Question

To a Certain Civilian
by Walt Whitman

Did you ask dulcet rhymes from me?
Did you seek the civilian’s peaceful and languishing rhymes?
Did you find what I sang erewhile so hard to follow?
Why I was not singing erewhile for you to follow, to understand—nor am I now;

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Question
Use the poem to answer the question.

This poem was written in 1865 and first published in a volume of poetry called Drum-Taps. How does the context of the Civil War affect the meaning of the poem’s first two lines?

(1 point)
Responses

The speaker responds to someone, likely not involved in the war, who likes serene poetry.
The speaker responds to someone, likely not involved in the war, who likes serene poetry.

The speaker talks directly to the reader to defend the pointlessness of war poetry that rhymes.
The speaker talks directly to the reader to defend the pointlessness of war poetry that rhymes.

The speaker encourages people to see that poetry can bring solace to those involved in the war.
The speaker encourages people to see that poetry can bring solace to those involved in the war.

The speaker explains to the reader why peaceful poetry does not fit the topic of war.

Answer 1

The best response to how the context of the Civil War affects the meaning of the poem’s first two lines is:

**The speaker explains to the reader why peaceful poetry does not fit the topic of war.**

This choice captures the essence of the speaker’s disillusionment with the expectation of serene, dulcet rhymes in a time of conflict, highlighting the disconnect between traditional poetry and the harsh realities of the Civil War.