Penelitian I: “Historical Facts toward Abraham Lincoln the 16th American President in Walt Whitman’s Selected Poems”

Abstract

Historical Facts toward Abraham Lincoln the 16th American President in Walt Whitman’s Selected Poems

Fatimah M., S.S., M.Hum Indah Sari Lubis, M.Hum ABSTRACT This research analyzes about Historical Facts toward Abraham Lincoln The 16th American President in Walt Whitman’s Selected Poems. The poems sellected were When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd and O captain, My Captain written by Walt Whitman, an American poet. As being an American poet who experiences life surrounding around the the reign of the president Abraham Lincoln. Whitman recounted about the case of social problem during his reign, the time of Civil War in America. Both When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd and O Captain, My Captain poems, composed in the wake of the 16th President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, both poems take the form of a pastoral elegy, mourning poems for the Lincoln's death while praising the beauty of the natural world. The aims of this study, is to find out the historical facts of Lincoln in Walt Withman’s selected poems. In answering the research questions, the researcher uses historical approach in literature to reveal the historical meaning behind the poem lyrics. The result of the research showed that, Whitman analogizes some certain elements to display the historical facts behind the leadership and death of Abraham Lincoln, some of them are about his leadership is analogous to a highly respected Captain of the ship, while Lincoln's death is analogous to Lilacs flowers. His service and influence to America is analogous to a shining star in the west.

Key words: Historical Fact, Abraham Lincoln, Walt Withman’s Poems