Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Elegy analysis "Lincoln is Dead" Aaron Dupont

Lincoln Is Dead

BY GEORGE MOSES HORTON
He is gone, the strong base of the nation,
    The dove to his covet has fled;
Ye heroes lament his privation,
    For Lincoln is dead.
 
He is gone down, the sun of the Union,
    Like Phoebus, that sets in the west;
The planet of peace and communion,
    Forever has gone to his rest.
 
He is gone down from a world of commotion,
    No equal succeeds in his stead;
His wonders extend with the ocean,
    Whose waves murmur, Lincoln is dead.
 
He is gone and can ne’er be forgotten,
    Whose great deeds eternal shall bloom;
When gold, pearls and diamonds are rotten,
    His deeds will break forth from the tomb.
 
He is gone out of glory to glory,
    A smile with the tear may be shed,
O, then let us tell the sweet story,
    Triumphantly, Lincoln is dead.

This elegy was written by George Moses Horton and he is writing this elegy about the death of President Abraham Lincoln. You can clearly see the three stages of an elegy throughout the poem. The poet is very sorrowful about he death of Lincoln in the beginning of the poem. He is still getting over the fact that "he is gone" and "forever has gone to his rest. In the next few stanzas the poet shows a lot of admiration for what Lincoln has done and all that he has achieved throughout his lifetime. He states, "His wonders extend with the ocean," and "Whose great deeds eternal shall bloom". It is obvious that the poet had a great deal of respect for Lincoln and went through a lot of pain at the news of his death. However there is some consolation and solace at the end of the essay. He wants people to find consolation in the fact that Lincoln has gone from "glory to glory" and he also states "A smile with the tear may be shed". He wants the reader to know that there is some consolation in the fact that "Lincoln id dead". The overall message of the poem is that even though Lincoln is dead his great legacy will never be forgotten. He comments on loss by telling people not to focus on the fact that someone is now dead but by telling them they need to focus on that person's great achievements throughout their lifetime. 







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