Download a PDF to print or study offline.
Study Guide
Bibliography
Course Hero. "For the Union Dead Study Guide." Course Hero. 13 Jan. 2019. Web. 1 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/For-the-Union-Dead/>.
In text
(Course Hero)
Bibliography
Course Hero. (2019, January 13). For the Union Dead Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 1, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/For-the-Union-Dead/
In text
(Course Hero, 2019)
Bibliography
Course Hero. "For the Union Dead Study Guide." January 13, 2019. Accessed June 1, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/For-the-Union-Dead/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "For the Union Dead Study Guide," January 13, 2019, accessed June 1, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/For-the-Union-Dead/.
Robert Lowell
1960
Poem
Fiction, History
The poem is narrated by a first-person speaker, whom readers can assume is the poet. He connects his childhood and a Civil War memorial to contemporary life, including progress and civil rights.
The poem alternates between past and present tense.
First published as "Colonel Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th," the poem commemorates the Civil War's 54th Massachusetts Regiment and Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who died with nearly half of his men at the siege of Fort Wagner in 1863. A memorial plaque depicting Shaw surrounded by his men was erected on the Boston Common in 1897.
This study guide for Robert Lowell's For the Union Dead offers summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.
Have study documents to share about For the Union Dead? Upload them to earn free Course Hero access!