Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Half-Empty
I didn't enjoy reading "The Wound-Dresser" or "Beat! Beat! Drums!" nearly as much as I enjoyed reading "Song of Myself." The most likely culprit for this weather change is the shift in subject matter. Whitman's words feel more evocative (at least to me) when he's discussing in ecstatic tones his connection with everything and everyone. These two poems, while they do present a different sort of connection with life and death, don't seem to be possessed with the unbridled passion present in "Song of Myself." Though I don't doubt that Whitman's cries for action in "Beat! Beat! Drum!" are sincere, they lack a certain amount of oomph. "The Wound-dresser" is much more effective in its appeals to emotion and empathy, primarily through its gory depictions of battlefield casualties, but, again, lacks the sort of widespread descriptive power of some of his other works. Ultimately, I think I like it better when Whitman sticks to the brighter side of life. With that said, it is interesting to see an author so transfixed with life examine some of its darker corners.
Whitman as Emerson's American Poet
The influence of Emerson on Whitman's work has been very interesting to me, especially in differenetiating their views in preparation for the midterm quiz. Besides major stylistic differences, the two writers seem to posit many of the same transcendentalist philosophies. While Whitman clearly admired Emerson and Emerson positively recognized Whitman's work, there is quite a bit of criticism denegrating the relationship between the two.
An 1856 review of Leaves of Grass from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (http://www.whitmanarchive.org/criticism/reviews/leaves1855/anc.00030.html) expresses horror at any comparison of the two. The reviewer is clearly no fan of Whitman's, as he suggests that Whitman "should be sent to a lunatic asylum, and the mercenary publishers to the penitentiary for pandering to the prurient tastes of morbid sensualists". Meanwhile, the reviewer praises Emerson as "the head of the moral and solid people of Boston, and is simply disappointed in Emerson's recognition of Whitman's work at all. The reviewer is very offended by Whitman's discussions of sexuality, but I must ask... Isn't that part of American life?
I didn't find the more suggestive stanzas of "Song of Myself" so overtly learning towards homosexuality that no argument could be made to the contrary. America's illustrious population is evidence that mid-19th century Americans did not abstain from sexual activity completely — the things that so offended the Frank Leslie reviewer were part of American life, just not a normal part of American intellectual discourse. I can't find any indication that Emerson, in his call for an American poet, would have wanted a half-true glazing over. Whitman's willingness to allude to sensuality (sometimes more blatantly) separates him from other writers at the time, and I would argue actually provides a more honest depiction.
An 1856 review of Leaves of Grass from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (http://www.whitmanarchive.org/criticism/reviews/leaves1855/anc.00030.html) expresses horror at any comparison of the two. The reviewer is clearly no fan of Whitman's, as he suggests that Whitman "should be sent to a lunatic asylum, and the mercenary publishers to the penitentiary for pandering to the prurient tastes of morbid sensualists". Meanwhile, the reviewer praises Emerson as "the head of the moral and solid people of Boston, and is simply disappointed in Emerson's recognition of Whitman's work at all. The reviewer is very offended by Whitman's discussions of sexuality, but I must ask... Isn't that part of American life?
I didn't find the more suggestive stanzas of "Song of Myself" so overtly learning towards homosexuality that no argument could be made to the contrary. America's illustrious population is evidence that mid-19th century Americans did not abstain from sexual activity completely — the things that so offended the Frank Leslie reviewer were part of American life, just not a normal part of American intellectual discourse. I can't find any indication that Emerson, in his call for an American poet, would have wanted a half-true glazing over. Whitman's willingness to allude to sensuality (sometimes more blatantly) separates him from other writers at the time, and I would argue actually provides a more honest depiction.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Whitman Reviewing Himself
While looking through reviews on the archive site for tomorrow's class, I came across some of the reviews that Whitman did of his own work that Onno mentioned on Thursday. I really don't know what to make of these reviews. They mirror the other positive reviews I read, which credit Whitman with impressive originality and talent. Still, the fact that they were written by Whitman himself is very troubling to me. He certainly does not come across as a modest man in any regard, but I wonder what his motivation for writing these reviews really was. Did he simply want to talk himself up to others? If so, why didn't he publish them anonymously, as many of the other reviews on this site have been. One reason for leaving his name in the byline may have been that he was intentionally trying to be ironic.
