How does Whitman express the grief of Americans during the funeral procession of Lincoln?
How does Whitman express the grief of Americans during the funeral procession of Lincoln NU Walt Whitman s - When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d is a long elegy written after the death of President Abraham Lincoln in One of the most powerful parts of the poem is Whitman s description of Lincoln s funeral procession The coffin was carried from Washington D C to Springfield Illinois Thousands of people stood in silence to pay respect Whitman captures not only his own sorrow but also the grief of all Americans The procession becomes a symbol of national mourning The Coffin Passes Whitman imagines the coffin moving through different places in America The coffin passes through the towns small lanes and old forests nbsp Amid lanes and through old woods Amid the grass in the fields Flowers have just started to bloom after winter The coffin passes through fields
full of fresh green grass on both sides of the road It also passes through fields of tall wheat and apple orchards These images show that Lincoln s death has touched every corner of the nation The coffin is not just in one city it travels across fields forests towns and villages Everywhere people gather in silence to mourn Lincoln The whole country and all Americans are a part of the funeral procession The Cloud of National Grief Lincoln s coffin moves day and night while a heavy cloud covers the land Through day and night with the great cloud darkening the land Here the great cloud is a symbol of sadness and grief Lincoln's death covers the whole nation in deep sadness All Americans are grieving for the loss of their great leader Just as a cloud hides the sun sadness hides the joy of victory after the Civil War The people had hoped to celebrate peace but instead they are forced to mourn the loss of their leader Mourning and Respect of All Americans People are wearing black to mourn The cities are dressed in black Folded flags are kept on the coffin to show honour The states of America look like women wearing black veils standing silently in grief Countless flaming torches are lit at night Crowds of people stand quietly Their heads uncovered in respect With the countless torches lit with the silent sea of faces and the unbared heads At every station people wait for the coffin to arrive Their faces are sad and serious They sing the funeral songs all night Thousands of voices sing loudly but seriously The church bells keep ringing again and again in sadness In this way the funeral procession becomes a moment of unity for all Americans The Poet s Person Gift Alongside the nation s mourning Whitman also offers his own tribute When the coffin slowly reaches him he places a small branch of lilac flowers on the coffin Here coffin that slowly passes I give you my sprig of lilac In this poem lilac is a symbol of love and respect The poet shows his love and respect for Lincoln by placing a sprig of lilac on the coffin In this way Whitman joins his personal grief with the grief of all Americans His sorrow becomes part of the national sorrow In conclusion Whitman shows that all Americans felt great pain after Lincoln s death The funeral procession became a symbol of sorrow for the whole nation With flowers clouds bells and songs Whitman shows both his own grief and the grief of all Americans