Blooming Trinity
In the poem "When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom'd", by Walt Whitman, three important symbols are introduced. These symbols of a star, the lilac, and a bird exhibit Whitman's transcendentalism and serve as an allusion to Abraham Lincoln's life and death. Whitman's poetry, through these symbols, opens a window to the prevailing social attitudes, moral beliefs, and cultural disposition of his time through his allusions to President Lincoln. To understand Whitman's poetry one must first know something about the poet himself. Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 in Long Island New York. Whitman disliked the idea of becoming a carpenter like his father and opted to seek his own fortune. The publishing of Leaves of Grass, Whitman's major literary work, was a major turning point in Whitman's life. "Before, he was a teacher, printer, journalist, carpenter, and more. After, no matter what else he did, he was a poet" (Wiener 14). Whitman's strong opposition to slavery gave him problems later on as in life. Langston Hughes relates when he says "[Whitman] had been an editor of the Brooklyn Eagle, but was fired there in 1948, because he refused to support Governor Cass
Lincoln's humble beginnings and rise to become arguably the most powerful person in the United States are a great representation of the American idea that anyone can become anything he aspires to be. I concluded that the thrush in this poem could be seen as a symbol of President Lincoln's spirit or soul and the "warbling song" of the thrush as either a mourning song or perhaps a song celebrating a great spirit. Bibliography Works CitedBrulatour, Meg. After reading this interpretation, I also thought that the star could be a representation of the cycle of life. They believed they could find answers to whatever they were seeking. I thought of the thrush and Lincoln's mannerisms because Lincoln appeared as a solitary individual in the majority of the pictures I have seen him in. Another interpretation, by Kenneth Burke, author of "Policy Made Personal: Whitman's Verse and Prose - Salient Traits", states ". Another symbol in "Where Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom'd" is a bird described as a "solitary", "gray-brown" thrush. I also thought of the star as something that was illuminating, majestic, or perhaps a reference to the American flag. I went back to my readings and found that in Miller's interpretation "the bird has been associated with love, insight as knowledge of death, the 'thought of mortality' and the poetic process itself (the bird as the 'brother' of the protagonist)" (Miller 187). of Michigan who advocated the continuation of slavery"(Wiener 196). When I first read "Where Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom'd" I thought of the lilacs as representing beauty and love, presumably for the late president. President Abraham Lincoln was one of our country's greatest presidents. the broken 'sprig' of lilac as the star 'dropt in the night'; the 'perfume strong' of the lilacs 'in the dooryard fronting an old farm-house,' the odor of the 'bouquets' placed upon the casket," ( Miller 188).
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Acceptance Essays
