nveys the innocent grief and sadness that accompanies our realization of the finality of death. The fact that a child is weeping is significant because in living we must deny the fact that this finality exists, yet it is there. Thus, when death "Lower[s] sullen and fast athwart[s] and down[s] the sky" (Line 6), we are forced to recognize the existence of death. The poem expands on this idea through the reassurances of the father. Again, in Whitmans usual style, the father carries with him several identifiable human qualities. One, he asserts his experience in the recognition of death, by reassuring that "all those stars both silvery and golden shall shine out again," (Line 20). In this way he protects his daughter from the realization of death and the sorrow it brings, by comforting her with the knowledge that these stars are immortal. Thus, he is saying that life must carry on even in the face of death. Yet the father goes on to illustrate a second point, for he himself gains something from this experience. He realizes his underlying love for his daughter minimizes the immortality of the stars. "Something there is that is more immortal" (Line 28). Still, the poetic vehicle that is the father carries another purpose, and that is displayed by his ambiguity in addressing his daughter: "I give thee the first suggestion, the problem and indirection" (Line 27). This represents the idea that these issues are in constant question. Answers are often complex and changing. But what remains constant, is the cycle of life and death, and the love for his daughter. It is with these central concerns in mind, not with the meeting expectations of formality, that Whitman selects each word and structures each phrase in his poem. The reason for Whitmans success in deviating from the traditional style is his variability. Each stanza, line and phrase is unpredictable. While each is unpredictable with respect to any traditional template, eac...
