Shiloh Figurative Language

Shiloh: A Requiem is a poem of very real emotion that the reader cannot help but, empathize with. Herman Melville creates a brilliant depiction of the Battle of Shiloh’s Aftermath that’s almost palpable. The visual imagery present in this composition is very detailed and conceals hidden messages through metaphors, that in general are negative and nihilistic. The speaker also utilizes personification and other forms of figurative language to display the grim reality of impermanence. In the wake of this idea of impermanence the speaker emphasizes the frivolity of human affiliations through the impermanence and insignificance of these associations. This poem possesses inherent themes of existential nihilism, impermanence and frivolity that can be paralleled to the human condition, which in turn engenders feelings of
hopelessness, depression terror, and universal awareness.
The title of the poem,
Shiloh: A Requiem, is a reference to the Battle of Shiloh, waged in
1862. 23,000 men died that day at Pittsburgh Landing and it was the beginning of the shift in the civil war’s public opinion(Shiloh, Lines 3­6, 81). Herman Melville was one of the first poets to write about the pains, effects, and aftermath of these battles. This is one of the central reasons why he is considered one of the first modern poets. Melville’s verses are very reminiscent of modern social protest compositions. He never outright condemned the war, but wrote from personal experience and documented in vivid detail how the horrors of war had touched all facets of society. This particular poem is a requiem or a composition in memory of the recently deceased. As expected the poem has a negative connotation. The speaker exudes a depressed attitude during the poem.
Melville opens the poem,
Shiloh: A Requiem, with quite a bit of visual imagery, that persists for the first five lines. “
Skimming lightly, wheeling still,­The swallows fly low­Over
the

field in clouded days,­The forest­field of Shiloh.” Melville uses the “swallows” as a representation for life on earth in its entirety. The line “Skimming lightly,” is used as a description of life on earth as graceful and in balance. The line “Wheeling Still,” simply means that this life still persists. So the overall meaning of the first three lines is that life on earth persists coasting gracefully through troubled times. The swallows flying low over the forest fields of shiloh in the third through fifth line is foreshadowing the loss of life in the forest fields of Shiloh(Adams, 1­5).
The use of the swallows as the representation for life on earth is curious.
The swallow is a small bird, tiny and insignificant in comparison to the world it inhabits. By application of analogy, I couldn’t help, but draw the conclusion that Melville intended for the reader to see life on earth as small and insignificant compared to the universe that it exists in.
This introduces the reader to feelings of powerlessness, hopelessness and despair that can be ascribed to the terror of existential nihilism(the belief that existence or life has no purpose, objective meaning, or even intrinsic value)
Building on the inherent existential nihilism in the poem. The next few lines focus more on individual impermanence. “The church so lone, the log built one, ­ that echoed to many a parting groan ­ And natural prayer ­ Of dying foemen mingled there.” The immediate and shallow interpretation is the “dying foemen,” that by itself is a show of impermanence. The terror of all that is existential forced the creation of the institution of the church as suggested
by the interpretation of these lines, “The church so lone, the log built one, ­ that echoed to many a parting groan.” The key word is “echoed,” this suggests that the dying foemen’s final prayers were echoed instead of heard(Shiloh, 9­13). By extension the church is nothing, but a hollow shell that only exists to provide false security, which ultimately reinforces the philosophies of

existential nihilism deepening grave feelings of hopelessness, depression, and terror, as the reader becomes more aware of the world for what it is.
A dynamic shift can be seen in the poem three fourths through. The shift is from a solemn depressed attitude to one that is carefree and sardonic. “Foemen at morn, but friends at eve ­
Fame or country least their care ­ (What like a bullet can undeceive!),” The mood changes as if the speaker is now aware of fate, but has embraced it and is now free from the burden of existence even if it is for only a fleeting moment. The dying foemen have given up their affiliations, because the end existence as they now it is near.
Gravity, however, brings the speaker back down to earth. The poem returns to its original somber form and ends with visual imagery similar to the first few lines. “
But now they lie low, ­
While over them the swallows skim, ­ And all is hushed at Shiloh,” The swallows skimming over the dead men suggests that life goes on despite their massive losses. These lines are supposed to entertain the idea that individual lives are insignificant in contrast to the entirety of life, which again instills a feeling of powerlessness and hopelessness(Shiloh, 12­20). The last line, “And all is hushed in Shiloh,” is just a reminder of the loss of life and it’s a deafening reminder of the inevitable. Death.

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