I have always felt that being publicly self-flattering of your accomplishments devalues how impressive your work actually was. This is of course a personal opinion and doesn't actually affect the quality of someone's work, I just value humble characteristics. Clearly being openly self-praising has not negatively affected Whitman's success, however, and these reviews may very well have immensely benefited his career.
I have always felt that being publicly self-flattering of your accomplishments devalues how impressive your work actually was. This is of course a personal opinion and doesn't actually affect the quality of someone's work, I just value humble characteristics. Clearly being openly self-praising has not negatively affected Whitman's success, however, and these reviews may very well have immensely benefited his career.
Uniqueness of Section 35
For the majority of Song of Myself, Whitman writes from his personal knowledge and his experience. However, in section 35, he instead tells the story of his grandmother's father, the sailor, and his unlikely win at sea from the perspective of the sailor instead of himself. This section is interesting because Whitman never says "I" in reference to himself and positions himself as the passive recipient of the tale: "as my grandmother's father told it to me." In the majority of the other sections he is the instructor or leader of the reader or is relating his direct personal bodily experience. Therefore, the distance from the reader serves to create section 35 as an independent story within the poem.
Though section 35 is markedly different in point of view from the other sections, it still maintains the American-ness of Song of Myself because it continues the themes of American steadfastness. The captain of the great-grandfather's ship does not surrender during the battle even though his men are convinced they are doomed to sinking. He deals the other ship a dreadful blow and outlasts them. This triumph against all odds is a truly American ideal that Whitman presents in section 35. Additionally, the victory against all odds of section 35 is a nice juxtaposition against the massacre of Texans Whitman tells in section 34.
In section 36, Whitman continues the story begun in section 35 but does not address who is speaking. He does not acknowledge if or when the "I" is himself and he has assumed the active role in the poem again. The break between the sections leads readers to believe that Whitman has resumed the narration but this is left ambiguous. This also works as a transition to the next few sections using sea imagery even though the direct retelling of the sea-fight is over.
Though section 35 is markedly different in point of view from the other sections, it still maintains the American-ness of Song of Myself because it continues the themes of American steadfastness. The captain of the great-grandfather's ship does not surrender during the battle even though his men are convinced they are doomed to sinking. He deals the other ship a dreadful blow and outlasts them. This triumph against all odds is a truly American ideal that Whitman presents in section 35. Additionally, the victory against all odds of section 35 is a nice juxtaposition against the massacre of Texans Whitman tells in section 34.
In section 36, Whitman continues the story begun in section 35 but does not address who is speaking. He does not acknowledge if or when the "I" is himself and he has assumed the active role in the poem again. The break between the sections leads readers to believe that Whitman has resumed the narration but this is left ambiguous. This also works as a transition to the next few sections using sea imagery even though the direct retelling of the sea-fight is over.
More of Whitman's influence on "Breaking Bad"
As an avid fan of "Breaking Bad," I was very interested in the reference brought up by Onno in class on Thursday about Whitman's influence and relation to Walter White. Continuing the conversation of the article posted by Onno, I also came across this article that draws parallels between Leaves of Grass and Walter White [Spoiler alert: the article discusses the show up to season 5 episode 8]. Even if you haven't watched the show, this article poses several interesting points about the nature of Whitman's poetry and the "visions of freedom" that the poem describes.
As the article notes, "in 'Song of Myself,' two concepts of freedom emerge: an idea of awareness or transcendence, and an idea of an individualism that honors personal experience over the ideas of sacrifice for the better good of society... 'Song of Myself' can be interpreted as a call to experience life, and that through experience, one can find fulfillment and freedom from the mundane." Walter White lived a relatively monotonous life as a high school chemistry teacher before he became involved in the meth industry. However, he found escape from the uniformity of his every day life through a sense of individual accomplishment and control, and as the show later reveals, his addiction to cooking meth stemmed from a selfish desire to satisfy himself rather than to benefit his family. As a result, we see that he is driven by motivation to find his own sense of freedom. I found it very interesting to see how these different ideas of freedom relate to Whitman's perspective and the overall "American dream." Particularly in the 19th century, the "American dream" heavily relied on the idea that coming to America would provide a transformative experience where people could be free to separate themselves from their past selves. Immigrants saw America as an opportunity to become someone new. It's also interesting to note the contradictions that arise from the ideas of freedom inside the United states as the article also mentions, "freedom is both blessing and curse, and a nation that believes in liberty is also one that suppresses and controls certain parts of its population and goes to war with itself over that control."
