President Lincoln
When a tragedy strikes a nation, artists often turn to their work as means of expressing grief. Such the case is the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. In the days and months following Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865, Walt Whitman with "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" and William Cullen Bryant with "Abraham Lincoln", both offer poetic elegies for this much loved president. Although Whitman's and Bryant's tributes to Lincoln share similarities, there are many differences in the way both poets chose to honor President Lincoln.
The star, a symbol of continuous stability, commemorates Lincoln for perpetuity. Whitman conversely composes in free verse, exempt from any metered verse or rhyme scheme. Although each poet has his own, individual style and technique, together these poets offer a legacy of a man that will live without end. While Bryant excludes metaphors to symbolize Lincoln's greatness, he demonstrates his extraordinary accomplishments by merely listing them. Although the poets agree on the honor that should be bestowed upon this great man, both men illustrate that very differently. Both Bryant and Whitman expertly capture the greatness of a man loved by countless people. Although Lincoln's life was cut short, Bryant and Whitman choose to highlight his many accomplishments with prose, a medium that will outlast even the poets themselves. Mutually respectful of the President of the United States, both men mourn in the form they do best, poetry. Bryant gives tribute in just 16 lines while Whitman's boasts 206. The first and most obvious distinction is the length. Bryant writes in a distinct metered verse with a regular rhyme scheme. In lines eleven and twelve, Bryant highlights Lincoln's greatest success, the abolishment of slavery. hare an obvious respect for President Lincoln. Both Bryant and Whitman write in a romantic, flowery style as they immortalize a human.
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Acceptance Essays
