It always amazes me how much Whitman loved nature. He takes his time there to lean and loaf b y a pond and bird watches. It is hard for me to see him as a b'hoy of the Bowery as much as a the Whitman of nature. It's almost as if he had some sort of all encompassing hippy dippy love. Like 1969 was actually the culmination of a culturally rich ideally Whitmanian explosion. Except with drugs. Which i don't think Whitman would have dug. I think drugs are in the perfume category for him.
It is weird to think of what happened in America post Whitman and how much he may have influenced it. For instance how manhood was perceive in the beginning of the 20th century with the creation of all those boys clubs ect. Or Teddy Roosevelt calling for people to go out side. That nature prevented the "sissification" of men ( i have a source for this, let me check my papers and i will show you).
Surely some sort of twisted and corrupt Whitmanian stance led to that? ( i don't think Whitman would have approved the word "sissification" ).
I wonder how this man who said he could contain all always came out so sensibly in his own life for the love of nature. How could he really be a "rough" when he so loved nature and beauty? I am glad he didn't live to see the first world war. As much as the civil war broke his heart, which it did, i wonder how modernity WW1 would have affected him.
Showing posts with label Specimen Days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Specimen Days. Show all posts
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Under the Shadow of Whitman's America
(Ginsberg, a Whitmanian poet to be sure, as Uncle Sam: He too understood something about America "I've seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked")Whitman's America is not our America, or maybe, maybe she is ours too. Whitman has in "A Song For Occupations" these lines, that perhaps show us what he believes of his America:
The President is up there in the White House for you....it is not you who are here for him
The Secretaries act in their bureaus for you....not you here for them
The Congress convenes every December for you,
Laws, courts, the forming of states, the charters of cities, the going and coming of commerce and mails are all for you.(48)
In short, i cannot, and do not believe in Whitman's America, and that makes me sad. I can no longer believe that the President is up there in the White House for me, or that any mechanism of our confounded bureaucracy meets for my benefit.
Before i get on a soap box too much i have to say that, i think, in some ways, Whitman stopped believing in his America too. Three entries from Specimen Days show light onto Whitman's thoughts on politics. First is the Inauguration Ball. In this entry Whitman compares the opposite scenes of the setting for the Ball and the wounded brought in from the second Bull Run. He gives us only a brief look at the ball, talking about pretty women and perfumes, but goes into detail on the sights and smells and sounds of those wounded in battle. This brief passage certainly shows us that Whitman is an ardent observer and has ease at description. But there is not much opinion in this section. However the juxtaposition of the images of leisure with the gruesome realities of war give enough of a statement. Whitman's connection that there is so much for surgeon and nurse to do that while they are busy helping people that some mother's sons pass away unintended, give us a thought of liesure with disgust. How can people be waltzing and drinking while men are dying and screaming, marred by a war for thier respective countries? Perhaps this is a first look at Whitman's realizing of the truth about America.
Second comes the entry "President Hayes's Speeches" . It is actually a line from about the middle of this passage that gets me thinking about how Whitman may feel:
"I hear [the speeches] criticised as wanting in dignity, but to me they are just what they should be, considering all the circumstances, who they come from, and who they are address'd to. Underneath, his objects are to compact and fraternize the States, encourage their materialistic and industrial development, soothe and expand their self-poise, and tie all and each with resistless double ties not only of inter-trade barter, but human comradeship."
Whitman also states that the speeches are "on easy topics not too deep" and that some would call the speeches "ephemeral". So it comes to me that, if they are very surface level speeches that some would say lack dignity and the ability to last what is the point? Why would Walt think they were exactly what they should be? What is the import of thier style and substance. Clearly Walt wants these speeches to connect America again. to soothe an America that had just gone through a civil war. But thinking that these, perhaps superficial, speeches are what America needs? It seems to me that that is not the same Whitman who seemed to have unlimited faith in people, in the American people. Certainly the Civil War would have changed anyone's ideas, but there is an echo of a loss of faith in the average American. It also seems that Whitman doesn't care much for Hayes, but with his emotion toward Lincoln well known, it is no wonder he would not care for Hayes.
