Who now shall sneer? In a letter to Mr. J.B. Thayer, who had by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This poem fragment — actually a strophe from Lowell's broader elegy on the Civil War — responds to British critics who labeled the Union Army as a ragtag group of working-class nobodies.
The poem
criticized this strophe, Lowell admits "that there is a certain narrowness in it as an expression of the popular feeling as well as my own. I confess I have never got over the feeling of wrath with which (just after the death of my nephew Willie) I read in an English paper that nothing was to be hoped of an army officered by tailors' apprentices and butcher boys." But Lowell asks his critic to observe that this strophe "leads naturally" to the next, and "that I there justify" the sentiment.
This poem fragment — actually a strophe from Lowell's broader elegy on the Civil War — responds to British critics who labeled the Union Army as a ragtag group of working-class nobodies. Penned in the deep sorrow of losing his nephew Willie in battle, Lowell argues that the everyday men who lay down their lives for a cause demonstrate their value in the most lasting way imaginable. The strophe serves as a challenge: feel free to mock tailors' apprentices and butcher boys — their sacrifice speaks for itself.
Line-by-line
Who now shall sneer?
Tone & mood
The tone is both defiant and tinged with grief. Lowell is angry — openly and honestly angry — but that anger is tempered by sorrow. It feels less like a rant and more like a man quietly challenging someone to repeat an insult at a graveside. Beneath it all, there's a sense of pride that comes from witnessing the people you love rise to the occasion in the toughest of times.
Symbols & metaphors
- Tailors' apprentices and butcher boys — The phrase, taken straight from the English press, becomes a point of pride for Lowell. What was intended as a jab at the Union Army's humble beginnings is recast as evidence of democratic bravery — everyday working men who made the choice to fight and sacrifice their lives.
- The sneer — Highlights the aristocratic European disdain for American democracy and its citizen-soldiers. By placing this at the heart of the poem, Lowell cleverly uses the critics' own arguments against them.
- Willie's death — Though the strophe doesn't mention it by name, the nephew's death serves as the emotional core of the entire passage, rooted in the biographical context. The broader discussion of class and valor is anchored in this particular personal loss.
Historical context
James Russell Lowell crafted this strophe for his *Commemoration Ode*, which he delivered at Harvard in July 1865 to pay tribute to the students and alumni who lost their lives in the Civil War. Lowell had a personal connection to the conflict: his nephew, William Lowell Putnam, was killed at Ball's Bluff in 1861. During the early years of the war, the British press often questioned the Union cause and displayed disdain for the social class of its volunteers, a perspective that angered many Americans. As one of the leading literary figures in the country and editor of *The Atlantic Monthly*, Lowell used the ode as both a public tribute and a sharp response. His letter to J.B. Thayer, referenced in the headnote, reveals his awareness of the strophe's limitations while still defending its emotional sincerity.
FAQ
A strophe is a section or movement within a longer ode — similar to a chapter in a poem. Lowell's *Commemoration Ode* contains several of these movements, each with a different mood or argument.
Willie was William Lowell Putnam, Lowell's nephew, who tragically lost his life at the Battle of Ball's Bluff in October 1861. In his letter to Thayer, Lowell refers to him to convey the intensity of his emotions in the strophe — he wasn't expressing abstract patriotism but rather pouring out his feelings from a place of immediate sorrow.
A notable segment of the British establishment showed sympathy for the Confederacy, driven in part by economic factors—Southern cotton supplied British textile mills—and in part by class snobbery. The notion that an army composed of tradesmen and laborers could engage in a serious war seemed absurd to some British commentators.
He's addressing his critic regarding the structure of the ode. The anger expressed in this strophe isn't the end of the story—the following strophe provides justification by illustrating what those working-class soldiers accomplished and the significance of their sacrifice. The sneer paves the way for the response.
He's aware of the risk—that's exactly what he admits to Thayer when he refers to it as 'a certain narrowness.' But his anger comes from a real place: seeing men he knew die and then reading foreign newspapers that dismiss those men as social inferiors. That's a specific, human grievance, not just flag-waving.
It's a formal elegy honoring Harvard men who lost their lives in the Civil War, presented at a ceremony in 1865. It navigates through feelings of grief, anger, and democratic idealism, ultimately arriving at a hard-won sense of hope. One of its most celebrated passages pays tribute to Lincoln. This strophe represents one of the more combative moments in the piece.
Repeating the insult verbatim has a greater impact than paraphrasing it. It compels the reader to confront the exact words used against the deceased, making the challenge 'Who now shall sneer?' resonate more deeply.
It's a Pindaric ode, inspired by the grand ceremonial odes of ancient Greece. This form was seen as fitting for significant public events — such as war, loss, and civic memorials. It has a more flexible structure than a sonnet, featuring varying line lengths and sizes of strophes.