Analysis Of Vigil Strange I Kept On The Field

Often dressed with a distinguished beard and hat, Walt Whitman was first a poet before a soldier of the Civil War. A 19th century New York man, Whitman worked many jobs before determining his journey to becoming the father of free verse poetry. When he did introduce himself in his first poetry book, Leaves of Grass, he left shortly thereafter to find his poems as a volunteer medic in the Civil War. His poem, “Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field”, introduced in his 1865 poetry collection Drum-Taps, is a gruesome revival of death on the battlefield and how quickly life disposes the dead by a blanket in soil. Whitman utilized many of the stories from his brother, George, and the men he treated at the Union hospital. In this particular poem, the …show more content…
Free verse is a form of poetry that does not follow any specific meter or rhyme, but it does stand on its own very well. The tone is composed and understanding albeit absolutely crushing. “One look I but gave, which your dear eyes return’d, with a look I shall never forget…”, in this quote, Whitman manages to provide a clear recognition without tears and without a sweat, but the reader understands the depth of this loss. A key to the majority of Whitman’s works is his incredulous imagery. This boy has his faced “bared in starlight” with cool wind blowing him through the battlefield, yet the composure within the length of the lines and the powerful diction provide a larger than life picture of Whitman’s soldier standing strong with a blanket wrapped on his back. By utilizing such descriptive language, Walt Whitman singles a sad tone through the rude-dug grave as well as the sun rising up for another day of battle. These are key images to providing a strong yet devastated tone throughout the …show more content…
“But not a tear fell, not even after a long-drawn sigh--- Long, long I gazed; Then on the earth partially reclining, sat..” It is one of those very few times in poetry that the reader can feel the anguish and the defeat of a poet. For a friend to die in battle and then to go sit with him is preposterous. Then, to genuinely gaze at them and understand that they are dead is different. It is the moment Whitman’s narrator gets to realize how quickly death comes. Another moment, is the narrator wrapping the blanket around his friend and tucking it carefully into every nook and cranny as to protect him from the soil and the warfare