Emily Dickinson was another poet, similar to Walt Whitman, who falls into the time period between Romanticism and Modernism. During her lifetime, she went into exile in her own house. Some people believe this is because of a traumatic love experience. She became heart broken and because of her embarrassment and brokenness, she locked herself in her house and wrote poetry the rest of her life, but she never came out. One of her poems in her book of poetry, Part One: Life, explains this feeling of being exiled, of being trapped in her house, by herself. This poem, "I never hear the word 'escape,'" also known as poem number thirty six discusses in a metaphor that feeling of being trapped that I am sure Emily Dickinson felt. Let us analyze this poem.
"I NEVER hear the word “escape”
Without a quicker blood,
A sudden expectation,
A flying attitude.
I never hear of prisons broad
By soldiers battered down,
But I tug childish at my bars,—
Only to fail again" (Dickinson)!
This poem is in reference to Emily Dickinson's feelings of her life, in my opinion. She was kept in isolation in her house, and this describes how she felt about this. The first stanza translates to "I never hear the word 'escape' without being excited, without suddenly wanting to break free." In my interpretation of this, Emily is in prison, but not in a regular criminal prison. She is in her own prison, herself, her isolation. She wishes to escape this prison, as said in the first stanza. When one is in prison, naturally escape sounds good, exciting, and a great idea, because no one enjoys or should enjoy being locked away in prison. However, in the second stanza she describes how she childishly tugs at her bars but still fails. A child is very small and weak, and would not be able to break from prison by pulling at the bars. They would still be stuck. Using this analogy, Dickinson says that she tries to escape, but she continues to fail time and time again. Overall, Emily Dickinson says that though she wishes to escape she is unable to escape her isolation.
Works Cited
Dickinson, Emily. "I Never Hear the Word 'escape'" Bartleby.com. Bartleby.com, 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Whitman and "Children of Adam"
Walt Whitman was an American poet who became very famous through his work. His work fits between the Realism and Modernism literary periods; however, his work does not necessarily fit into those periods characteristically. One example of the uniqueness in his work, is Whitman's writing of sex, love, and the physical relationship between man and woman. He wrote about things that most people of his time would have thought vulgar and innapropriate. "Even before these poems were published, Whitman had had difficulty with censorship. He had been forced to move publication of the second edition of Leaves of Grass (1860) to Brooklyn because Boston authorities wanted to cut some lines or whole poems from the book." (Oliver) The section of "Leaves of Grass" that directly deals with this is "Children of Adam." All of these poems in this sub-section relate to love, physical relationships, and even to Adam and Eve of the Bible (Oliver). All of these poems also deal with Self, in talking about the Everyman idea and the spiritual self as well.
One of the poems of this small collection is "I Am He That Aches With Love." This poem is very short consisting of only a few lines, but the message behind it is not as simple as the poem length.
"I AM he that aches with amorous love;
Does the earth gravitate? does not all matter, aching, attract all
matter?
So the body of me to all I meet or know" (Whitman).
At the surface of the poem, Walt Whitman is saying that he aches for love, just like everyone aches for love. This demonstrates the Everyman idea--that everyone is connected to each other and that everyone has a small piece of divinity in them, because everyone is connected to God. In saying "...does not all matter, aching, attract all matter? So the body of me to all I meet or know" (Whitman), Whitman connects everyone by saying that everything--all matter, and we are made of matter--feels, wants, and needs love. This demonstrates the Everyman idea of Self.
However, this poem also deals with Adam and Eve, the first people in the world. In the Bible, Adam and Eve were husband and wife, and from their creation by God, they helped in producing children--a new generation. If the reader then replaces Whitman with the voice of Adam, it is as if Adam is saying that he needs love. "I AM he that aches with amorous love" (Whitman). This goes hand in hand with the stories of the Bible. Adam was first created, but since he was feeling lonely--in need of a physical relationship, in need of a partner--God created Eve, so they would be husband and wife. This poem then represents Adam's need of love from Eve, from a woman, that physical relationship. Although this may have been uncommon to talk about back then, Walt Whitman makes this the topic of his poem, "I Am He That Aches With Love," defining the Everyman idea of Self and also the spiritual self.
Works Cited
Oliver, Charles M. "'Children of Adam'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW088&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 3, 2011).
