part of true “national literature.” “Reconciliation” is a poem that was meant to open the eyes of the reader to the effects the war had after it was over. It is written through the eyes of a dead soldier who has seen what the war has done. This soldier has the blood of many men on his hands and will always remember the death. Where “Editha” showed the significance of war in relation to a person’s love of their country, “Reconciliation” tells in a few strong lines, the somber mood of a country that has lost many lives. Whitman writes, “For my enemy is dead, a man divine as myself is dead”(Whitman 129). It is not said what side this “divine” man fought for but it shows that no matter what side the men fought on they were fighting for what they believed in. They fought for their rights, they fought for their country, and at the end of it all they were left with death. This poem demonstrates that even after the war was fought, there was no real happiness about what was left. The men that fought would live with the memories of the lives they took and the lives of friends and family that were lost. The dead would never know how important they were to this great land, and neither would those that lived. Whitman says, “I draw near, Bend down and touch lightly with my lips the white face in the coffin”(129). This line tells the significance of the title. By approaching the coffin and kissing his enemy it was his way of confessing his sins. His way of apologizing to the man he killed. What those men fought for allow us to live the lives we live today. Only in America could we grasp the importance of the lives that were lost, but will never know the pain those men felt.“Editha” and “Reconciliation” are examples of the love for a country. They allow you to see through the eyes of the writers that a true American loves hi...
