to the renaissance of American literature in the 19 th century. According to the

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "to the renaissance of American literature in the 19 th century. According to the"

Arron Barrett
5 years ago
Views:

1 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of Study When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d is a poem written by Walt Whitman, an American poet known to be one of American poets who contributed to the renaissance of American literature in the 19 th century. According to the critics, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d is an elegy written by Whitman after the death of the late President Abraham Lincoln. As Bradley, Beatty, and Long (1962) discussed in their book titled The American Tradition in Literature volume 2: Whitman to the Present, the poem is one of four elegies entitled Memories of President Lincoln, which were added after Lincoln s death, to later issues of Drum-Taps (1865). The poem reflects Whitman s grief on the death of the man he admired, although the President s name was never been mentioned in it. Besides his deep feeling of loss, Whitman portrayed the death itself and how much it causes people sadness, and the reconciliation with death. Actually, he did not only write it for Lincoln, but also for everybody, especially soldiers that died in a war, as some part of the poem suggested. However, aside from the expression of deep loss, it appears that Whitman wanted to express something far deeper that. This elegy is more than just mourning for Lincoln, but also talking about Lincoln as a great president of the United States and Whitman s hope.

2 2 Whitman did not hide the fact that he admired Lincoln. He continued to observe, paid attention and followed what Lincoln did. Foerster and Falk (1962: 624) quoted Whitman s writing about Lincoln in the year of Gettysburg, I see the President almost every day, as I happen to live where he passes to or from his lodgings out of town.the deep-cut lines, the eyes, always to me with a deep latent sadness in the expression. We have got so that we exchange bows. On another occasion, again Whitman wrote about Lincoln on the day of Lincoln s second inauguration, March 4, 1865: I saw him on his return, at three o clock, after the performance was over. He was in his plain two-horse barouche, and look d very much worn and tired;.yet all the goodness, tenderness, sadness, and canny shrewdness, underneath the furrows.by his side sad his little boy, of then years. There were no soldiers. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at night in April 14, The next morning, Whitman heard the news of Lincoln s death. Everybody in his house was shocked hearing the news, and they all in grief all day. They could not do things they should or usually do, even eating and drinking. All of them concern on that terrible news and the day was full of it. His recollection of that painful morning was recorded as the following: Mother prepared breakfast and other meals afterward as usual; but not a mouthful was eaten all day by either of us. We each drank half a cup of coffee; that was all. Little was said. We got every newspaper morning and evening, and the frequent extras of that period, and pass d them silently to each other. As it was spring in Brooklyn, where he lived, he found the lilacs in his dooryard were blooming. He observed the lilacs while he thought about Lincoln and his death. Later on, Whitman wrote a great

3 3 elegy about the assassination, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d. The poem provided a passionate climax for the theme of the entire volume in its veneration of the President, who represented for Whitman a shining example of democratic comradeship and love for man. (Bradley, Beatty, and Long 1962: 18). Whitman saw Lincoln as a comrade, as Lincoln is pro democracy, just like him. Lincoln thus believed that he proved to the world that democracy can be a lasting form of government. Lincoln s Gettysburg Address, second inaugural address, and many of his other speeches and writings are classic statements of democratic beliefs and goals (Boritt, 2006: 310) Furthermore, Lincoln helped end slavery in the nation and helped keep the American Union from slitting apart during the war. The American Civil War ended in 1865, and so did the live of Abraham Lincoln. He was assassinated near the end of the Civil War He was shot by John Wilkes Booth in April 14, 1865 and died in Washington D.C. the day after. many people have regarded Lincoln as the greatest person in United States history. (Boritt, 2006: ) Lincoln did remarkable things for his country. He united the States and fought against slavery. He led the Civil War and won it. Therefore, he was one of the best men and leader, and he meant so much especially for American people. Upon reading his poem, one cannot help thinking that Whitman admires not only the man, but also his ideas. Through the poem, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d, Whitman seems to reflect on Lincoln s ideas of a strong democratic America that respects human rights and equality of all races.

4 4 Moreover, it appears that the poem shows what Whitman himself, a democratic poet of his time, hopes for America. What is interesting about this poem is how Whitman shows what Lincoln or himself believe in a symbolical way. Walt Whitman was a great poet and a seminal influence. He made poems by taking many other aspects of life, which was not used to be used in making poems at his time, to be the subjects for his poems. Not only the subjects, but he also made variety of form, style, and language; differ from the other poems at that time. He used free verse, flowing forms, and daily used language. (DiYanni, 1994:107) Considering Whitman s ways of expressing his admiration for Lincoln, a challenge to understand the poem is to analyze the symbols and interpret them. 1.2 Statement of Problem As the title suggest, this thesis is about analyzing symbols in one of Whitman s elegies for Lincoln. The problem that will be discussed is how the meaning of the symbols in When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d is analyzed through Paul Ricoeur s hermeneutic. 1.3 Scope and Limitation This thesis will be focused on the symbolical analysis in When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d using Paul Ricoeur hermeneutic which relies on the three dimensions of symbols the cosmic, oneiric, and poetic and the three layers of meaning arché, telos, and eskaton.

5 5 1.4 Goal and Function The goal of this writing is to find out what symbols Whitman used in When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d are and what other meaning behind Whitman s expression of mourning. Through this writing, the readers are hoped to be able to understand the poem and understand what exactly the poet wanted to express. Moreover, the readers can accept the death as it is a God s will, and realize that a good person will remain still in other people s mind even though he is dead. Therefore, the readers may try to be as a good person as they can be. 1.5 Research Methods This thesis uses qualitative methodology of research, only by collecting data from books as the main source, internet, and other articles. First, the writer chose the object to be analyzed, which is an elegy written by Walt Whitman for president Abraham Lincoln, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d. Second, the writer read the poem carefully and find out the symbols in the poem. Third, the writer analyzed the symbols in the poem through the three dimensions of symbol, and then put them into the three layers of interpretation. At last, the writer concluded what have been analyzed.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. all. Therefore, my second thanks are dedicated to: 3. Head of English Department, Mrs. Risa Simanjuntak.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. all. Therefore, my second thanks are dedicated to: 3. Head of English Department, Mrs. Risa Simanjuntak. ABSTRACT As the title suggests, this thesis is about the analysis of symbols in Walt Whitman s elegy for Abraham Lincoln, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom d. The purpose of this writing is to find