Beat! Beat! Drums - Walt Whitman

 BEAT! BEAT! DRUMS – WALT WHITMAN

Introduction:

In the poem, Beat! Beat! Drums! the poet expresses the spontaneous reaction of the people in the early

years of the Civil War. The poem shows the steady development of the theme of civil war. The poet feels the

cause of war was justified by the events of that period. The drums, he says, should be able even “to shake the

dead.” But then no one can deny that war means disruption of normal activity in a person’s life.

Beating of human heart:

In “Beat! Beat! Drums!” Whitman shows his view of what he thinks will the coming war will bring. His

poem describes a noise played by drums being extremely loud. The noise being played represents the

importance of the coming war. He says “Leave not the for bridegroom quiet-no happiness must he have now

with his bride, nor the peaceful farmer any peace ploughing his field.”

He says the music should play so loud that it should not be quiet anywhere. He also says that the war

will be the main focus and grain everything else will be unimportant. This fits with Whitman’s important

features in his poems, which are content and emotion. He shows the content by showing that the music being

played loud is in consonance with things at the ground level.

Cycle of History:

Drumbeats and bugles resound through the buildings. The sounds “scatter the congregation” and disturb

the bridegroom, the farmer, the city traffic, the sleepers, the talkers, the singers, and the lawyers. All these

people hear the war cry, but the timid, the old, the children and the mothers do not react positively to the call.

The poet exhorts the drums and bugles to drown their dissenting voices.

The drumbeat is a symbol of war and it creates highly passionate, even extremist responses; Whitman’s

poems reflect these emotions. The verse is characterized by a rapidity of movement which reflects the poet’s

enthusiasm, ardor and passion. The poem also suggests Whitman’s faith not only in the continuous cycle of

history but also in the process of mystic evolution in the universe – that is, that the world will continue to

progress in all spheres of life.

Disruption Scenes:

The drums and bugles Interrupt so many positive activities shows war’s harmful effect on society. The

sound of the drums, the speaker says, will burst into “the school where the scholar is studying.” This means the

war will keep people from learning, stifling all academic progress. It will also interrupt marriages, prevent

“bargainers” from trading, and keep lawyers from defending their clients. It’s not just that war demands

attention, then, but that it completely overshadows everything even things that are essential to the smooth

functioning of society.

Conclusion:

The poet expresses the spontaneous reaction of the North in the early years of the Civil War, following the

South’s attack on Fort Sumter in 1861. The three stanzas show the steady development of the theme. The poet

feels the cause of war was justified by the events of that period. The drums, he says, should be able even “to

shake the dead.” But then no one can deny that war means disruption of normal activity in a person’s life.