Question

Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Over the traffic of cities—over the rumble of wheels in the streets;
Are beds prepared for sleepers at night in the houses?
no sleepers must sleep in those beds,
No bargainers' bargains by day—no brokers or
speculators—would they continue?
Would the talkers be talking? would the singer attempt to sing?
Would the lawyer rise in the court to state his case before the judge?
Then rattle quicker, heavier drums—you bugles wilder blow.

Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!
Make no parley—stop for no expostulation,
Mind not the timid—mind not the weeper or prayer,
Mind not the old man beseeching the young man,
Let not the child's voice be heard, nor the mother's entreaties,
Make even the trestles to shake the dead where they lie awaiting the hearses,
So strong you thump O terrible drums—so loud you bugles blow.

—Walt Whitman, "Beat! Beat! Drums!"1
Check Your Understanding
Attempt 1 of 2
How does word position contribute to meaning in this excerpt from Walt Whitman's poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!"?

A.
Repeating "Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!" at the beginning of each stanza emphasizes the noise and rhythm of the drums over everything else in the poem.
B.
Placing the line "Mind not the old man beseeching the young man" in the middle of the second stanza emphasizes that this is the most important part of the poem.
C.
Ending each stanza with the word "blow" makes it seem like the bugles are drowning out the drums and are taking over all the other sounds in the poem.
D.
Putting the five questions in the first stanza of the poem makes the poet seem less sure that the sound of the drums and bugles is being heard.