Leaves of Grass · Chapter
A Boston Ballad explained
A satirical poem depicting a parade in Boston that summons ghostly Revolutionary War veterans, only to mock their outdated patriotism and propose a grotesque reenactment of British rule by exhuming King George III's bones.
What happens
A satirical poem depicting a parade in Boston that summons ghostly Revolutionary War veterans, only to mock their outdated patriotism and propose a grotesque reenactment of British rule by exhuming King George III's bones.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the speaker fully internalizes the world’s suffering, feeling…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- America and Its People
Critiques the complacency and hypocrisy of American citizens and their government.
- Death and Immortality
The dead rise as phantoms, only to be dismissed as irrelevant to the living.
- The Poet as Prophet and Unifier
The narrator acts as a prophetic voice, exposing the absurdity of the spectacle.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
Observes and comments on the parade and the ghostly veterans.
- America
Represented by the Stars and Stripes, the government cannon, and the citizens of Boston.
- Washington
Implied as a figure of the past contrasted with the current spectacle.
- My Captain
Not directly present; the poem's martial imagery echoes the captain motif.
Key passages
“I love to look on the Stars and Stripes, I hope the fifes will play Yankee Doodle.”
The narrator expresses affection for the American flag and expects patriotic music.
Sets the tone of ironic patriotism.
“Why this is indeed a show—it has called the dead out of the earth!”
The parade is so remarkable that it resurrects the dead.
Highlights the supernatural and satirical elements.
“Dig out King George’s coffin, unwrap him quick from the grave-clothes, box up his bones for a journey...”
The narrator suggests exhuming King George III and parading his skeleton through Boston.
A grotesque satire of American reverence for British monarchy.
