Walt Whitman "Beat! Beat! Drums!"

author of “Beat! Beat! Drums!”

Walt Whitman

1. this poem is written in the imperative (Commands) to whom sit the poet speaking?

To the union army to sound war loudly

2. Stanza #1 mentions several places that will hear the drums and bugles first. List those places

Church, school, wedding, farm

3. What do those places have in common?

all quiet places

4. Why will those places hear the drums and bugles first?

The most peaceful places and war ends all peace

5. What places are mentioned in stanza #2?

Cities, streets, house, court, concert hall

6. how do those places differ form those in the first stanza?

loud places

7. Stanza #3 does not mention locations, but conversation. What can the reader infer is said in those conversation?

keep your eyes on the goal, ignore ht interruptions until it is done

8. Why do the drums and bugles have to get even louder?

They need to be heard one try chaos, that the North is making a stand

9. What image does Walt Whitman use to indicate the great volume fo the sound? (Think about what you have learned about sound in Speech class.)

words that are loud sound, sound vibrations, will not be heard over ht thundering drums.

10. Find alliteration and repetition. What may Whitman by trying to accomplish through this technique (Think of the sound of the poem.)

Making a war cry and trying to get his point across.

An unsettling feeling in the reader.

**Beat! Beat! Drums! How bugles blow! - march/drum**