Whitman, Walt. "I Am He That Aches With Love." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.
One of the poems of this small collection is "I Am He That Aches With Love." This poem is very short consisting of only a few lines, but the message behind it is not as simple as the poem length.
"I AM he that aches with amorous love;
Does the earth gravitate? does not all matter, aching, attract all
matter?
So the body of me to all I meet or know" (Whitman).
At the surface of the poem, Walt Whitman is saying that he aches for love, just like everyone aches for love. This demonstrates the Everyman idea--that everyone is connected to each other and that everyone has a small piece of divinity in them, because everyone is connected to God. In saying "...does not all matter, aching, attract all matter? So the body of me to all I meet or know" (Whitman), Whitman connects everyone by saying that everything--all matter, and we are made of matter--feels, wants, and needs love. This demonstrates the Everyman idea of Self.
However, this poem also deals with Adam and Eve, the first people in the world. In the Bible, Adam and Eve were husband and wife, and from their creation by God, they helped in producing children--a new generation. If the reader then replaces Whitman with the voice of Adam, it is as if Adam is saying that he needs love. "I AM he that aches with amorous love" (Whitman). This goes hand in hand with the stories of the Bible. Adam was first created, but since he was feeling lonely--in need of a physical relationship, in need of a partner--God created Eve, so they would be husband and wife. This poem then represents Adam's need of love from Eve, from a woman, that physical relationship. Although this may have been uncommon to talk about back then, Walt Whitman makes this the topic of his poem, "I Am He That Aches With Love," defining the Everyman idea of Self and also the spiritual self.
Works Cited
Oliver, Charles M. "'Children of Adam'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW088&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 3, 2011).
Whitman, Walt. "I Am He That Aches With Love." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Journal #39: Bardic Symbols and Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman was a prominent poet of the early twentieth century in America. He wrote many books of poetry one of his most famous being "Leaves of Grass." In this book, there are many separate poems that discuss one of Walt Whitman's common topics, Self. One of these poems is "Bardic Symbols." This poem is somewhat confusing to understand as William Dean Howells says. "No one, even after the fourth or fifth reading, can pretend to say what the "Bardic Symbols" symbolize" (Howells).
"You oceans both! You tangible land! Nature!
Be not too stern with me,—I submit,—I close with you,—
These little shreds shall, indeed, stand for all.
X.
You friable shore, with trails of debris!
You fish-shaped island! I take what is underfoot:
What is yours is mine, my father!
XI.
I, too, Paumanok,
I, too, have bubbled up, floated the measureless float, and been washed on your
shores.
XII.
I, too, am but a trail of drift and debris,—
I, too, leave little wrecks upon you, you fished-shaped island!
XIII.
I throw myself upon your breast, my father!
I cling to you so that you cannot unloose me,—
I hold you so firm, till you answer me something." (Whitman)
This is a little section from "Bardic Symbols." My interpretation of this poem, whether right or wrong, is that the land is a father, the ocean is a mother, and the debris is a child or children. The debris goes back and forth, from ocean to land, ocean to land. The debris never settles itself with one or the other, it is always lost between the two. Just so, the child is always lost between the father and mother; he or she does not settle between the two. This fits in with the everyman principle of Self, because many families deal with that, where the child loves the mom one minute but then loves the dad more the next. However, this is still uncertain, because the poem is hard to discern whether the poem deals with childhood and families, with Christianity, or with another part of Self. This is due to the fact that Walt Whitman uses symbolism that is hard to tell the real meaning of it. It is in fact up to the reader to discern what the poem means, or what Walt Whitman meant.
Works Cited
[Howells, William Dean]. ""Bardic Symbols"." The Daily Ohio State Journal (28 March 1860): 2.
Whitman, Walt. "Bardic Symbols." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.
"You oceans both! You tangible land! Nature!
Be not too stern with me,—I submit,—I close with you,—
These little shreds shall, indeed, stand for all.
X.
You friable shore, with trails of debris!
You fish-shaped island! I take what is underfoot:
What is yours is mine, my father!
XI.
I, too, Paumanok,
I, too, have bubbled up, floated the measureless float, and been washed on your
shores.
XII.
I, too, am but a trail of drift and debris,—
I, too, leave little wrecks upon you, you fished-shaped island!
XIII.
I throw myself upon your breast, my father!
I cling to you so that you cannot unloose me,—
I hold you so firm, till you answer me something." (Whitman)
This is a little section from "Bardic Symbols." My interpretation of this poem, whether right or wrong, is that the land is a father, the ocean is a mother, and the debris is a child or children. The debris goes back and forth, from ocean to land, ocean to land. The debris never settles itself with one or the other, it is always lost between the two. Just so, the child is always lost between the father and mother; he or she does not settle between the two. This fits in with the everyman principle of Self, because many families deal with that, where the child loves the mom one minute but then loves the dad more the next. However, this is still uncertain, because the poem is hard to discern whether the poem deals with childhood and families, with Christianity, or with another part of Self. This is due to the fact that Walt Whitman uses symbolism that is hard to tell the real meaning of it. It is in fact up to the reader to discern what the poem means, or what Walt Whitman meant.
Works Cited
[Howells, William Dean]. ""Bardic Symbols"." The Daily Ohio State Journal (28 March 1860): 2.
Whitman, Walt. "Bardic Symbols." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass
Walt Whitman, considered one of the greatest American poets of all time, wrote many forms and books of poetry. One of these books is called "Leaves of Grass," and it is consisted of many long and short poems that deal with one main topic. This topic is the Self. The Self consists of three separate parts that form the real Self of a person. These three parts are the spirital soul, the personal self (how one sees oneself), and the Everyman self (how everyone is connected and how other people see oneself). Walt Whitman explores the meaning of Self through all these poems.
The Everyman self is the idea that everyone in the world is connected, to friends, family, to everyone, even God. Whitman believed that there was a small piece of divinity in everyone (Bloom). Because of this, everyone was connected to each other, and were able to share in each other's lives and understand each other's lives. This idea of the Everyman is present in one of Walt Whitman's poems, "To A Certain Cantatrice," part of the book, "Leaves of Grass." This poem is listed below.
"HERE, take this gift,
I was reserving it for some hero, speaker, or general,
One who should serve the good old cause, the great idea, the prog-
ress and freedom of the race,
Some brave confronter of despots, some daring rebel;
But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as
to any" (Whitman).
When looking into one of Walt Whitman's poems, one has to go line by line, word by word, to get a deeper meaning than what merely surfaces. First, we look at the title, "To A Certain Cantatrice." A cantatrice is a professional female singer (Random). The title could merely imply that he is talking about the common person in entertainment, showing a form of the Everyman self, however, Whitman goes deeper into this throughout the poem. In the first lines, Whitman says that he is giving someone, perhaps the cantatrice, a gift that he was originally saving for a person of authority. The gift is not the main topic or theme; it does not necessarily represent something of value or something specific. It is just an object mentioned in his poem. The last lines are the lines that lend themselves to the definition of Everyman and Self.
"...One who should serve the good old cause, the great idea, the prog-
ress and freedom of the race,
Some brave confronter of despots, some daring rebel;
But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as
to any" (Whitman).
In these lines, Walt Whitman says that he was going to give his gift to someone great--maybe a rebel, a military personel, someone who relates to the American people and their want of freedom "...the progress and freedom of the race..." (Whitman). This reference to America shows that he is using the Everyman idea to relate all of America and the people in it to each other. "...But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as to any" (Whitman). This demonstrates Whitman's Everyman idea because, even though he was saving his gift for someone special, he gave it away; but it was not lost to just anyone. He was still giving it to that special person, because that special person is apart of everyone, including the receiver of his gift. While giving it away to a common person, perhaps the cantatrice, he gives it away to the general, the rebel, the hero, or the speaker. Everyone is connected and has similar qualities that connect them, so giving a gift to one is similar to giving a gift to another. That is why this poem shows Walt Whitman's idea of Self, including the idea of the Everyman belief.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold, ed. "Bloom on Walt Whitman." Walt Whitman, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1999. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMPWW01&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 1, 2011).
Random House Dictionary, comp. "Cantatrice." Def. 1. Random House, Inc. 2011. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC., 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.
Whitman, Walt. "To A Certain Cantatrice." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.
