Paper Example on Comparing the Civil War From Two Different Perspectives

Introduction

The American civil war broke out in 1861 and was fought up to 1865. It is one of the widely studied in the American history as many scholars have a literature of different kinds on this particular war. The literature range from poems, narratives, books among others. The war had dire consequences as several lives were lost, property worth millions was destroyed and a serious economic crisis was experienced Among the scholars that wrote about the civil war is Walt Whitman in his piece Vigil Strange I Kept in the Field One Night. The poem is written from Whitman's own when he was a field nurse and experienced firsthand bizarre experiences of the war. Although he was not a soldier he gives his unforgettable experiences of the bloody scenes of war. His poem is filled with romance that elevates harsh realities of war. In the poem, death is changed into a loving experience and mood. On the other hand, Chickamauga by Ambrose Bierce is a poem that also explores the grim realities of the civil war. Bierce writes the poem drawing on his own experiences as a soldier in the civil war. Unlike Whitman, he uses the bizarre reality of what happened in the war front. He, however, portrays a consistent tension between fantasy and realities of war.

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Bierce perspective of war is that of a realist and he does not use a metaphor but instead describes the unfolding events of the war from an actual perspective. His experience as a soldier makes him explore the civil war in a raw manner and from a firsthand information perspective. The poem juggles between the fantasies and reality of war. His work is realistic and un-metaphorical because he uses the actual events of the war to write his poem. The poem is told in a third person narrative where a six-year-old boy goes to the woods to fight what comes on his way. He imagines fighting several soldiers and wins the battle. He is so much into his dream of victory that he is lost in reality and gets so frightened. The poem depicts reality because all the scenes and flow of events is what took place during the civil war. The boy's fantasy of playing in a war zone is his reality. He is said to be following the steps of his ancestors of war and victories. It states "in bodies of its ancestors, had for thousands of years been trained to memorable feats of discovery and conquest--victories in battles whose critical moments were centuries,.." (Bierce, pg.1). it depicts that war was not a fantasy but a reality that had been practiced and passed on to the generations.

Conclusion

Whitman perceives war as idealistic and he uses a lot of metaphor in his literature. Although he knows the grim realities of the war he uses a lot of romance to break down the agony brought out by death. He transforms death into love through romance. In his poem, no one else is present on the battlefield and the persona sits alone with a dead body of his comrade. He states "in the fragrant silent night"(Whitman, L.11) Implying that it was a quiet night without anyone to talk to. The sight is eroticized and idealized. The author also metaphorises his work on several occasions to mirror the reality of what is happening, for instance, he says "My comrade I wrapt in his blanket, enveloped well his form.." (Whitman, L. 20). he uses metaphor to explain his feelings on the disastrous repercussions of war and its severity on the people.

Works Cited

Bierce, Ambrose. Chickamauga. Charles River Editors via PublishDrive, 2018.

Whitman, Walt. "Vigil strange I kept on the field one night." Valley Men 4.1 (1990): 14.