Whitman Response Post

I disagree with Jennifer's view that Neely was correct in his assumption that Whitman viewed the Civil War as an "advance of the Union cause." I think that if anything, "Beat! Beat! Drums!" is an anti-war poem because it shows how war divides society and has negative effects on the nation. He can't support the quest for a unified United States if he views the methods for achieving union as divisive and destructive. He describes the drums as "terrible" and "loud" and portrays the call for war as insensitive to the needs and sentiments of the people. I do agree, however, when Jennifer later argues that Whitman viewed the war as unnecessary. Whitman's critical portrayal of the drums as ruthless and violent forces with little regard for the citizens at risk suggests that he at least disagreed with the attitudes of the pro-war population, if not with the war in general. There is no citation of a motive for war anywhere in the poem. If Whitman had been pro-war at all, it seems as if he would have tried to justify the severity of the drums' insensitive call to arms with some greater purpose that might be served by the sacrifice of the bridegroom, farmer or lawyer. Since Whitman chooses not to validate the call to arms, it is safe to suppose that he didn't see it as justified.