The last similarity that will be discussed between Lincoln and Whitman is the fact that both men had to die before gaining much recognition for their lives works. It is very sad in a way, yet it proves how adamantly they believed in what they were doing with there lifes if they were willing to do it for no recognition. .
If a person breaks down the poem "Song of Myself" and compares it to "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom"d", it can be proven that Whitman's whole personality changed and that Lincoln's death had much to do with it. It is also quite apparent that spending time in Washington's military hospitals as a nurse and writer effected Whitman equally as much as the assassination of President Lincoln. It wasn't that Walt lived a sheltered life prior to becoming a wound dresser during the war, it's just that watching young men die day after day has a way of changing a man. For instance, you can almost feel the sadness radiating off of Whitman in this letter that he sent to his mom in July of 1863:.
As I sit here writing to you, mother, I wish you could see the whole scene. This young man lies within reach of me, flat on his back, his hands clasp"d across his breast, his thick hair cut close; he is dozing, breathing hard, every breath a spasm-It looks so cruel. He is a noble youngster,--I consider past all hope. Often there is no one with him for a long while. I am here as much as possible (Whitman).
This helps explain some of the sad things that helped break down Whitman's arrogance.
At first look at Whitman's 1855 poem "Song of Myself", a person can obtain an overwhelming feeling of overconfidence, and also a feeling that death isn't a real fear to him. This poem was published early in his career, and was a manifesto or a statement of the poet's deepest beliefs. It is almost as though he is trying to let the world know, once and for all, what his true views on life and death are.
