When I first read "When the Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" I can honestly say, that I had no idea what in the world Walt Whitman was talking about. After discussing with my peers and talking about the different ways in which one should look at this poem, (e.g. historically, biographical, structural, and death and poetry) I began to understand it a little better. It is a very interesting story. It discusses both grief for those who had lost friends and family members in the war, and was written as a memorial for President Lincoln.
Not all literature is clear right away. Sometimes it takes re-reading something over and over again to fully grasp the meaning of the text. "This is the basic premise of modern day literature study-never in this life will we see the text face to face but always as through a glass darkly so that we can only read and re-read to the best of our ability." (Professor Corrigan)
I felt the same way. I did not understand this poem at all. Once we discussed it though, the poem became a little more clear. I need to learn how to read literature more carefully and usually more than once.
ReplyDeleteI thought that Whitman's writing is a lot more complex style than the other poem we read about the onions. It took me a lot longer to understand what Whitman was trying to convey.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Heather. I don't get it either. But I like how you put it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I totally didn't understand it either in the beginning. Being in your group and discussing with our peers really does help :)
ReplyDeletegroup discussion really warms up my brain and gets me thinking about different perspectives of what the stories we read actually mean.
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