a. A. Some of my favorite lines in “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” is “…All over bouquets of roses, O death, I cover you over with roses and early lilies, But mostly and now the lilac that blooms the first, Copious I break, I break the sprigs from the bushes, With loaded arms I come, pouring for you, For you and the coffins all of you, O death.)” These lines are confusing to me, but I am trying to pull something out of them. What I am seeing is that she is coming with full hands towards this deathbed, towards this coffin. Yet once she gets there, there is nothing to give back to her. She is giving her emotion, her flowers, bringing arms full towards this person who has died, yet she receives nothing back in return.
b. B. A way that I can personally relate to this text is actually something that I have been thinking about this week and talking to my roommate about. When I think about losing anyone who I am close with, it scares me, and I don’t know how I will survive. However, this poem is very straight-forward with death. This poem illustrates the emptiness that happens when death happens. I have realized in my life the importance of not relying on other human beings to support me. I need to rely on the Lord, because He will never fail me. Humans will always disappoint, but God is a faithful and steady source of strength.
c. C. Through researching this poem I found that it was a series of poems written after President Lincoln’s assassination. Through this poem, I believe he is trying to find a proper way to mourn a public figures death. Because he is referring to the Civil War times, I believe that he is also referring to mourning President Lincoln’s death.
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/whitman/section7.rhtml
“…All over bouquets of roses, O death, I cover you over with roses and early lilies, But mostly and now the lilac that blooms the first, Copious I break, I break the sprigs from the bushes, With loaded arms I come, pouring for you, For you and the coffins all of you, O death.)”
ReplyDeleteThis line says to me that whoever is "narrating" this poem does like. Perhaps in a state of denial. Trying to cover up the death with distinct colors like deep reds from roses and purples from lilacs....maybe even trying to cover up a "smell". Maybe death equates to a certain smell to him.