# Interpolation Sounds explained — Leaves of Grass

> Chapter companion for Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.

## What happens

During the burial of General Philip Sheridan at the Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the speaker hears, amidst the solemn religious service, the intrusive sounds of battle—the hurry, noises, and grim reality of war—that crowd into the ceremony from memory and imagination.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Immortality

The burial ceremony contrasts the solemnity of death with the vivid, immortal sounds of battle that intrude upon the speaker.

### America and Its People

The poem reflects on a key American military figure and the national experience of war.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker who perceives the interpolation sounds of battle during the burial.

### General Philip Sheridan

The deceased general being buried with full military and religious honors.

### The General

The mounted general in the battle scene, issuing orders amid the chaos.

## Key lines

> Over and through the burial chant, Organ and solemn service, sermon, bending priests, To me come interpolation sounds not in the show—plainly to me, crowding up the aisle and from the window, Of sudden battle’s hurry and harsh noises—war’s grim game to sight and ear in earnest;

Amid the formal funeral music and religious rituals, I clearly hear intrusive sounds of urgent battle and the brutal reality of war, which seem to fill the church.

_The speaker contrasts the peaceful ceremony with the violent memories of war._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters/interpolation-sounds
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters