tenthousand
thousandeyes
eyeswere
wereon
onhim
himas
ashe
he
rubbed
rubbedhis
hishands
handswith
withdirt;
dirt;
Five
Fivethousand
thousandtongues
tonguesapplauded
applaudedwhen
when
he
hewiped
wipedthem
themon
onhis
hisshirt.
shirt.
This image
These
images
appeals
appealtoto
our senses
sense ofofsight.
sight and
touch.
hearing.
Symbols
A symbol is something that has meaning in itself and also
stands for something else.
Here are some common symbols you will probably
recognize:
dove/peace
flag/country
4-leaf clover/
good luck
Figures of Speech
Figures of speech are words or phrases that describe
one thing in terms of another and are not meant literally.
The guard stood like a flagpole.
This figure of speech compares
the guard’s stance to a flagpole,
suggesting that he stood
unmoving, tall, and straight.
Figures of Speech
A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a
comparison without using a connecting word.
The win was the fuel
the team needed.
This metaphor compares the win
with fuel. Like fuel, the win gives
the team energy.
When poets carry a metaphor over several lines, it is
called an extended metaphor.
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1.
2.
Metaphors are bridges. They create images by
connecting any two different ideas, persons,
places and things to show them in new ways.
Extended metaphors –
When the two things are compared at some
length and in several ways.
It is a longer comparison
Questions to ask yourself as you read:
•What is the Metaphor?
•How are the characteristics of the second
noun used to describe the first noun?
Life is Dirt
The longer you hang on
the smaller it gets.
Get it wet,
and you've got mud
on your hands.
Take care of life
or it's overrun
with weeds.
Life can be rocky or smooth
and it's great
for throwing at people.
•What is the extended metaphor
in this poem?
• List characteristics of the two
things being compared.
•Was the metaphor used through
the entire poem? If so, then we
have an extended metaphor.
Life is Dirt
The longer you hang on
the smaller it gets.
Get it wet,
and you've got mud
on your hands.
Take care of life
or it's overrun
with weeds.
Life can be rocky or smooth
and it's great
for throwing at people.
•Metaphor: Life is dirt.
• List characteristics of
the second noun: mud,
weeds,
brown, rocky, smooth,
throw it, shrinking,
earth, bumpy.
•YES
Most people recognize a poem when they see it.
Poems usually come in
lines instead of sentences
and present ideas in
stanzas instead of
paragraphs.
There are exceptions to every rule, however, and poems
come in many varieties.
Elegies
An elegy is a poem of mourning, usually for someone who
has died.
For example, Walt Whitman’s “O
Captain! My Captain!” is an elegy
for the slain president Abraham
Lincoln.
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Close Read 1:
1) Box the title information, draw a line under each stanza,
and number the stanzas.
2) As you read:
- On the left check what you understand.
- On the right write a question for parts you do not
understand. Each stanza should have one questions
needing to be answered.
3) Within the text,
- Underline key words and details
- Circle unfamiliar words and define or replace with
synonyms.
- Mark parts that are important, interesting, or
surprising.
Close Read 2
 In your groups, you will work together to
paraphrase (restate all of the text in your own
words) each stanza on the worksheet chart.
Example:
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Text from Poem
My Paraphrase
“O the bleeding drops of
red,/ Where on the deck
my Captain lies,/ Fallen
cold and dead.”
Oh, the blood is on the deck
where my dead captain lies.
Then, answer the questions on the other side of
the chart about the poem.