Notes for Select Whitman Poems

Poetic Form: a.)Whitman’s poem can be broken into two distinct parts: the frame of the poem in which Whitman discusses the sunset as an image and the middle section which Whitman uses to describe the failing memories that he associates with old age. b.)Whitman uses dashes and commas frequently in the text to reflect the disjointed state of the elderly mind searching for memories and connections that are increasingly difficult to maintain in old age.

Symbolism: a.)The Sunset: Whitman describes the sunset physically as “golden setting, clear and broad” (line 5) and introduces the “twilight” in terms of “airy, different, changing hues of all” (line 3). b.)Whitman employs the sunset as more than a physical object by extending the metaphor to discuss the setting sun as an image of failing memories in the aging mind. c.)The image of the sunset and the receding light becomes a parallel image to the aging mind: as the earth darkens at sunset the aging mind struggles to maintain the memories of the past while approaching the inevitable darkness of death.