Walt Whitman’s winter locomotive
The poem ‘to a locomotive in winter’ written by Walt Whitman is exactly what the title says. The title explains that it is a train. Does a perfect job describing the train. For example, the last part of the stanza says that the locomotive is the pulse of the nation and that continues regardless of the time of day. The second stanza talks about the train counts to cross the nation and reach spring. What it means is that the train works at all times regardless of time, the train goes ahead.
The poem style is lyric, which shows from the beginning of the poem. I notice that almost all lines begin with ‘Thee’ or ‘Thy’ for example on line 1.2 and 4 starts with ‘Thee’ and line 6,7,9,11,12 and 16 starts with ‘Thy’. The poet also uses ancient English as the words I have mentioned before as ‘Thy’ and ‘Thee’ that is considered ancient English. It also uses the free verse because the poem does not have a rhyme style, such as line one and two does not rhyme at all.
The poet’s idea that Whitman celebrates a machine that knows that it will help America a better place. Also the best that will come for America for the things that the locomotive offers. It is also an impressive symbol of technological progress that America had at that time. It also uses the term ‘recipient’ that this word uses to refer to the locomotive. The poem also shows that even in the cold winter the locomotive makes people more united. Whitman also shows that if it remains on the road that the locomotive works. Then our nation will remain on the road.
The tone of the poem is of happiness and celebration. This is shown in the first stanza when Whitman describes the locomotive in action. Use positive language, for example ‘Your materials, now they pant and rugen’. When describing the locomotive in this way, Whitman encourages the reader to create images and better understand the poem.
In general, images and tone affect the way I see the poem because the tone shows how the poet was happy with all the new technology. The images cause a great impact by making the reader believe images of the locomotive giving specific characteristics of them. For example ‘your long pale’. The tone of the poem causes a great impact on history in the way we can understand that the poet is happy with what is happening in the United States and all technology. I interpret the poem as something historical and also explain many things like everything that was happening in the United States as the new technology.
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