“When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” Walt Whitman

Areas of Focus The poem as pastoral elegy The structure The symbol of the lilac blossom

The pastoral elegy This poem part of a series of pieces written after Lincoln’s assassination A pastoral elegy is a poem of mourning uses certain conventions: Conventions from the natural world And from “rustic” human society Famous examples Virgil’s poetry Milton, “Lycidas” Shelley, “Adonais”

The pastoral elegy Lincoln was the “shepherd” of the American people during wartime His loss has left the flock without a leader Nature mourns Lincoln’s death The problems of modern times are mentioned Natural order contrasted with human order Those who die may be the lucky ones, since they are beyond suffering

Tripartite Structure Part 1: Lincoln’s coffin on its way to burial Part 2: The poet and his sprig of lilac, meant to be laid on the coffin The poet ruminates on death and mourning Part 3: The symbols of a bird and star used to develop the idea that nature is sympathetic to yet separate from humanity

What is the worth of a man? Whitman asks this question in the poem Are some men worth more than others? The symbol of the lilac blossom is ambiguous On the one hand, it symbolizes the loss of the dead On the other hand, it is merely a futile, broken twig