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

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

3. 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”

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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