The Everyman self is the idea that everyone in the world is connected, to friends, family, to everyone, even God. Whitman believed that there was a small piece of divinity in everyone (Bloom). Because of this, everyone was connected to each other, and were able to share in each other's lives and understand each other's lives. This idea of the Everyman is present in one of Walt Whitman's poems, "To A Certain Cantatrice," part of the book, "Leaves of Grass." This poem is listed below.
"HERE, take this gift,
I was reserving it for some hero, speaker, or general,
One who should serve the good old cause, the great idea, the prog-
ress and freedom of the race,
Some brave confronter of despots, some daring rebel;
But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as
to any" (Whitman).
When looking into one of Walt Whitman's poems, one has to go line by line, word by word, to get a deeper meaning than what merely surfaces. First, we look at the title, "To A Certain Cantatrice." A cantatrice is a professional female singer (Random). The title could merely imply that he is talking about the common person in entertainment, showing a form of the Everyman self, however, Whitman goes deeper into this throughout the poem. In the first lines, Whitman says that he is giving someone, perhaps the cantatrice, a gift that he was originally saving for a person of authority. The gift is not the main topic or theme; it does not necessarily represent something of value or something specific. It is just an object mentioned in his poem. The last lines are the lines that lend themselves to the definition of Everyman and Self.
"...One who should serve the good old cause, the great idea, the prog-
ress and freedom of the race,
Some brave confronter of despots, some daring rebel;
But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as
to any" (Whitman).
In these lines, Walt Whitman says that he was going to give his gift to someone great--maybe a rebel, a military personel, someone who relates to the American people and their want of freedom "...the progress and freedom of the race..." (Whitman). This reference to America shows that he is using the Everyman idea to relate all of America and the people in it to each other. "...But I see that what I was reserving belongs to you just as much as to any" (Whitman). This demonstrates Whitman's Everyman idea because, even though he was saving his gift for someone special, he gave it away; but it was not lost to just anyone. He was still giving it to that special person, because that special person is apart of everyone, including the receiver of his gift. While giving it away to a common person, perhaps the cantatrice, he gives it away to the general, the rebel, the hero, or the speaker. Everyone is connected and has similar qualities that connect them, so giving a gift to one is similar to giving a gift to another. That is why this poem shows Walt Whitman's idea of Self, including the idea of the Everyman belief.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold, ed. "Bloom on Walt Whitman." Walt Whitman, Bloom's Major Poets. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1999. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMPWW01&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 1, 2011).
Random House Dictionary, comp. "Cantatrice." Def. 1. Random House, Inc. 2011. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC., 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.
Whitman, Walt. "To A Certain Cantatrice." Leaves of Grass (1891-1892). The Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price, 1995. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Journal #38: The Ploughman and Christianity
"AS I watch’d the ploughman ploughing,
Or the sower sowing in the fields—or the harvester harvesting,
I saw there too, O life and death, your analogies:
(Life, life is the tillage, and Death is the harvest according.)" (Whitman)
This is Walt Whitman's poem, "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing." This is one of Whitman's poems that discusses Self, which is the true self of a person. It includes the spiritual self, the personal identifying self, and how others see oneself. This poem specifically deals with the spiritual self, and in particular Christianity.
Christianity believes that Jesus Christ came and died for everyone's sins, and three days after he died from crucifixion, he was resurrected and returned to heaven. By His life, everyone in the world is saved and can go to heaven if they truly believe in Him. Walt Whitman's poem, "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing," shows this belief in Christianity.
The life, is the life of every person. When you plant seeds, they need to be planted under the soil at the appropriate depth, with the right amount of water, and sunlight. How people lives their lives is how they plant their seeds. Their life is the growing of the plants. If they live their life according to how God wants us to live, the plants will grow big and tall and healthily. But if they do not live accordingly, their plants will not grow healthily. The harvest is death and the afterlife. A promising harvest means heaven and a wonderful afterlife. I saw there too, O life and death, your analogies:
(Life, life is the tillage, and Death is the harvest according.)" (Whitman)
Walt Whitman was a very prominent and popular poet in America, and he was very into the idea of Christianity. Because of this, Christianity played a major part in his definition of Self and in his poems. "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing," one of Walt Whitman's poems, displays this definition of Self and the idea of Christianity very well in its analogies of life, death, and farming.
