Analysis of Over The Carnage

Walt Whitman 1819 (West Hills) – 1892 (Camden)




   OVER the carnage rose prophetic a voice,
   Be not dishearten'd--Affection shall solve the problems of Freedom
         yet;
   Those who love each other shall become invincible--they shall yet
         make Columbia victorious.

Sons of the Mother of All! you shall yet be victorious!
   You shall yet laugh to scorn the attacks of all the remainder of the
         earth.

No danger shall balk Columbia's lovers;
   If need be, a thousand shall sternly immolate themselves for one.

One from Massachusetts shall be a Missourian's comrade;
   From Maine and from hot Carolina, and another, an Oregonese, shall be
         friends triune,
   More precious to each other than all the riches of the earth.      10

To Michigan, Florida perfumes shall tenderly come;
   Not the perfumes of flowers, but sweeter, and wafted beyond death.

It shall be customary in the houses and streets to see manly
         affection;
   The most dauntless and rude shall touch face to face lightly;
   The dependence of Liberty shall be lovers,
   The continuance of Equality shall be comrades.

These shall tie you and band you stronger than hoops of iron;
   I, extatic, O partners! O lands! with the love of lovers tie you.

(Were you looking to be held together by the lawyers?
   Or by an agreement on a paper? or by arms?                         20
   --Nay--nor the world, nor any living thing, will so cohere.)


Scheme XABBC CXD EF XGFD AX GFGEX XX EXX
Poetic Form
Metre 10010101001 1101001011010110 1 1111101010100111 101000100 110101111110100 11111100111001010 1 11011010010 111010110100111 1101011011 1101101000101111 11 110111011010101 11001000111001 1001110110010011 1111000010011110 010 011011111110 001011001110 0010010100111 11110111011110 111101110111011 01101110101010 1110101010111 11011101011101
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,400
Words 223
Sentences 16
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 5, 3, 2, 4, 2, 5, 2, 3
Lines Amount 26
Letters per line (avg) 39
Words per line (avg) 10
Letters per stanza (avg) 127
Words per stanza (avg) 31
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:07 min read
157

Walt Whitman

Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. more…

All Walt Whitman poems | Walt Whitman Books

35 fans

Discuss this Walt Whitman poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Over The Carnage" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/38106/over-the-carnage>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    17
    hours
    18
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    The opposite of poetry is _______.
    A Prose
    B Verse
    C Literalism
    D Somnolence