in retrospect (dana fucich)

As an extremely absent-minded and forgetful person, the use of a blog to do work has been hard.  I had a habit of forgetting, even if I would check the main teaching page.  I feel like I'm more inclined to do homework or reading when I know I have a class on a certain day.  Also, there's something quite intimidating about knowing that other students can see my posts.  I probably spent more time making my post sound intelligent than necessary.  Which was probably more time spent on the actually assignment than necessary.  This is probably just me, but I didn't particularly like using the blog.  I like attending a class, the online stuff is a little strange to me.

guthrie and whitman (dana fucich)

There is definitely a relationship between art and politics and I think that relationship is one of awareness.  Art is an engaging medium when it comes to questioning political agendas, it can be a powerful way of opening up the public's eyes.  Their correlation isn't harmonious, but politics propels a lot of artists and ideas, in turn, propelling action against injustices and the misuse of power.  Politics inspires art: art informs us of political corruptness.
In regards to this relationship, Whitman and Guthrie have similar themes while having noticeable dissimilarities in their approaches.  They both focus on the subject of America, the working class and address the idea of equality amongst all men.  And, yet, at the same time their use of political subject matter is handled differently.  Whitman raises questions; he addresses the reader and forces them to understand their own political standing.  He also juxtaposes the class differences in an attempt to equalize them:
   "Here the profound lesson of reception, nor preference nor denial,

    The black with his woolly head, the felon, the diseas’d, the illiterate person, are not denied;

    The birth, the hasting after the physician, the beggar’s tramp, the drunkard’s stagger, the laughing party of mechanics,

    The escaped youth, the rich person’s carriage, the fop, the eloping couple,"
The road is a shared space that does not discriminate, and does not acknowledge the differences of its travelers.
Guthrie, on the other hand, is forceful with his political themes.  There aren't too many questions or implications, the delivery of these themes are more forward and direct.  His political standing is evident; he is informing his listener rather than asking them to consider their own stance and what that means to them.
   "Every state in the Union us migrants have been 
We'll work in this fight and we'll fight till we win"
   "In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people, 
By the relief office I seen my people; 
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking 
Is this land made for you and me?"
Guthrie visualizes his retaliation, and, his desire for equality is comprehensible, but he understands that it isn't a reality.  Both Whitman and Guthrie try to break the barriers of social status, but only Guthrie uses inequality as a means of translating the rights of men to be equals.
As for their mediums, Guthrie's is, by far, more accessible than Whitman's.  Both have the ability to effectively use the unique nature of art to take a stand against or call attention to American politics and social structures.  But the opportunity each one has to reach an audience do not match.  The poetry audience is more limited, while music has a greater compass.  But even if that is the case, neither Whitman nor Guthrie can unify the country if the country isn't listening.  As ideal as it would be for their ideas to bring America closer, they are progressively becoming less influential as artists.

the book of the dead (dana fucich)

Both Whitman and Rukeyser's poems are of mourning.  Their scales may differ: Whitman is more confined to his subject, while Rukeyser's subject is less restricted to an individual.  Both poets are remembering an event, and more specifically, the people tied to that event.  The "you" in "The Book of the Dead" has a more ambiguous nature to it.  On the other hand, Whitman's "you" is concentrated, it is a singular subject, the object of his elegy.
Both poems end with an extension of love, they both give the reader and idea of their endurance for what has been lost.  Rukeyser and Whitman allude to the notion of giving love to strangers, a sort of compassion for all life.  Whether it be grand or mundane, together, these poems are indirectly channeling eternal love for victims. 
"The Book of The Dead" and "When Lilacs Last..." are reminding readers to commemorate those passed.  Both poets are inviting the reader to remember with them.  They are fine tuning the readers' empathy for human life, asking them to be as compassionate towards the deceased they may not have known with equal vigor as they would with a loved one.  These poems are mourning historical tragedies which emphasizes the importance of reminiscence and retention.

project (dana fucich)

I've decided on furthering my review of Whitman's peers.  I intend to convey my "evidence of learning" by the use of a replacement poem.  I will either use "Song of Myself" or "Song for Occupations" and replace nouns/verbs with those of a peer.  Instead of using my own I plan on finding a poem by Longfellow or Aldrich (etc.) that has a similar narrative as one of the aforementioned poems.  Then I will weave that narrative into Whitman's to hopefully create a new poem that still has trace evidence of the original version.