For me the last nail in the coffin is one of the last entries of Specimen Days: "Nature and Democracy - Morality". Walt talks about how Democracy needs nature, or as Marcus Aurelius put it, the morality of nature. Walt states that he "conceive[s] of no flourishing and heroic elements of Democracy in the United States, or of Democracy maintaining itself at all, without the Nature-element forming a main part". Though this is very abstract it seems to me that Walt is calling for Democracy to maintain elements of nature that are beautiful and elegant. Peace, compassion and perhaps humanity. Nature can be violent and brutal but Walt's nature, as expressed through much of his poetry, is always one of beauty, always a nature of the loafer and leaner, the grass connects us all; connects every person. Walt does not see that Democracy will be successful unless it understands these concepts, and embraces them, and he is right.
Most of me wants to delete this post and start over. But this is an informal space to make these posts right? We can understand that Whitman knows of all the ugly aspects of America as well as the good. But he also seemed to know the difference in what was good about America and what wasn't. He did not drastically change the lines from "A Song for Occupations" which goes to show how much faith Whitman had in this land, even after the loss of Lincoln, even after the Civil War. These lines show faith in politicians before "politician" became a bad word. It shows faith that we as a country were building towards something.
I can only hope that one day i can see America as it was through Whitman's eyes. With hope and understanding.
P.S.
If your wondering why i am disillusioned here are some links: Our 1st Amendment rights down the drain, Legislation relying on the denial of basic human rights, and Homeland Security spying on peaceful protesters. But you are probably not wondering. Whitman tried to change this country with his poetry, and, as we will see, he did make change in places. But this needs to happen more often. We, as students of the word, are not powerless.
It is our solemn duty to ensure that the future of this country will not be brutal, unfair, and destructive of her people. We should turn our skills of analysis upon those who govern us, and our skills of rhetoric and compassion to battle their brutalities. A quote of Edward Said inspires me constantly. When people ask me what my B.A. in English Lit will be worth i think of this. When people underestimate the importance of what we do i think of this. And when i wonder what is neccesary for us to change this world we live in i think of this:
"Very well: if what i have been saying has any validity, then the politics of interpretation demands a dialectical response from a critical consciousness worthy of its name. Instead of noninterference and specialization, there must be interference, a crossing of borders and obstacles, a determined attempt to generalize exactly at those points where generalizations seem impossible to make. One of the first interferences to be ventured, then, is a crossing from literature, which is supposed to be subjective and powerless, into those realms, now covered by journalism and the production of information, that employ representation but are supposed to be objective and powerful." -Edward Said
The Secretaries act in their bureaus for you....not you here for them
The Congress convenes every December for you,
Laws, courts, the forming of states, the charters of cities, the going and coming of commerce and mails are all for you.(48)
In short, i cannot, and do not believe in Whitman's America, and that makes me sad. I can no longer believe that the President is up there in the White House for me, or that any mechanism of our confounded bureaucracy meets for my benefit.
Before i get on a soap box too much i have to say that, i think, in some ways, Whitman stopped believing in his America too. Three entries from Specimen Days show light onto Whitman's thoughts on politics. First is the Inauguration Ball. In this entry Whitman compares the opposite scenes of the setting for the Ball and the wounded brought in from the second Bull Run. He gives us only a brief look at the ball, talking about pretty women and perfumes, but goes into detail on the sights and smells and sounds of those wounded in battle. This brief passage certainly shows us that Whitman is an ardent observer and has ease at description. But there is not much opinion in this section. However the juxtaposition of the images of leisure with the gruesome realities of war give enough of a statement. Whitman's connection that there is so much for surgeon and nurse to do that while they are busy helping people that some mother's sons pass away unintended, give us a thought of liesure with disgust. How can people be waltzing and drinking while men are dying and screaming, marred by a war for thier respective countries? Perhaps this is a first look at Whitman's realizing of the truth about America.