Works Cited
Whitman, Walt. As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing (1900). Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
Or the sower sowing in the fields—or the harvester harvesting,
I saw there too, O life and death, your analogies:
(Life, life is the tillage, and Death is the harvest according.)" (Whitman)
This is Walt Whitman's poem, "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing." This is one of Whitman's poems that discusses Self, which is the true self of a person. It includes the spiritual self, the personal identifying self, and how others see oneself. This poem specifically deals with the spiritual self, and in particular Christianity.
Christianity believes that Jesus Christ came and died for everyone's sins, and three days after he died from crucifixion, he was resurrected and returned to heaven. By His life, everyone in the world is saved and can go to heaven if they truly believe in Him. Walt Whitman's poem, "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing," shows this belief in Christianity.
The life, is the life of every person. When you plant seeds, they need to be planted under the soil at the appropriate depth, with the right amount of water, and sunlight. How people lives their lives is how they plant their seeds. Their life is the growing of the plants. If they live their life according to how God wants us to live, the plants will grow big and tall and healthily. But if they do not live accordingly, their plants will not grow healthily. The harvest is death and the afterlife. A promising harvest means heaven and a wonderful afterlife. I saw there too, O life and death, your analogies:
(Life, life is the tillage, and Death is the harvest according.)" (Whitman)
Walt Whitman was a very prominent and popular poet in America, and he was very into the idea of Christianity. Because of this, Christianity played a major part in his definition of Self and in his poems. "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing," one of Walt Whitman's poems, displays this definition of Self and the idea of Christianity very well in its analogies of life, death, and farming.
Works Cited
Whitman, Walt. As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing (1900). Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Reflection of Whitman and Self
Walt Whitman, considered the American Bard, was a very great American poet who wrote many songs and poems during the 1800’s. His works are classified as in between the realism literary period and the modernism literary period. Some of his most famous poems are “Myself and Mine,” “One Song, America, Before I Go,” “O Captain! My Captain!,” “Excelsior,” “The Singer in the Prison,” “When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d,” and “As I Watch’d the Ploughman Ploughing.” In each of these poems, Walt Whitman’s meaning of Self is explained, especially through song.
Walt Whitman defines the Self in his poems, and one finds this Self in song. Whitman describes Self as the soul of oneself, and there are specific characteristics to this. He believes that Self is freedom of the soul, freedom to express oneself, and freedom to live how they want, and how they think is the right way to live.
“I charge you, too, forever, reject those who would expound me—for I cannot expound
myself;
I charge that there be no theory or school founded out of me;
I charge you to leave all free, as I have left all free.
After me, vista!
O, I see life is not short, but immeasurably long;
I henceforth tread the world, chaste, temperate, an early riser, a steady grower,
Every hour the semen of centuries—and still of centuries.
I will follow up these continual lessons of the air, water, earth;
I perceive I have no time to lose.” (Whitman)
One way that Whitman expresses the Self is through song. The main characters of the poems use singing to free themselves from pain, from sadness, and to embrace their full self. In “The Singer in the Prison,” the main character, a convict in prison, sings and impresses everyone with her song (Whitman). This is her way of escaping her present state of misery and to free her of this misery and express her true self. This shows how Walt Whitman thinks that song can find one’s soul and to find one’s self.
In Walt Whitman’s poems of the realism and modernism literary periods, Whitman defines Self, especially through song. The characters of his poems free themselves of bad situations by singing and finding their souls and being free. This can also be applied to society at the time. Whitman is saying that Self if not defined by the government or a nation. It is defined by the individual; and what frees their soul defines their Self.
Works Cited
Whitman, Walt. Myself and Mine (1900). Web. 23 Feb. 2011..
Whitman, Walt. The Singer in the Prison (1900). Web. 23 Feb. 2011..
Walt Whitman defines the Self in his poems, and one finds this Self in song. Whitman describes Self as the soul of oneself, and there are specific characteristics to this. He believes that Self is freedom of the soul, freedom to express oneself, and freedom to live how they want, and how they think is the right way to live.
“I charge you, too, forever, reject those who would expound me—for I cannot expound
myself;
I charge that there be no theory or school founded out of me;
I charge you to leave all free, as I have left all free.
After me, vista!
O, I see life is not short, but immeasurably long;
I henceforth tread the world, chaste, temperate, an early riser, a steady grower,
Every hour the semen of centuries—and still of centuries.
