Melville, on the other hand, realizes the complex issues causing the war, and, given his basic distrust in God and His creation, Melville can only dread the breakdown of the country. Whitman's optimistic Transcendental approach assures him that the war can cleanse the country of its controversies, renewing it for its destiny as the New Eden. These opening poems demonstrate the vast gulfs in philosophy that separate Yet for a very real purpose, the atrocities of war are portrayed in choppy, difficult rhythms and images. Poetry was an entirely new venture for him since all of his previously published works had been in prose, and these first poems exhibit the harsh discordant style that was to characterize his poetry. Conversely, Melville's opening poems stress the solemn implications of a civil war. Whitman uses the free verse style that he had developed, cataloguing the various scenes of preparation for the war. Strong rhythmic cadences punctuate these poems with the symbolic drum taps that give their name to the collection. Whitman's opening poems vigorously assert the necessity of the war to preserve the union. Their introductory poems to Drum Taps and Battle Pieces and Aspects of War reveal their new direction and new conviction to be the mouthpieces of that war. And they spoke out in poetry resonant with ever new experimentation. Yet with the Civil War, both found new voice. But each had reached a period of hesitation by 1860, perhaps stilled by the imminent outbreak of war, or perhaps audited by the poor reader reception of their works. The unlimited opportunities of America spilled over into the works of these artists as each attempted a variety of genres, eventually creating masterpieces of innovation in Moby Dick and Leaves of Grass. ![]() Perhaps more than any other philosophy, the Transcendental influence of the mid-nineteenth century allowed Herman Melville and Walt Whitman to experiment with their writing.
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