O Captain! My Captain! (dana fucich)

First thing I think of when I read, "Walt Whitman’s presence within American mass (or popular) culture," is:

 

"Oh captain, my captain, you've been drinking, what happened?"

And even if my musical tastes have changed since high school, I still respect Keith Buckley (he would be the "lyricist/vocalist") for referencing literature in his lyrics and being his own kind of poet (he used to be an English teacher and has a BA) and, specifically, for taking one man's creativity and giving it relevance to his own.  

The other times I've seen "O Captain, My Captain," referred to in a contemporary setting is always in a matter that is mocking Dead Poet's Society.  Family Guy and How I Met Your Mother both use the quote in this way, to imitate the DPS scene for humor, kind of separating the purpose of these shows from the author.  Whitman may be detached from the initial understanding of these moments in both shows, but to those of us who get the "joke" it isn't much of one...

The Family Guy clip can be viewed here, I couldn't find the How I Met Your Mother clip.

and shall put into the fire (dana fucich)

re·view/riˈvyo͞o/

Noun:	A formal assessment or examination of something.
Verb:	Examine or assess (something) with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary.

The anonymous review of “Leaves of Grass” printed in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper is deserving of a “lol.”

I’m considerably outraged by the allowance of the attack of transcendentalists due to small-mindedness and an obvious unintelligible nature, this person probably has an affinity for lackluster love poems.  Our reviewer is likely a romantic, Victorian idealist and, in other words, a bore.  Just the fact that the “reviewer” has to assault an author devastates their credibility as far as I’m concerned, assuming Whitman is a “morbid sensualist” (as if there’s anything wrong with that) and suggesting “the author should be sent to a lunatic asylum” only stresses this person’s close-mindedness.  Unfortunately the tendency towards actualizing personal vendettas in a review doesn’t necessarily make someone less reputable.  The fact that this review in no way addresses poetic stylization or Whitman’s use of language or his intent as a poet, it is in no way “a formal assessment or examination of something,” but instead singles out a group of individuals and tires to demoralize them is as hilarious as it is infuriating.  This should never have been printed, but apparently the 19^th century reviewers cared less about observing content and more about singling out an author who has offended them with their “pseudo-philosophy” and progressive thought process.  Then again the Victorian era was one of subdual appropriation to define “morals.”

Whether or not a reviewer likes Whitman is of no concern to me.  “Different strokes…” but this anonymous “reviewer” could have taken a lesson from the anonymous examinations in The Literary Examiner and The Critic, both of which are full-bodied, contextually lush assessments.  Not to mention that they are actual reviews as the word is defined.  The allowance of the publications in Frank Leslie’s… and Punch Magazine are pathetic.

Fanny Wright (dana fucich)

Taken from Wikipedia because I'm a lazy shit and don't want to paraphrase:

"Frances Wright (September 6,1795 – December 13, 1852) also widely known as Fanny Wright, was a Scottish-born lecturer, writer, freethinker, feminist, abolitionist, and socialreformer, who becamea U. S. citizen in 1825. That year she founded the NashobaCommune in Tennesseeas a utopian community to prepare slaves for emancipation,intending to create an egalitarian place, but it lasted only three years. Her Viewsof Society and Manners in America (1821) brought her the most attention asa critique of the new nation."

Obviously, Whitman and Wright shared similar views on slavery, although Whitman didn't necessarily agree with abolitionism.  They both believed in freedom for slaves, Frances spent a lot of time in the states creating a community to educate slaves in order to prepare them for freedom.  Although an abolitionist, her activism caused an objective separation between herself and leading abolitionists.  But she continued to be an advocate for women and slaves.
Though her methods were more direct, both Whitman and Wright challenged America's social constructs through their writing.
Whitman said of Wright, "we all loved her: fell down before her: her very appearance seemed to enthrall us." and went on to say she was, "sweeter, nobler, grander--multiplied by twenty--than all who traduced her," pronouncing his admiration for Wright later in his life (Fanny Wright: Rebel in America, Morris, 3).

My First Reading.--Lafayette (dana fucich)

I find it interesting how Whitman is a background character in certain "important" moments in history.  A witness to the "Mexico" and "Elizabeth" shipwrecks and among the children who were present during Lafayette's 24 state visit to America.  His personal history is enriched by America's own historical events.
And how he recalls such a moment amidst remembering learning to read and write emphasizes that particular moment's significance.  And I wonder if a French general paid visit to America now, if his or her presence would be so intriguing.  Of course, Lafayette being a "national guest" held more relevance during that time, but Whitman's interest in the general certainly establishes his patriotic inclination at a young age.
It's also interesting to be given insight into when a write started to develop a love for the written word.  That occasion is is of great importance to all writers.  Defining that moment of intrigue defines a writer.

vs. (dana fucich)

From 1855 to 1860 there is, in a sense, loss of confidence, a sort of humbling.  Whitman guides the reader through "Song of Myself" as might a prophet; knowledgeable and determined.  Even throughout the rest of Leaves of Grass, that sort of enlightenment is still prevalent.  This narrative style appears to be missing in Whitman’s 1860 rendition.  From the first stanza:

“O I wish I could impress others as you and the waves
         have just been impressing me.”

the voice carries timidity that is not present in his 1855 version.  He impressed the reader in the earlier poem, but the roles of reader and narrator are reversed from the beginning of the later work.

Whitman still expresses his adoration for nature, he still merges himself with the ocean and the air, but the significance is lost in revision.  He is constantly contradicting his revelations in “Song of Myself.”

“O I perceive I have not understood anything—not a
         single object—and that no man ever can.”

An obvious opposition to all he “knows” in 1855, which was much more persuasive than this modesty.  He furthers his humbling, stating:

“I NEED no assurances—I am a man who is pre-
         occupied, of his own Soul;

I do not doubt that whatever I know at a given time,
         there waits for me more, which I do not know;”

adding emphasis to a deprivation of knowledge.  The reader feels less taught by this narrator, less swayed by this new voice.  Whitman maintains this reserved narration to the very end, an ending which defy that of “Song of Myself” and the ending of the early Leaves of Grass.

“We must separate—Here! take from my lips this
         kiss,

Whoever you are, I give it especially to you;

So long —and I hope we shall meet again.”

The uncertainty that underlines this conclusion is an obvious adjustment from”

“I depart as air…I shake my white locks at the runaway sun,

I effuse my flesh in eddies and drift it in lacy jags.

I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,

If you want me again look for me under your bootsoles.”

and:

“Great is life..and real and mystical..wherever and whoever,

Great is death….Sure as life hold all parts together, death holds all parts

            together;

Sure as the stars return again after they merge in the light, death is great as life.”

Both early endings present a reassurance to the reader.  There is no separation; Whitman is informing the reader he will always be with them.  He is declaring his knowledge of life and death, reiterating his vast knowledge that is continual throughout the 1855 Leaves of Grass.  There is never a definite “farewell” as seen in the later version; 1855 Whitman would never be absent, he would not leave his reader.

Paumanok, and My Life On It as Child and Young Man

With The Velvet Underground's "Ocean" as my guided background noise, I read this nostalgic piece concentrated on shoreline adventures.  How appropriate.
I wish my memories were as vivid, I wish they had the ability to engaged my senses.  I can't slow down enough to let those kind of sentimental reflections surface.  It's admirable how Whitman can translate his childhood expeditions so coherently, so poetically.  As that one man of infinitely gorgeous language once said, "the earth has music for those who listen."  Whitman listened, and so carefully, as to translate it for those who won't listen.
One could have guessed nature would be as significant to him during childhood as it was later in life.  Even the matured prophetical poet Whitman houses a weakness for it.  The attention to scenic images in his poetry, the love he expresses for it in "Song of Myself," the importance he assigns it, parallels its relevance to his childhood development.  Textbook psychology.  These moments he had with the outside world are obvious inspirations, which is why he wants the rest of us to have the same relationship with nature.  Also why "Song of Myself" stresses that particular relationship to the reader.  He entirely appreciated the beauty in regression to earthly basics.
(here comes the ocean and the waves)

minimalist on motifs.

"I will do the the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked" (1)

"Who goes there! hankering, gross, mystical, nude?" (13)

"Still nodding night!  Mad naked summer night!" (15)

"Jostling me through streets and public halls...coming naked to me at night" (38)

All these motifs appear amidst images of nature.  They accentuate the significance of human relationship with the earth, as well as with each other.
I retrace my steps back to that whole idea of connectivity.  And what connects us more to nature than our natural state of being?  What connects us more to each other than circumstances so humbling?  Whitman uses nudity as a motif to express the importance of being fully exposed to our surroundings, being fully merged with our undisturbed environment. 
He tells us things in confidence, strips away social confinements, admires the night and loafs with lovers in the nude.  These moments are all occasions in which one would already be comfortable or be seeking comfort.  Whitman is contradicting the idea that nudity is shameful or perverse, he challenges those notions.  He embraces nakedness as he embraces all other beautiful aspects of the world around him.  Leaving us to reflect on our own ideas and accepted "standards" of nudity.

Ambulance Processions

The capacity for human compassion is quite interesting, how we have this ability to feel physical affliction at the sight of those who are wounded or deceased.  And yet, we contradict ourselves by inflicting the wounds or fatal blows to those victims.  How strange that some are willing to be the cause of lives cut short while at the same time others are willing to cry endlessly for those same lives.  I'll never understand the concept, the complexity of the human condition can be quite unsettling.  That we can inflict pain while our hearts have the ability to bleed unhinges me.

How horrific it must have been to witness such a devastating war in your own backyard.  And I think we too often forget that this is a reality for many people.  Civil wars are not just a thing of the past, there is someone out there right now that is experiencing exactly what Whitman was.  It's terrible how we choose to ignore it because we all are capable of giving a shit and doing something.  Why do we choose to embrace the worst human qualities rather than the phenomenal ones that make us unique from our barbaric great ape relatives?

What a grave paragraph.

My non-consecutive quotes:

  "All goes onward and outward...and nothing collapses," (5)

  "If I could not now and always send sunrise out of me." (18)

  "All these I feel or am." (27)


I appreciate these subtle motifs of perpetuation/projection and how they accentuate the major themes found in the poem.  Whitman saturates "Song of Myself" with themes of interconnectivity to all objects, animate or otherwise.  There's this feeling of companionship throughout the poem, a togetherness manifested on every page.  The ever-present instances of unity and the infinite really define the poem in its progressiveness.  This ideology of the reincarnate, the outward, the adjoining gives "Song of Myself" a sense of self, as far as I, the reader, am concerned.  As though it is a message to myself from the inner-self rather than an outside source.  As though I already possess this wisdom, I'm just recalling.

I was also reminded of Rumi, "do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you."  The poem integrates the reader, the speaker and all that surrounds them.  There is no isolation in Whitman's poem, there is no opportunity for it since he emphasizes the importance of continuity.  There's a comfort in these quotes which allows for reassurance throughout the poem as a whole.  Also, these quotes create a strong sense of spirituality and understanding that is a refreshing contrast to religious contexts.  I admire how Whitman can make me feel so relaxed and at ease within forty-four pages, how he reminds us to embrace everything inside and outside of us and have some relationship with something greater than ourselves.