Battle-Hymn of the Republic Julia Ward Howe Daegan Lappin

1. Battle-Hymn of the Republic Julia Ward Howe Daegan Lappin

2. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fatal lightning of his terrible swift sword:       His truth is marching on. I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps; They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps.       His Day is marching on. A A A B C C C B D D D B E E E B F F F B My poem has a rhyme scheme, as shown here, therefore it is a lyric poem. There are five stanzas and 20 lines. I have read a fiery gospel, writ in burnished rows of steel: “As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal; Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,       Since God is marching on.” He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment-seat: Oh! be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!       Our God is marching on. In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me: As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,       While God is marching on.

3. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fatal lightning of his terrible swift sword:       His truth is marching on. Figurative: God will be coming in all His glory to judge all living and dead. Literal: The Union is coming to put down the Confederacy. There is repetition of the words “He, His, Him, etc.” to get the point across that God will be coming to vanquish evil and judge souls.

4. I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps; They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps.       His Day is marching on. Figurative: The soldiers are marching on to the war with God. Literal: Christianity was practiced between all the soldiers.

5. I have read a fiery gospel, writ in burnished rows of steel: “As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal; Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,       Since God is marching on.” Figurative: Soldiers speak encouraging words of good news – Jesus is coming to stomp out evil Literal: Soldiers go to stomp out opponents

6. He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment-seat: Oh! be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!       Our God is marching on. Figurative: God would already have won the battle between good and evil and He would be judging everybody’s souls. Literal: Union would have won the Civil War and be judging the Confederates.

7. In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me: As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,       While God is marching on. Figurative: Jesus died to give people eternal life. Literal: Soldiers (Union) died to give people eternal freedom.

8. Julia Ward Howe was a versatile writer and activist. She was born in New York City to a banker father and a poet mother. She was active in anti-slavery and women’s suffrage movements. Howe started writing at age 16, and her poem “Battle-Hymn of the Republic” was published in Atlantic Monthly in 1862. I believe that the author’s purpose of writing this poem was to give encouragement to the supporters of the Union and to spread word about God and what will happen when He comes. I think the theme of the poem is the force of good battling evil.

9. Sources (Photos and Information) /1.bp.blogspot.com/ www.godandscience.org www.poetryoutloud.org www.alighthouse.com www.sodahead.com thepenaltyflagblog.com www.juliawardhowe.org