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YMS Liberal Arts The Saunterers Level

Walt Whitman


Civil War Poetry

Walt_Whitman_-_George_Collins_Cox.jpg

Course Description

This course examines Walt Whitman’s Civil War poetry, as presented in The Complete Poems of Walt Whitman (Penguin Edition). Students will explore themes of war, democracy, heroism, suffering, and national identity, guided by close readings and historical context. The course will also trace Whitman’s evolving attitude toward the war—from a staunch supporter filled with patriotic idealism, to a nurse who became increasingly regretful as he witnessed the war's human cost, to ultimately developing a more detached and sorrowful view of the War's meaning and consequences.

 

The course begins with Francis Murphy’s introduction, which provides insight into Whitman’s life and poetic vision. Understanding this vision is key to appreciating the stylistic innovations that made Whitman a defining voice of American literature. The class will place a special emphasis on Whitman's use of free verse—a style he is widely considered to have pioneered, exploring how his break from traditional metered verse and blank verse reshaped American poetry.

Required Text

  • The Complete Poems of Walt Whitman (Penguin Edition) 

Calm Sea

Course Details

Course Length

Level 

Instructor

Course Modality 

15-20 weeks 

The Saunterers

TBA

Online or in-person

Week-by-Week Breakdown

This is a tentative syllabus. It is very likely that the instructor would require more than 20 weeks to complete the novel and all the assignments designed for the course.

We will add or remove content as the course develops. 

Week 1: Introduction to Whitman & the Civil War

  • Read: Francis Murphy's two-page introduction 

  • Discussion: Whitman's literary significance and his response to the and the Civil War 

    • He celebrated democracy, nature, love, and friendship

Week 2: "Drum-Taps" - War Begins

  • Read: "First O Songs for a Prelude," "Eighteen Sixty-One" (pp. 518-522)

  • Discussion: How does Whitman set the tone for his war poetry?

  • Assignment: Finish reading the first poem, "Drum-Taps."

  • Readings: Walt Whitman (Poetry Foundation); Slavery and Abolitionism (Whitman's ambivalent legacy)

Week 3: The Soldier's Perspective

  • Read: "Beat! Beat! Drums!," (pp.524-525) "Cavalry Crossing a Ford" (pp.551-552)

  • Discussion: Whitman’s use of sound and imagery in portraying war’s urgency

  • Writing Assignment

  • Annotate “Beat! Beat! Drums!”

Week 4: The Battlefield Experience

  • Discuss "Cavalry Crossing a Ford" (pp.551-552)

  • Read: "Bivouac on a Mountain Side" (pp.552-553), “An Army Corps on the March” (p.553), "By the Bivouac’s Fitful Flame" (pp.553-554)

  • Discussion: Night, solitude, and contemplation in Whitman’s war poems

Week 5: The Wounded and the Dead

  • Read: "A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim" (pp.561-562), “Year that Trembled and Reel’d beneath Me” (p. 564), and "The Wound-Dresser" (pp.564-569) part I.

  • Discussion: Whitman’s experiences in hospitals and his portrayal of suffering

  • Assignment: Annotate “The Wound-Dresser" Part 2, 3, and 4

Week 6: Death and Mourning in War

  • Read: "Come Up from the Fields Father" (pp.554-557), "Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night" (pp.557-559)

  • Discussion: Grief and personal loss in Whitman’s Civil War poetry

Week 7: The Role of Nurses and Caregivers

  • Read: "The Wound-Dresser" (continued), selections from Whitman’s prose letters

  • Discussion: The poet’s role as an observer and participant in wartime caregiving

Week 8: The Unheard Voices of War

  • Read: "A March in the Ranks Hard-Prest" (pp.559-561), "Dirge for Two Veterans" (pp.573-575)

  • Discussion: Representation of anonymous soldiers and their sacrifices

Week 9: Midterm Essay Workshop

  • Assignment: Comparative analysis of two poems from the syllabus

  • Peer review and discussion

Week 10: Lincoln’s Death & Whitman’s Elegies

  • Read: "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d" (Part I) (pp.592-607)

  • Discussion: Whitman’s personal response to Lincoln’s assassination

Week 11: "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d" (Continued)

  • Read: Parts II & III

  • Discussion: The cycle of mourning and renewal

Week 12: "O Captain! My Captain!"

  • Read: "O Captain! My Captain!" (pp.607-609)

  • Discussion: Why this poem became Whitman’s most famous work

Week 13: War’s Aftermath & Memory

  • Read: "Reconciliation," "How Solemn as One by One"

  • Discussion: Whitman’s perspective on healing after war

Week 14: The Legacy of War

  • Read: "Spirit Whose Work is Done," "As I Lay with My Head in Your Lap Camerado"

  • Discussion: Reflections on democracy, camaraderie, and human endurance

Week 15: Later War Reflections in "Leaves of Grass"

  • Read: Selections from "Memories of President Lincoln" and "Democratic Vistas"

  • Discussion: How Whitman’s Civil War poetry evolved over time

Week 16: Student Presentations

  • Topic: Select a poem and present an analysis connecting it to historical events

Week 17: Whitman's Influence on War Poetry

  • Read: Selected works by poets influenced by Whitman’s Civil War poetry

  • Discussion: Whitman’s lasting impact on American war poetry

Week 18: The Civil War in Popular Memory

  • Discussion: How Whitman’s war poetry shapes modern perspectives of the Civil War

  • Assignment: Reflective essay on Whitman’s relevance today

Week 19: Final Review & Discussion

  • Review key themes, poems, and interpretations

  • Final project preparation

Week 20: Final Project Presentations

  • Students present their final projects analyzing Whitman’s Civil War poetry

  • Course reflections and concluding discussion

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