A Yankee Journey from the South
In merely one sitting, a reader of Walt Whitman’s piece Calvary Crossing a Ford might have the inclination to interpret the work as a simple depiction of some unknown band of horseman and the aesthetic scenery they encounter on their travels. With an eye that is more attentive to detail, literary elements such as the speaker’s tone and Whitman’s presentation of detail bring to light a deeper revelation; the Yankees are coming home.
The speaker’s diction is not only sensory but also aesthetically so. He speaks of flags that, “flutter gayly in the wind,” and rivers of a “silvery” hew. The speaker’s personal image of the horseman is one of admiration as he sees, “each group, each person a picture.” With the inclusion of onomatopoeia’s such as the “musical clank” of arms, and the “splashing” of horses a peaceful mood is set and for the audience one of joy. This peaceful and joyful mood supports the existence of a jovial tone since mood is a......
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Approximate Word Count: 523
Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |