I think that if I had lived in the time of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, I would have chosen to read the poems of Emily Dickinson, because I liked her writing style a lot better. Because, in her poems, there is a certain rhythm to her poems and I found it a lot easier to understand and easier to decipher. Walt Whitman was just weird and wrote about a lot of disturbing type things that just kind of weirded me out when I was reading it. I mean, the way he wrote is something I do not think I would be reading that in that time period. But, if that was the only thing left for me to read, then maybe I would end up reading Walt Whitman eventually because I am the type of person to read pretty much anything, even if I do not like it.
I think the thing I did like about Emily Dickinson is that she wrote about feelings that I could actually understand, and I think that might be partially because she is a woman, so she had a better idea of feelings unlike Walt Whitman did. I mean, apparantly Walt Whitman was gay, so his ideas of feelings and emotions were slightly different, because for one he is a guy, but then I don't know, he just had a different writing style that I did not really care for. His poems were more difficult to analyze and try to decipher the meaning from and I did not really care for it at all. That, however, is just my opinion and the fact that I did not care for Walt Whitman and his writing style. I prefered Emily Dickinson and her more emotional way of writing and getting to the audience, instead of Whitman which was just disturbing in my opinion.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Poem 52: He Touched Me, So I Live to Know
He touched me, so I live to know
That such a day, permitted so,
I groped upon his breast --
It was a boundless place to me
And silenced, as the awful sea
Puts minor streams to rest.
And now, I'm different from before,
As if I breathed superior air --
Or brushed a Royal Gown --
My feet, too, that had wandered so --
My Gypsy face -- transfigured now --
To tenderer Renown --
Into this Port, if I might come,
Rebecca, to Jerusalem,
Would not so ravished turn --
Nor Persian, baffled at her shrine
Lift such a Crucifixial sign
To her imperial Sun.
This poem was somewhat similar to some of Walt Whitman's poems. I mean, yeah it was somewhat graphic and everything. However, I thought that maybe Emily Dickinson was talking about all of this in a Christian sense because there is a lot about Christianity and Jerusalem. So even though she was touched or whatever, I do not think she means physcially touched, but instead in a spiritual sense in that she was touched by the Holy Spirit or whatever. Although that does sound kind of weird, it is something that could happen and does happen as well, which would be why Emily Dickinson chose to write about it.
She was talking about her Crucifixial sign and her imperial sun, which I think is referring to Jesus and God, because she is not necessarily meaning the sun, like the big hot ball of gas, but instead the Son of God, so she just had a play on words, which is kind of cool But, maybe I am just analyzing this in a weird way or something, but that is what I think is going on. She is not talking about being in love and being touched by a man, but instead the holy spirit and the fact that he is filling her in every way possible and she is reveling in the feeling and all of that. Which, that was interesting of her to talk about, because she was talking about her feelings for religion instead of a specefic person like most people would in my opinion. Because if it was me, I would not be talking about my love for the church, instead I would be talking about a guy, however that is just me and my opinion.
That such a day, permitted so,
I groped upon his breast --
It was a boundless place to me
And silenced, as the awful sea
Puts minor streams to rest.
And now, I'm different from before,
As if I breathed superior air --
Or brushed a Royal Gown --
My feet, too, that had wandered so --
My Gypsy face -- transfigured now --
To tenderer Renown --
Into this Port, if I might come,
Rebecca, to Jerusalem,
Would not so ravished turn --
Nor Persian, baffled at her shrine
Lift such a Crucifixial sign
To her imperial Sun.
This poem was somewhat similar to some of Walt Whitman's poems. I mean, yeah it was somewhat graphic and everything. However, I thought that maybe Emily Dickinson was talking about all of this in a Christian sense because there is a lot about Christianity and Jerusalem. So even though she was touched or whatever, I do not think she means physcially touched, but instead in a spiritual sense in that she was touched by the Holy Spirit or whatever. Although that does sound kind of weird, it is something that could happen and does happen as well, which would be why Emily Dickinson chose to write about it.
She was talking about her Crucifixial sign and her imperial sun, which I think is referring to Jesus and God, because she is not necessarily meaning the sun, like the big hot ball of gas, but instead the Son of God, so she just had a play on words, which is kind of cool But, maybe I am just analyzing this in a weird way or something, but that is what I think is going on. She is not talking about being in love and being touched by a man, but instead the holy spirit and the fact that he is filling her in every way possible and she is reveling in the feeling and all of that. Which, that was interesting of her to talk about, because she was talking about her feelings for religion instead of a specefic person like most people would in my opinion. Because if it was me, I would not be talking about my love for the church, instead I would be talking about a guy, however that is just me and my opinion.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Journal 41: "A Poor Torn Heart, A Tattered Heart"
A poor torn heart, a tattered heart,
That sat it down to rest,Nor noticed that the ebbing day
Flowed silver to the west,Nor noticed night did soft descend
Nor constellation burn,Intent upon the vision
Of latitudes unknown.The angles, happening that way,
This dusty heart espied;Tenderly took it up from toil
And carried it to God.There, -sandals for the barefoot;
There, -gathered from the gales,Do the blue havens by the hand
Lead the wandering sails.Emily Dickinson is talking about her love and the fact that she has lost her long lost love. At least, that is what I think. because, she is talking about heaven and God, and the fact that her heart is lost, for whatever reason.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Journal 40: My Self
For my personal self, I think that I value my family and friends a lot, and definitely do not see myself going and writing about the fact that I have feelings for females, which would just be totally weird. But, that is what Whitman chose to write about, which I guess is whatever floats his boat. So now that I am actually trying to write this journal, I do not exactly remember what I am supposed to be writing about. I mean, yeah I do have values and stuff like that, but I do not know if they make up my self? I do not know what classifies it as self per se just because now I am having to think back to before spring break. Basically, though, I value my family the most. Just because they are who I spend most of my time with, and are always there no matter what. Like yesterday I was not in a good mood for whatever reason, but they just let me be, and it was all good. I keep coming back to this blog, because it is the only one I have yet to finish, but I guess I have just been too lazy to actually finish it. Anyways, track is a big part of who I am, and what makes me part of my "self." I started running back in sixth grade and have done fairly well ever since. I like having something in my life that I am somewhat good at, and that I can use to relieve stress or to do well at. I guess that is mainly why I like running so much. Just because I enjoy the thrill of running and succeeding. Just this past weekend I had a meet, and lost the 4x4 relay by .01. I was the anchor leg and the battle was for 2nd place, and we ended up getting second. But I felt good afterwards, which is weird to say, but like, I can't really explain it, but I just liked the feeling afterwards of not being able to feel my legs, even though I lost. Because, winning isn't everything as that cliched saying goes. Maybe it isn't cliched, but I don't know. So my self consists of my family, friends, and track, and I am finally wrapping up this blog after taking like two months to finish it. I blame Vaclav for not getting it done, as he has a tendency to distract me when I'm trying to finish these....
Monday, March 7, 2011
As I Lay With My Head In Your Lap Camerado
This poem was not as graphic as some of the other poems we have had to analyze in the past, because this one has to deal with the Civil War. I think that this is a dying man who is telling one of his fellow men what he did wrong and some of his previous regrets. He is also saying how regardless of his decisions, he thinks that he is correct and that will get him far in life.
Some of Whitman's Christianity beliefs do show in this poem as well because he is talking about heaven and hell and the fact that he does not care at the moment where he ends up, because he is dying and fought his hardest. Basically, in the end, the man says that he is leading his men on, even though he has no idea where he is going, and yet he wants his men to believe that he will lead them into the unknown. Walt Whitman says in the poem, "And the threat of what is call'd hell is little or nothing to me; And the lure of what is call'd heaven is little or nothing to me; ...Dear camerado! I confess I have urged you onward with me, and still urge you, without the least idea what is our destination, Or whether we shall be victorious, or utterly quell'd and defeated" (Whitman). That quote right there is what I am trying to prove in that this man does not have that good of an idea of what exactly he himself is doing, and yet he is still leading his men into the unknown. Although this poem was not as disturbing as some in the past, he is still laying in the lap of some guy, which is more appropriate to the time period, however, it is still a bit weird. I do not know what else to say about this poem because it does not really illustrate self throughout the poem although the man does confess to not knowing what he is doing, so it does illustrate his true character by the end of the poem.
"As I lay with my head in your lap, Camerado, the confession I made I resume-what I said to you in the to open air I resume: I know I am restless, and make others so; I know my words are weapons, full of danger, full of death; (Indeed I am myself the real soldier; It is not he, there, with his bayonet, and not the red-striped artilleryman;) For I confront peace, security, and all the settled laws, to unsettle them; I am more resolute because all have denied me, then I could have been had all accepted me; I heed not, and have never heeded, either experience, cautions, majorities, nor ridicule;... (Whitman).
The rest of the poem above is the rest of the man's confession and how he does regret some things, but he does not regret a lot of them, and wishes that he had had more authority over his men, and was not denied. That is what I was able to get from the poem.
Some of Whitman's Christianity beliefs do show in this poem as well because he is talking about heaven and hell and the fact that he does not care at the moment where he ends up, because he is dying and fought his hardest. Basically, in the end, the man says that he is leading his men on, even though he has no idea where he is going, and yet he wants his men to believe that he will lead them into the unknown. Walt Whitman says in the poem, "And the threat of what is call'd hell is little or nothing to me; And the lure of what is call'd heaven is little or nothing to me; ...Dear camerado! I confess I have urged you onward with me, and still urge you, without the least idea what is our destination, Or whether we shall be victorious, or utterly quell'd and defeated" (Whitman). That quote right there is what I am trying to prove in that this man does not have that good of an idea of what exactly he himself is doing, and yet he is still leading his men into the unknown. Although this poem was not as disturbing as some in the past, he is still laying in the lap of some guy, which is more appropriate to the time period, however, it is still a bit weird. I do not know what else to say about this poem because it does not really illustrate self throughout the poem although the man does confess to not knowing what he is doing, so it does illustrate his true character by the end of the poem.
"As I lay with my head in your lap, Camerado, the confession I made I resume-what I said to you in the to open air I resume: I know I am restless, and make others so; I know my words are weapons, full of danger, full of death; (Indeed I am myself the real soldier; It is not he, there, with his bayonet, and not the red-striped artilleryman;) For I confront peace, security, and all the settled laws, to unsettle them; I am more resolute because all have denied me, then I could have been had all accepted me; I heed not, and have never heeded, either experience, cautions, majorities, nor ridicule;... (Whitman).
The rest of the poem above is the rest of the man's confession and how he does regret some things, but he does not regret a lot of them, and wishes that he had had more authority over his men, and was not denied. That is what I was able to get from the poem.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
I Sing The Body Electric
This poem is also the title to a Ray Bradbury story that has a collection of his short stories. That is one of the reasons I picked this poem, because I do judge anything by its title or cover. However, Walt Whitman's poem was lengthy, and did have to do with a Biblical story, which would make sense because it is in the Children of Adam section. What I was able to interpret was that Whitman is talking about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and how they were created in the beginning of time by God. It is actually quite a thought provoking poem, and makes me think, which would make sense since I have to analyze the poem for this class. But, this series of poems goes on to analyze the story of Adam and Eve, telling of how pure they were to begin with. That is the main idea of this poem, however, in a much later poem, I think Whitman will go on to say that they are seduced by the devil and thus creating the world we live in today.
The man was of wonderful vigor, calmness, beauty of person;
The shape of his head, the pale yellow and white of his hair and beard, and the immeasurable meaning of his black eyes-the richness and breadth of his manners,
These I used to go and visit him to see-he was wise also;
He was six feet tall, he was over eighty years old-his sons were massive, clean, bearded, tan-faced, handsome;
They and his daughters loved him-all who saw him loved him;
They did not love him by allowance-they loved him with personal love;
He drank water only-the blood show'd like scarlet through the clear-brown skin of his face;
He was a frequent gunner and fisher-he sail'd his boat himself-he had a fine one presented to him by a ship-joiner-he had fowling-pieces, presented to him by men that loved him;
When he went with his five sons and many grandsons to hunt or fish, you would pick him out as the most beautiful and vigorous of the gang.
That stanza shows quite a lot about Christianity because it is talking about Jesus in symbolism. I think that Whitman is trying to symbolize that through this particular stanza. The blood is the wine throughout the biblical times, and Jesus himself was a fisherman, like the guy in this story. Although Jesus was not necessarily a gunner, I believe Whitman threw that into the poem to make it more interesting, despite the fact that he is talking about Jesus metaphorically. The sons could be symbolic to the apostles, who followed Jesus around throughout his life, and they all greeted Jesus like he was the most beautiful and holy person in the world, as stated in the poem. Overall, this was an easier poem to figure out because it related to a biblical story and concept that I could actually understand, as opposed to just a four line poem, that did not make barely any sense to me. This poem was longer and I was able to figure out more of the meanings of the symbols and how they relate to Christianity.
The man was of wonderful vigor, calmness, beauty of person;
The shape of his head, the pale yellow and white of his hair and beard, and the immeasurable meaning of his black eyes-the richness and breadth of his manners,
These I used to go and visit him to see-he was wise also;
He was six feet tall, he was over eighty years old-his sons were massive, clean, bearded, tan-faced, handsome;
They and his daughters loved him-all who saw him loved him;
They did not love him by allowance-they loved him with personal love;
He drank water only-the blood show'd like scarlet through the clear-brown skin of his face;
He was a frequent gunner and fisher-he sail'd his boat himself-he had a fine one presented to him by a ship-joiner-he had fowling-pieces, presented to him by men that loved him;
When he went with his five sons and many grandsons to hunt or fish, you would pick him out as the most beautiful and vigorous of the gang.
That stanza shows quite a lot about Christianity because it is talking about Jesus in symbolism. I think that Whitman is trying to symbolize that through this particular stanza. The blood is the wine throughout the biblical times, and Jesus himself was a fisherman, like the guy in this story. Although Jesus was not necessarily a gunner, I believe Whitman threw that into the poem to make it more interesting, despite the fact that he is talking about Jesus metaphorically. The sons could be symbolic to the apostles, who followed Jesus around throughout his life, and they all greeted Jesus like he was the most beautiful and holy person in the world, as stated in the poem. Overall, this was an easier poem to figure out because it related to a biblical story and concept that I could actually understand, as opposed to just a four line poem, that did not make barely any sense to me. This poem was longer and I was able to figure out more of the meanings of the symbols and how they relate to Christianity.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Journal 39: Bardic Symbols
This poem does illustrate Christianity throughout the poem because I was getting the impression that he was talking about God throughout a majority of the poem and there is a lot of symbolism throughout the entire poem. I liked how he was talking about getting the kiss of his father, not in the literal sense, but in the fact that it is the spiritual father and that he is receiving the kiss of the holy spirit and is having life breathed into him. That is not from the literal sense that I am analyzing this, however, because if I were taking this poem literally, that would be a little awkward, although it would make some sense since Walt was apparently a homosexual.
Fascinated, my eyes, reverting from the south, dropped, to follow those slender
windrows,
Chaff, straw, splinters of wood, weeds, and the sea-gluten,
Scum, scales from shining rocks, leaves of salt-lettuce, left by the tide.
That excerpt from the poem I also felt drawn too and able to relate to because I interpreted the symbolism in that the things left behind were what Jesus had left behind and the kind of impact he had left on his people, both good and bad. I got the impression, however, that Whitman was trying to relate to more of the tings that have been left behind, and are just going to be thrown aside.
Oh, baffled, lost,
Bent to the very earth, here preceding what follows,
Terrified with myself that I have dared to open my mouth,
Aware now, that, amid all the blab whose echoes recoil upon me, I have not
once had the least idea who or what I am,
But that before all my insolent poems the real me still stands untouched, untold,
altogether unreached,
Withdrawn far, mocking me with mock-congratulatory signs and bows,
With peals of distant ironical laughter at every word I have written or shall
write,
Striking me with insults, till I fall helpless upon the sand!
I thought this to symbolize the stations of the cross and when Jesus is carrying the cross and falls to the ground, as Whitman says being struck with insults, he falls to the sand. Because, Jesus is insulted a lot throughout walking to be crucified, hence the symbolism in this poem.
Fascinated, my eyes, reverting from the south, dropped, to follow those slender
windrows,
Chaff, straw, splinters of wood, weeds, and the sea-gluten,
Scum, scales from shining rocks, leaves of salt-lettuce, left by the tide.
That excerpt from the poem I also felt drawn too and able to relate to because I interpreted the symbolism in that the things left behind were what Jesus had left behind and the kind of impact he had left on his people, both good and bad. I got the impression, however, that Whitman was trying to relate to more of the tings that have been left behind, and are just going to be thrown aside.
Oh, baffled, lost,
Bent to the very earth, here preceding what follows,
Terrified with myself that I have dared to open my mouth,
Aware now, that, amid all the blab whose echoes recoil upon me, I have not
once had the least idea who or what I am,
But that before all my insolent poems the real me still stands untouched, untold,
altogether unreached,
Withdrawn far, mocking me with mock-congratulatory signs and bows,
With peals of distant ironical laughter at every word I have written or shall
write,
Striking me with insults, till I fall helpless upon the sand!
I thought this to symbolize the stations of the cross and when Jesus is carrying the cross and falls to the ground, as Whitman says being struck with insults, he falls to the sand. Because, Jesus is insulted a lot throughout walking to be crucified, hence the symbolism in this poem.
To A Stranger
I really liked the poem, "To a Stranger" by Walt Whitman just because I was able to analyze it just like the poems we did in class. What I was able to get from this poem was that no matter who you meet on the street or anywhere, you have more than likely met that person, whether you realize it or not. I find that very thought provoking because there are so many people out in the world, and even if I am just walking around the State Fair, I have met at least one or two of the people around, if not more. I had just not subconsciously realized it, until now. Plus, it is not just the people in our immediate area, either. While hiking the Grand Canyon in 2007, we came across some people that my dad ended up knowing. We were in the middle of a desert, and ended up finding people that my dad knew. That just goes to show how small a world it really is.
Walt Whitman goes on to talk about how even though he has ever met many of the people, if he was to just pass them by wherever, he would not necessarily acknowledge them, but he does remember them from some place, whether he realizes it subconsciously or not. That is something I have found happens with me. I was at band camp this past summer at Eastern University, and I swear I had seen some of those people before. However, I know I never actually got to know them exactly, but they either looked familiar, or something weird was going on in my brain making me think I actually had seen them before.
As I have said before, however, I am not entirely positive as to how or when I met these people, maybe it was in another life if you believe in such things, but it was kinda of weird. Whitman is talking about the subconscious it seems like, and getting his readers to think about the people we meet, even for a second, and the kind of impressions we will make on them, no matter how much time we are given. During track, I am in awe of so many of the runners, many of whom I will never see again. However, because of their amazing running capabilities, they make an impression on me, and I do not even know how they act as a person. They could be the world's biggest jerk, and I would have no idea. My opinion is based off of only what I see when I watch them run. According to Whitman, I might actually see those people again someday, but I will never know until it happens. That is pretty much why I liked reading this poem so much. I was able to relate to it for a variety of reasons, and it game me time to think about who exactly I might meet in this life, and the many different types of people. To quote Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know whatcha gonna get." Being both applied to life, and people, I find that saying appropriate. You never do know who you are going to meet, or when.
Walt Whitman goes on to talk about how even though he has ever met many of the people, if he was to just pass them by wherever, he would not necessarily acknowledge them, but he does remember them from some place, whether he realizes it subconsciously or not. That is something I have found happens with me. I was at band camp this past summer at Eastern University, and I swear I had seen some of those people before. However, I know I never actually got to know them exactly, but they either looked familiar, or something weird was going on in my brain making me think I actually had seen them before.
As I have said before, however, I am not entirely positive as to how or when I met these people, maybe it was in another life if you believe in such things, but it was kinda of weird. Whitman is talking about the subconscious it seems like, and getting his readers to think about the people we meet, even for a second, and the kind of impressions we will make on them, no matter how much time we are given. During track, I am in awe of so many of the runners, many of whom I will never see again. However, because of their amazing running capabilities, they make an impression on me, and I do not even know how they act as a person. They could be the world's biggest jerk, and I would have no idea. My opinion is based off of only what I see when I watch them run. According to Whitman, I might actually see those people again someday, but I will never know until it happens. That is pretty much why I liked reading this poem so much. I was able to relate to it for a variety of reasons, and it game me time to think about who exactly I might meet in this life, and the many different types of people. To quote Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know whatcha gonna get." Being both applied to life, and people, I find that saying appropriate. You never do know who you are going to meet, or when.
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