Hymn. A hymn is a song or verse of praise, often religious. As you read “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” pay attention to the religious images and themes you encounter.
Allusion. An allusion is a rhetorical technique in which reference is made to a person, event, object, or work from history or literature. As you read “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” try to determine to what other written work the author might be alluding. Even if you do not recognize any specific allusions, try to guess based on the language you read.
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After visiting a Union camp near Washington, DC in November 1861, where she saw soldiers marching off to battle, Julia Ward Howe was inspired to write “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Some sources maintain that she was compelled to write the
hymn after hearing Union troops sing “John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave,” a reference to farmer and abolitionist John Brown (1800–1859), who was hanged in Charlestown, Virginia (now West Virginia), for his fight against slavery. Howe’s song was published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1862 and soon became the Civil War anthem of the North. A patriotic hymn, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” justifies the Union cause and celebrates heroic self-sacrifice.
If you had to fight in a war, what thoughts would help you feel brave?
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