Compare And Contrast A Grass And A Child Said What Is The Grass

Though both Sandburg’s “Grass” and Whitman’s “A child said, What is the grass?” both turn focus to grass as the main character. However their poems represent different perspectives and symbolism of grass. In “Grass” grass’ purpose is to conceal the horrors of mankind, such as war, as he references to Gettysburg, Austerlitz, Waterloo, Ypres and Verdun. Sandburg also expresses a solemn tone while instructing to, “Pile the bodies high… Shovel them under” (Sandburg ll. 1-2). Yet, Sandburg gives the grass a voice as it says, “ I am the grass; I cover all” (Sandburg l. 3). Thus, alluding to the grass covering up the wrongs of humankind with time. In Whitman’s “A child said, What is the grass?” represents grass as the life cycle of humans. Through