Second comes the entry "President Hayes's Speeches" . It is actually a line from about the middle of this passage that gets me thinking about how Whitman may feel:
"I hear [the speeches] criticised as wanting in dignity, but to me they are just what they should be, considering all the circumstances, who they come from, and who they are address'd to. Underneath, his objects are to compact and fraternize the States, encourage their materialistic and industrial development, soothe and expand their self-poise, and tie all and each with resistless double ties not only of inter-trade barter, but human comradeship."
Whitman also states that the speeches are "on easy topics not too deep" and that some would call the speeches "ephemeral". So it comes to me that, if they are very surface level speeches that some would say lack dignity and the ability to last what is the point? Why would Walt think they were exactly what they should be? What is the import of thier style and substance. Clearly Walt wants these speeches to connect America again. to soothe an America that had just gone through a civil war. But thinking that these, perhaps superficial, speeches are what America needs? It seems to me that that is not the same Whitman who seemed to have unlimited faith in people, in the American people. Certainly the Civil War would have changed anyone's ideas, but there is an echo of a loss of faith in the average American. It also seems that Whitman doesn't care much for Hayes, but with his emotion toward Lincoln well known, it is no wonder he would not care for Hayes.
For me the last nail in the coffin is one of the last entries of Specimen Days: "Nature and Democracy - Morality". Walt talks about how Democracy needs nature, or as Marcus Aurelius put it, the morality of nature. Walt states that he "conceive[s] of no flourishing and heroic elements of Democracy in the United States, or of Democracy maintaining itself at all, without the Nature-element forming a main part". Though this is very abstract it seems to me that Walt is calling for Democracy to maintain elements of nature that are beautiful and elegant. Peace, compassion and perhaps humanity. Nature can be violent and brutal but Walt's nature, as expressed through much of his poetry, is always one of beauty, always a nature of the loafer and leaner, the grass connects us all; connects every person. Walt does not see that Democracy will be successful unless it understands these concepts, and embraces them, and he is right.
Most of me wants to delete this post and start over. But this is an informal space to make these posts right? We can understand that Whitman knows of all the ugly aspects of America as well as the good. But he also seemed to know the difference in what was good about America and what wasn't. He did not drastically change the lines from "A Song for Occupations" which goes to show how much faith Whitman had in this land, even after the loss of Lincoln, even after the Civil War. These lines show faith in politicians before "politician" became a bad word. It shows faith that we as a country were building towards something.
I can only hope that one day i can see America as it was through Whitman's eyes. With hope and understanding.
P.S.
If your wondering why i am disillusioned here are some links: Our 1st Amendment rights down the drain, Legislation relying on the denial of basic human rights, and Homeland Security spying on peaceful protesters. But you are probably not wondering. Whitman tried to change this country with his poetry, and, as we will see, he did make change in places. But this needs to happen more often. We, as students of the word, are not powerless.
It is our solemn duty to ensure that the future of this country will not be brutal, unfair, and destructive of her people. We should turn our skills of analysis upon those who govern us, and our skills of rhetoric and compassion to battle their brutalities. A quote of Edward Said inspires me constantly. When people ask me what my B.A. in English Lit will be worth i think of this. When people underestimate the importance of what we do i think of this. And when i wonder what is neccesary for us to change this world we live in i think of this:
"Very well: if what i have been saying has any validity, then the politics of interpretation demands a dialectical response from a critical consciousness worthy of its name. Instead of noninterference and specialization, there must be interference, a crossing of borders and obstacles, a determined attempt to generalize exactly at those points where generalizations seem impossible to make. One of the first interferences to be ventured, then, is a crossing from literature, which is supposed to be subjective and powerless, into those realms, now covered by journalism and the production of information, that employ representation but are supposed to be objective and powerful." -Edward Said
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Specimen Days: Feburary Days
Well Walt certainly liked to loaf didn't he? And certainly the month of February should be the month of loafing. The bizarre mix of days that beckon you outdoors to enjoy the sun at its right temperatures, or keep you inside with the rain rapping its cold fingers upon your windows. Either way it is a month of beauty and transition and Whitman's entry shows us that this is so.
