A beloved figure in his own era----a household name for such poems as
"Barbara Frietchie" and "The Barefoot Boy"--John Greenleaf Whittier
remains an emotionally honest, powerfully reflective voice. A Quaker
deeply involved in the struggle against slavery (he was harassed by mobs
more than once) he enlisted his poetry in the abolitionist cause with
such powerful works as "The Hunters of Men," "Song of Slaves in the
Desert," and "Ichabod!", his mournful attack on Daniel Webster's
betrayal of the anti-slavery cause.
Whittier's narrative gift is evident in such perennially popular poems
as "Skipper Ireson's Ride" and the Civil War legend "Barbara Frietchie,"
while in his masterpiece "Snow-Bound" he created a vivid, flavorful
portrait of the country life he knew as a child in New England. "His
diction is easy, his detail rich and unassuming, his emotion deep,"
writes editor Brenda Wineapple. "And the shale of his New England
landscape reaches outward, promising not relief from pain but a glimpse
of a better, larger world."
About the American Poets Project
Elegantly designed in compact editions, printed on acid-free paper, and
textually authoritative, the American Poets Project makes available the
full range of the American poetic accomplishment, selected and
introduced by today's most discerning poets and critics.