Weekly Whitman post

Walt Whitman’s poem “Beat! Beat! Drums!” is unique from Timrod’s and Horton’s poems about the war in the fact that it is focused on one thing, where as each of the other two poems have more than one purpose. However, each of the poems includes mention of the harshness and pain of war, although they all have differing overarching main points.
Walt Whitman’s poem is extremely focused on the beating of the drums, which is a symbol of the approaching battle, and the effects that sound is having on the residents. He mentions schools, bridegrooms, churches, the city traffic, lawyers, mothers, and children. He says that the beating drums will disrupt each of these people in what they are doing. The poem is focused simply on that. He does not speak of the South or North as a whole, he does not allude to any political schemes, he simply focuses on the war and those people.
While Timrod focuses on the war he also has a huge section devoted for appreciation of the South. He speaks on its grassy rolling and hills and physical beauty. In the end of the poem he brings up the war and he sounds much more for the victory of the war that Whitman does. However, he does not fail to mention tears and death, which are inevitable in war.
Horton speaks of the war much less straightforwardly. In “Jefferson in a Tight Place” he tells the story of a runaway fox as a metaphor for what happens in the war. In “Spectator at the Battle of Belmont” he focuses on the war from an outside prospective and also talks about bloodshed and destruction. His poems almost have a sad tone because of the pain war causes.
Each of these poems tells the story of the war a little differently with a slightly different main focus. Whitman is focused on one aspect and does not stray from his examples of it. Timrod appreciates the beauty of the South and is proud of them fighting to win, almost Soutnern patrioticness. Horton uses metaphor to make his point and speaks with a touch of sadness seen from an outside perspective. However, none of the three poems fails to mention to destruction, tears and bloodshed of war. Clearly, this is an undeniable part of war.