Blog Three

Walt Whitman's poem Calvary Crossing a Ford, Whitman writes about a metaphorical line that takes an long, metaphorical path. In Whitman's poem, he writes about soldiers (Huff). The speaker seems to be viewing the path at a distance. He can see them coming, but when they get to him he writes that "the guidon flags flutter gaily in the wind" (Whitman line 8).

Randall Huff analyzed this poem with the main subject being the calvary, which were the jet fighters of their day (Huff). The metaphorical line is really a line of soldiers and it is the soldiers that are embarking on this path. The scene is not dangerous, as you learn from the last line. Since the flags are "fluttering gaily," they are no threat (Huff). Ironically enough, this is men at war who are actually peaceful. I think that Whitman is a confusing poet sometimes, and this poem is definitely a confusing one. I would not think that men at war were at peace, but he writes as if these men are having relaxing walk fluttering their flags around (Oliver).

Walt Whitman's brother went to war when the Civil War began. He was wounded and then lived with Walt (Huff). I think that Whitman may have been against war after this since it hurt his brother, but he seemed to take more of an interest in it. He volunteered as a nurse and helped cure the injured. I guess he took the high road with his brother's injury.

Whitman more or less supports the war and the goals of it. He is optimistic about the results. He strongly believes in supporting the union at all costs (Oliver). He wants the war as a first priority in the North (Oliver).

Emerson was against slavery and was for women's rights (Emerson). His philosophy on war was very different than Whitman's.

Both authors want freedom and they want it badly. They also both use animals as metaphors (Emerson). They want freedom in different ways. Emerson wants more personal freedom and freedom from rules while Whitman wants freedom for his country, like Abraham Lincoln.

Whitman, Walt. "118. Cavalry Crossing a Ford. Whitman, Walt. 1900. Leaves of Grass."Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More

Huff, Randall. "'Cavalry Crossing a Ford'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Oliver, Charles M. "'Cavalry Crossing a Ford'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

"Emerson, Ralph Waldo." Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.