Poetry of William Cullen Bryant

A detailed Summary of Poetry of William Cullen Bryant

As early as eight years old, William Cullen Bryant was showing signs of a strong poetic ability. Bryant became the first native poet to gain worldwide fame in the United States. He specialized in and became well known for his poems regarding the presence of God during a person's life and death, the attractiveness of American nature, and his poetic recordings of past events. "Consumption" and "The Old Man's Funeral" are wonderful examples of Bryant's belief in God and Heaven. "The Yellow Violet" and "'Innocent Child and Snow-White Flower'" shows his obsession with the beauty of American nature, and "The Death of Slavery" is one of his many occasional poems that sums up his hatred for the institution of slavery and the happiness he felt when it was finally abolished.

Bryant's belief in God has always been a strong and unrelenting belief. "Consumption" is a poem about a woman living her last moments of life. She is beyond the point of being healed. It is inevitable that she will die. Bryant writes that "The fields for thee have no medicinal leaf, And the vexed ore no mineral of power" (75). Instead of there being fear at the time of death, the poem is actually soothing and relaxing.

Bryant, William Cullen. "Consumption." Poetical Works of William Cullen Bryant. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1878. 75.

---. "The Yellow Violet." Poetical Works of William Cullen Bryant. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1878. 24-26.

Being the first native American poet to gain worldwide fame, William Cullen Bryant will be etched in the history books forever. He is renowned for his poetry expressing his religious beliefs, his fascination with the beauty of America, and his occasional poems. Being a child prodigy he went into law early in his life, but eventually settled down to do nothing more than write poems, which was where his heart was. Bryant was very proud of his beliefs and was not afraid to express them in any way. He made his beliefs known to the world by writing them down in the form of poems to be enjoyed by everyone around the world.

---. "The Old Man's Funeral." Poetical Works of William Cullen Bryant. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1878. 67-69.

Another style of poetry that Bryant is popular for is his historical poetry. He wrote many occasional poems after major historical events happened in history. Being a firm hatred of the institution of slavery, he jumped at the chance to write an occasional poem after the abolition of slavery. He titled it "The Death of Slavery." In it he writes about the uncivilized and barbaric nature of slavery. He describes the shackles falling off the limbs of the slaves and the men and women reemerging back into manhood free from persecution. Bryant is very happy during this time and believes that onl

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Approximate Word count = 1079
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English