The Wound Dresser - Assignment Example

Section 1. Why is the narrator "looking backward" according to section I? What other reason might one have to look backward on ones war experiences? -- In the context of the poem, the opening scene tells us that there is a new war raging in the country of the elderly man. He is somehow still involved in this battle, as a wound dresser / volunteer at a war hospital which is why he has come across these new faces of battle scarred and worn soldiers. He cannot help but see his younger self , as a soldier in their faces. Thus his experience of looking back during the time when he too served his country in a previous war. -- Upon hindsight, one may look back upon a previous war experience to recall the bravery of the past soldiers and wonder as to whether there is any true benefit to war. As Whitman, using the voice of the narrator aptly put it : Years hence of these scenes, of these furious passions, these chances, Of unsurpass’d heroes, (was one side so brave? the other was equally brave;) Now be witness again, paint the mightiest armies of earth ...(Whitman, “The Wound Dresser”) 2. What attitude or outlook on the war would you attribute to the "children" who question the old man? Be sure to quote specific words or phrases that support your inference. -- Somehow, it would seem that the young wounded soldiers that the old man is caring for still have their adventurous spirits intact. Even the battle scars and gruesome wounds do not seem to dampen their bravery. That is why they are looking to the old man for his stories from his own war time adventures. It is almost as if they wish to compare war experiences with a compatriot rather than a mere wound dresser. This is clearly evidenced in the first stanza of the poem that goes like this: An old man bending I come among new faces, Years looking backward resuming in answer to children, Come tell us old man, as from young men and maidens that love me, ... Of those armies so rapid so wondrous what saw you to tell us? What stays with you latest and deepest? of curious panics, Of hard-fought engagements or sieges tremendous what deepest remains? (Whitman, “The Wound Dresser”) 3. Twice the narrator has an inward reflection within the childrens question. What change in himself does he document in the first parenthetical statement? -- It would seem that the urge to fight in the war was inflamed in the old man upon seeing the faces of the young wounded or dead soldiers. It is an expected reaction from a man who had once served his country in a war that may have also taken the lives of his own friends and family members. But then he remembers his age. Acknowledging that he can no longer fight in the battle alongside his younger counterparts. So he resigns himself to helping them fight the war in the only capacity that he can, as a tenderer of wounds and a story teller to lighten their pains. This is explained quite clearly in the parenthetical thoughts of the old man that reads: (Arous’d and angry, I’d thought to beat the alarum, and urge relentless war, But soon my fingers fail’d me, my face droop’d and I resign’d myself, To sit by the wounded and soothe them, or silently watch the dead;) (Whitman, “The Wound Dresser”) 4. In the second parenthetical statement, how does the old man respond to the language of the question, to the "childrens" vision of war, to their notion of "unsurpassd heroes" and the "mightiest armies of earth." -- The old man actually feels saddened at the way that the young soldiers and women seem to view the war as something to be proud of and their participation in the conflict is an honor for them. In reality, they have yet to realize as the old man recalls, that there was nothing joyful about the war. Sure there were some good times and brave times that existed for him during his own war time participation. But most of his memories were about the hardship of the war. Looking back now, he still recalls that somehow he felt content during that time. But the truth was that majority of his war experience was related to sadness, pain and suffering. The old man explains his experience as follows: Soldier alert I arrive after a long march cover’d with sweat and dust, In the nick of time I come, plunge in the fight, loudly shout in the rush of successful charge, Enter the captur’d works—yet lo, like a swift running river they fade, Pass and are gone they fade—I dwell not on soldiers’ perils or soldiers’ joys, (Both I remember well—many of the hardships, few the joys, yet I was content.) (Whitman, “The Wound Dresser”) 5. Restate the question that is asked in a simple but accurate sentence. -- The question being asked of the man I believe was “As a young man, did he believe that fighting in a war was worth it?” Section 2 6. In the beginning of the narrators response (lines 14-20) which characteristics of war and battle are being emphasized? -- In lines 14 - 20, we are told that the old man viewed his war experience as Soldier alert I arrive after a long march cover’d with sweat and dust, In the nick of time I come, plunge in the fight, loudly shout in the rush of successful charge, Enter the captur’d works—yet lo, like a swift running river they fade, Pass and are gone they fade—I dwell not on soldiers’ perils or soldiers’ joys, (Whitman, “The Wound Dresser”) Therefore, the characteristics of war and battle being emphasized was that of youthful idealism, and the sense of invincibility that a young soldier possesses, only to be reminded of his human traits by receiving battle wounds or experiencing the end of his life on the battlefield. 7. What fades like a "swift-running river"? -- The lives of the captured foes and the comrades of the old man who die on the battlefield are poetically described as “Enter the captur’d works—yet lo, like a swift running river they fade”. (Whitman, “The Wound Dresser”) 8. Explain what does the phrase "in silence, in dreams projections" might mean? (If you dont know at first, come back to this question. Watch for repetition of the phrase.) -- I believe that this particular phrase is meant to remind the readers of the atrocities of war. While those who are not involved directly in the battle can easily forget about the war, those who had to participate in the battles are forever haunted by the images of war and their experiences. Often times, these images and memories come back to them in dreams. Most likely, the old man, as he retells the story of his experiences and how he has nightmares about them is referring to an early form ( before it was discovered) of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. 9. What is meant by "While the world of gain and appearance and mirth goes on"? -- For everyone else, life continues after the war. Everything returns to normal and life becomes what it once was. The world continues to evolve and improve regardless of the outcome of the war. 10. Explain what the imagery "waves wash the imprints off the sand" refers to. -- It refers to the fact that the horrors of war, and all the traces of the battle that previously raged, eventually gets erased. Built over and forgotten. It becomes and erasable part of the past that nobody in the present or future will ever see again. 