I will follow up these continual lessons of the air, water, earth;
I perceive I have no time to lose.” (Whitman)
One way that Whitman expresses the Self is through song. The main characters of the poems use singing to free themselves from pain, from sadness, and to embrace their full self. In “The Singer in the Prison,” the main character, a convict in prison, sings and impresses everyone with her song (Whitman). This is her way of escaping her present state of misery and to free her of this misery and express her true self. This shows how Walt Whitman thinks that song can find one’s soul and to find one’s self.
In Walt Whitman’s poems of the realism and modernism literary periods, Whitman defines Self, especially through song. The characters of his poems free themselves of bad situations by singing and finding their souls and being free. This can also be applied to society at the time. Whitman is saying that Self if not defined by the government or a nation. It is defined by the individual; and what frees their soul defines their Self.
Works Cited
Whitman, Walt. Myself and Mine (1900). Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
Whitman, Walt. The Singer in the Prison (1900). Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
Journal #37: Criticism of Whitman
Walt Whitman was a very esteemed poet of the realism/modernism literary period. He wrote many poems about many things, but most of them have one thing in common. They have a form of Self in them, as described by Walt Whitman. The Self included a spiritual self, a personal identifying self, and how others viewed one's self. All of these are tired together to create the true and real Self that makes up a person. All of these aspects are seen in his poems. A criticism of Walt Whitman's Self, by Mark Bauerlein, discusses the views of Whitman's poems. "To express a self. To display a 'Personality' 'uncompromisingly' with a limpid style, a transparent form that ardently renders an identity in all its plenitude and immediacy. This is the 'special desire and conviction' that incite Whitman to write 'Song of Myself,' a personal epic in which, with sustained narcissism, Whitman freely explores his ego in an original style, in a structureless narrative, in free verse form, in brazen play and naked confession." (Bauerlein)
This criticism discusses Walt Whitman's narcissism from different view points and how that played into his poems. The views are interesting, but Bauerlein presents an interesting point. "Whitman's target is his own ego-centered poetry, that which was to manifest his ego. But, it was also the only means of freeing his ego, leaving Whitman in a tragic double-bind" (Bauerlein). The ego that he talks about is the first sense that one feels when reading Whitman's poems. His definition of Self is intertwined with the poems, and because of that, they come off egotistical. However, Walt Whitman needed to do this in order to be less egotistical, which does present a double problem, because in vouching his ego, he simply regained it. This interesting point is completely valid with Walt Whitman's poem and definitions of Self. It provides a reason for the writing of Whitman in the first place, and it provides a reason of why and how Whitman wrote the way he did. The view of others is described in the egotistical aspect of Self, and the view that this was a way to end his narcissism is valid with the personal and identifying aspect of Self. All in all, Mark Bauerlein's points tie into Walt Whitman's defintion of Self and his own writing career.
Works Cited
Bauerlein, Mark. "Whitman's Language of the Self." American Imago 44, no. 2 (Summer 1987). Quoted as "Whitman's Language of the Self" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Song of Myself, Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=MCISOM004&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 27, 2011).
This criticism discusses Walt Whitman's narcissism from different view points and how that played into his poems. The views are interesting, but Bauerlein presents an interesting point. "Whitman's target is his own ego-centered poetry, that which was to manifest his ego. But, it was also the only means of freeing his ego, leaving Whitman in a tragic double-bind" (Bauerlein). The ego that he talks about is the first sense that one feels when reading Whitman's poems. His definition of Self is intertwined with the poems, and because of that, they come off egotistical. However, Walt Whitman needed to do this in order to be less egotistical, which does present a double problem, because in vouching his ego, he simply regained it. This interesting point is completely valid with Walt Whitman's poem and definitions of Self. It provides a reason for the writing of Whitman in the first place, and it provides a reason of why and how Whitman wrote the way he did. The view of others is described in the egotistical aspect of Self, and the view that this was a way to end his narcissism is valid with the personal and identifying aspect of Self. All in all, Mark Bauerlein's points tie into Walt Whitman's defintion of Self and his own writing career.
Works Cited
Bauerlein, Mark. "Whitman's Language of the Self." American Imago 44, no. 2 (Summer 1987). Quoted as "Whitman's Language of the Self" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Song of Myself, Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=MCISOM004&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 27, 2011).
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