Herman Melville

http://www.poetry-archive.com/m/the_martyr.html
-"The Martyr"

http://www.poetry-archive.com/m/the_berg.html
-"The Berg"

Herman Melville was born in 1819. His father, Allan Melvill, died in 1832, two years after the collapse of the family's import business. Melville began writing at a very young age, but could not focus primarily on his writing due to the family's financial difficulties. After working as a cabin boy on the St. Lawrence, Melville began writing about the sea in novels such as Moby Dick and Typee.

In "The Martyr," Herman Melville uses much imagery. When he says, "He lieth in his blood" one can get a mental image of a man not only dead, but brutally murdered. Also, the line "Beware the People weeping/ When they bare the iron hand" makes the reader fearful that the mourners of the murdered man seek vengeance for his death.

While reading "The Berg" by Herman Melville, I could visualize the shipwreck as it was occurring. Melville's use of imagery allowed me to put myself in the presence of the ship as it hit the iceberg and as it was sinking.

I couldn't see anything in Herman Melville's writing that would classify him as an American poet. The only connection I could make between his works and American history and media was how "The Berg" seemed very similar to the story of the Titanic. Most of his writings seem like they could have been written by anyone from any culture. I doubt that if someone who knew nothing of Herman Melville read one of his poems for the first time he orshe would be able to surely say that he was American.