"Song of Myself" demonstrates how these ideals of freedom shaped American culture and raises questions about the nature of self-sufficiency, control, and self-fulfillment, and all the contradictions that these entail. How individualism plays a role in characterizing our ideas of freedom is integral in defining what we think of when we think of "Americanness."
As the article notes, "in 'Song of Myself,' two concepts of freedom emerge: an idea of awareness or transcendence, and an idea of an individualism that honors personal experience over the ideas of sacrifice for the better good of society... 'Song of Myself' can be interpreted as a call to experience life, and that through experience, one can find fulfillment and freedom from the mundane." Walter White lived a relatively monotonous life as a high school chemistry teacher before he became involved in the meth industry. However, he found escape from the uniformity of his every day life through a sense of individual accomplishment and control, and as the show later reveals, his addiction to cooking meth stemmed from a selfish desire to satisfy himself rather than to benefit his family. As a result, we see that he is driven by motivation to find his own sense of freedom. I found it very interesting to see how these different ideas of freedom relate to Whitman's perspective and the overall "American dream." Particularly in the 19th century, the "American dream" heavily relied on the idea that coming to America would provide a transformative experience where people could be free to separate themselves from their past selves. Immigrants saw America as an opportunity to become someone new. It's also interesting to note the contradictions that arise from the ideas of freedom inside the United states as the article also mentions, "freedom is both blessing and curse, and a nation that believes in liberty is also one that suppresses and controls certain parts of its population and goes to war with itself over that control."
"Song of Myself" demonstrates how these ideals of freedom shaped American culture and raises questions about the nature of self-sufficiency, control, and self-fulfillment, and all the contradictions that these entail. How individualism plays a role in characterizing our ideas of freedom is integral in defining what we think of when we think of "Americanness."
Some fun links...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125789927
Here is a podcast about Song Of Myself which I found to be very interesting.
I also had to include the best scene from Dead Poet's Society with the Walt Whitman quote and name drop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omveFR-2hmg
Here is a podcast about Song Of Myself which I found to be very interesting.
I also had to include the best scene from Dead Poet's Society with the Walt Whitman quote and name drop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omveFR-2hmg
"They are not original with me"
One of the things I find extremely interesting about Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" is the way he writes about the universe as a whole as well as purely American subjects, and all the while, he doesn't claim to be the one who knows everything.
In Section 17 of the poem, he writes, "These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, they are not original with me". It creates this effect in the poem that the speaker is talking about what he sees and feels and that the reason why he can't claim these experiences as his own is because everyone has them. He is not the ruler of these thoughts and feelings, he is only here to express them and question them.
Another effect of this is his connection with the audience. He isn't preaching but trying to connect with the reader and relate to the experiences of others, so they can be compared. He often asks questions of the reader, wondering about his own feelings and asking you to wonder about yours. One of my favorite lines is in section 19, at the end, "This hour I tell things in confidence / I might not tell everybody, but I will tell you." Here, he asserts that the poem is filled with his own experiences, though others most likely have also had them. He is trusting the reader with them, as if writing them down is what sets him apart.
In Section 17 of the poem, he writes, "These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, they are not original with me". It creates this effect in the poem that the speaker is talking about what he sees and feels and that the reason why he can't claim these experiences as his own is because everyone has them. He is not the ruler of these thoughts and feelings, he is only here to express them and question them.
Another effect of this is his connection with the audience. He isn't preaching but trying to connect with the reader and relate to the experiences of others, so they can be compared. He often asks questions of the reader, wondering about his own feelings and asking you to wonder about yours. One of my favorite lines is in section 19, at the end, "This hour I tell things in confidence / I might not tell everybody, but I will tell you." Here, he asserts that the poem is filled with his own experiences, though others most likely have also had them. He is trusting the reader with them, as if writing them down is what sets him apart.
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