11. Why are his knees "hinged"? What "doors" are opening? -- It describes the way that the old man is unwilling to return to his war time past but is forced to do so because he must. It is necessary that he return to the place that he thought he would never return. 12. Once again, we see an interior monologue set off by parenthesis. Who "must follow without noise"? Why must they "be of strong heart"? -- I believe that he speaks of himself in this particular monologue. He must quiet the noise of protest and sadness within him in order to carry on with his tasks. The old man further reminds himself that he must also be strong of heart in order to instill hope in the wounded soldiers. Section 3 13. In section 3 the narrator starts to answer, begins "resuming, in answer to children" by describing his wartime service to the wounded. Which images and language strike you most vividly? Are any details painful to read? Can you visualize the hospital; can you imagined it on film? -- The language that strikes me the most vividly are his descriptions of the wounded soldiers in the hospital and the status of their facilities. It is almost for me, like watching the civil war depiction from the movie “Gone with the Wind” so yes, I can almost visualize all of the descriptions that Whitman used within the 3rd section of his poem. It is so vivid that the descriptions leap off the pages for me. 14. In Whitmans day, many readers felt that hospitals, corpses, and pails filled with "clotted rags and blood," were not fit subjects for poetry. What do you think? -- Due to the highly polite and politically correct era that Whitman came from, I can understand why certain descriptions within his poem would be deemed unfit subjects for poetry. However, I believe that when one is writing about the actions, setting, and topic of war, one cannot help but use words and descriptions that would be considered to be stomach turning. After all, there is nothing beautiful about the war. There is no sanitizing it, there is no waxing poetic about it. 15. Why is the phrase "hinged knees" repeated? -- I believe that the phrase hinged knees” is often repeated because Whitman, upon whose civil war experiences the poem is based, was in reality, reluctant to return to any painful memories of the war. Thus the hinged knees of the old man. This is Whitmans own repeated reluctance to delve into his war time memories and experiences once again. 16. Why is the line "Come, sweet death! be persuaded, O beautiful death! / In mercy come quickly" encased in parenthesis? Why would death be "sweet" or "beautiful"? -- In the mind of Whitman, and the point of view of the old man, death would be a blessing for the suffering and hopeless soldiers. That is why he was trying to persuade death to come and release the men from their torn and useless bodies. So that they might once again know peace and finally be free from the infernal pain that they suffered from. 17. Note how this section ends. Explain the point of the emotional contrast between the "impassive hand" and the "burning flame" within. -- The emotional contrast between the impassive hand and the burning flame has to do with the inner turmoil that the old man was feeling for the events unfolding before him. His impassive hand was necessary in order for him to continue applying the medical treatment the soldiers needed. He felt so emotionally affected by the pain and suffering around him that he needed to numb himself somehow in order to carry on. However, within him, the flames of the spirit of the soldier he once was was burning with a desire to go fight in the war if only to avenge the suffering and loss of life that he was witnessing. Section 4 18. In section 4 the narrator clarifies for the reader what he means by "dreams projections." Return to section one and review the question of the young people; also, return to section 2 to see what he says fades from memory. What, then, in the end, has stayed with the narrator "latest and deepest?" -- My personal analysis of the poem is that what stayed with the old man “latest and deepest” had to be the deaths that he witnessed during his time serving in the war both past and present. That is a memory that even the soldiers today say stays with them the most. Nothing that they do can ever erase the memories of seeing their comrades die horrifying deaths. The pain and suffering during the war is something that changes a person and his outlook in life. That is why the nightmarish war time experiences of the soldiers become their “latest and deepest: memories of the war. 19. Read the last section again. Is this poem arising truly from the questions of young people, or does the wound dresser "resume" of his own accord? -- In truth, the man was sent down this memory lane due to the questions of the young soldiers. However, the soldiers soon fall asleep or die as he recounts his tales, so he continues to tell the story and recall the past events in this life more for his own benefit than that of the soldiers in the hospital that he is tending to. 20. Why would the soldiers wish to hug the narrator, to kiss him? Why is the memory "sweet and sad"? -- Civil war stories often tell stories of young men dying while calling out for their “Sweethearts”, that would be their girlfriends in todays language. Since by the time they begin to call out, they are near deaths door already and in a delirious state. As a nurse or wound dresser, part of the job of the old man is to help them transition to death. Perhaps by this point the young men no longer see the old man but only the image of the woman that they love. So they end up kissing the old man, a death kiss from a young man to the woman he loved and will never be able to return to. Overview 21. What is the role of the nurse? -- The role of the nurse in the poem, just as in real life is to help tend to the wounded. Dress their wounds and assist the doctors in their care of the soldiers. It is the nurses job to make sure that the patient is comfortable and free from pain whenever possible. So she must do this in whatever capacity she can. If it means she or he must become a story teller in her take their mind off the pain then so be it. 22. Has this changed? -- In our modern, war-free times, the role of the nurse has not changed. It is still the primary role of the nurse to care for the patient and assist the doctors in whatever capacity they can. Just because the war no longer exists does not mean that the role of the nurse has changed. The mission and objectives of the nurse have not changed since the time of Florence Nightingale. Source Whitman, W. (n.d.). The wound dresser. poetryfoundation.org. poetryfoundation.org. 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