jennyandwalt

Just another Looking for Whitman weblog

One of the most tranquil field trips ever: Whitman’s Cemetery

Filed under: Uncategorized — jenny and walt at 3:47 pm on Thursday, November 12, 2009

Who would’ve ever thought cemeteriesĀ  could be so beautiful, let alone tranquil? When one thinks of cemeteries, what comes to mind? For me, I think of rough-cornered tombstones; dark, mist-filled nights; black cats; not little cute ghosts like Casper, but you know, the real ones, the real ghosts. Well, maybe that was a bit too over-exaggerated. But really. Would would’ve thought that Whitman’s cemetery would be like that of an actual haven? Not only do we find real nature scenes coming to life in Whitman’s poetry, but he even brings them to life after death. His tomb was literally coming out from the ground. Surrounded by nature, literally connected with roots from trees, it was almost as if Whitman was a part of the ground… the grass. It was amazing. The experience was so tranquil and beautiful… This may sound a bit bizarre, but it was so nice that if I could, I would want to live nearby somewhere by the pond beside Whitman’s grave. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty sane. You just have to experience going to Whitman’s cemetery yourself to see what I mean.

4 Comments »

36

Comment by lisar

November 13, 2009 @ 8:08 pm

Jennica,

I totally agree! I was so shocked to see how tranquil and serene the site still is today, especially considering the state of the city that surrounds it. Whitman sure picked the right location!

37

Comment by bcbottle

November 17, 2009 @ 3:55 pm

Thank you for this post. Being in Fredericksburg I haven’t had the opportunity to visit Whitman’s grave. Your description of it was very beautiful though. I can’t wait till i get to go experience it for myself!

40

Comment by kevinv

November 19, 2009 @ 3:47 pm

It really is a gorgeous cemetery. I think Whitman picked a good spot. I don’t know if anyone else noticed but directly across from his tomb is a tree that had lost all its leaves and exposed a Bee’s hive, an awesome sight.

41

Comment by lizmoser

November 19, 2009 @ 5:39 pm

It sounds beautiful. I’ve done a ton of research on Harleigh Cemetery for the previous project in this class, but I’ve never actually been there. I hope I can return in the spring, when the trees leaf and flowers begin to bloom again.

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