The power of his poetry comes from his loafing. Like the yellow sun to superman, the more loafing Whitman does, the more powerful his verse becomes. He is the king narrator of nature's splendor and not outdone by even Emerson or Thoreau. Leaves of Grass, the title itself even, is rife with metaphor and symbolism. Whether it be the plurality of the grass as it relates to humanity or the pages of the book representing the glory of Whitman's nature, it is charged with meaning. However perhaps a cigar is just a cigar and the title is simply to illustrated what inspired Whitman. We know he loafs and leans and observes spears of summer grass but in this specimen days we see how much he actually takes in nature and its beauty.
The hay from the barn has a perfume about it, the tendencies of humanity inspired by nature are vigorous and sweet, and Whitmans strength grows.
Whitman is a verse minded, peace loving Antaeus. He would invite you to wrestle, but only so that you could tug at his feet and beard. You often don't see many people appreciate nature the way Whitman does. He enjoys the weather regardless and even brings to his mind a letter by Robert Burns. We see Whitman even state that "I, too, like the rest, feel these modern tendencies (from all the prevailing intellections, literature and poems,) to turn everything to pathos, ennui, morbidity, dissatisfaction, death" but he does not allow this to stop him from enjoying what is around him and turning it into happiness.
The perfumes that crowd the houses and rooms may not be the odors that cover up the truth of nature but perhaps the intellectuality that keeps one from nature by using sight and ratiocination instead of touch, taste, smell, and feeling.
I think everyone probably needs to break out there inner Whitman now and again. When the summer comes iI know that Tamalpias will be calling my name.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Specimen Days: Abraham Lincoln
It is interesting to see the connection to the president that is felt by Whitman. He takes cursory glances and makes monuments out of them. Whitman seems to be dripping with admiration for the man. Yet he mentions many times during this entry about how plain Lincoln is in dress and action. Whitman associates Lincoln with the common man and this is perhaps a reason his admiration is so deep. To state that one needs a master of portrait painting from the Renaissance to paint an accurate picture of Lincoln shows great reverence indeed.
This shows us how reverent people were to Whitman. I suppose Lincoln is special because he was the president but because Whitman is relating him to the common man so often it seems that this is the aspect most appreciated by Whitman. Whitman was a poet of the people, and Lincoln had the value of the president for the people. Whitman praises the common people of the world in "Song of Myself". Likewise if such a great figure as Lincoln can seem to be, or represent, the common man then we can see why Whitman had such adoration for him.
This shows us how reverent people were to Whitman. I suppose Lincoln is special because he was the president but because Whitman is relating him to the common man so often it seems that this is the aspect most appreciated by Whitman. Whitman was a poet of the people, and Lincoln had the value of the president for the people. Whitman praises the common people of the world in "Song of Myself". Likewise if such a great figure as Lincoln can seem to be, or represent, the common man then we can see why Whitman had such adoration for him.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Specimen Days: Plays and Operas Too
We can see how thoroughly in love with the arts Whitman was. His recounting of all the old plays he had seen as well as there performers is amazing. He remembers the plays that he saw as a child as well as the operas he enjoyed as an adult. Our poet is a lover of the arts and this shows as does his culture in his knowledge of theater. He would even read Shakespeare's plays the day before he went to go see them.
"Song of Myself" is a celebration of living surely, but also a celebration of art. As i mentioned in an earlier post Whitman defies and refuses speech but chooses poetry to share his world with us. That is because art has a power over language that simple speech does not. This power is derived from the rearranging of symbols and the balances between story/discourse being shifted. A metaphor is a strong device. But as we can see in some metaphysical poems ( such as John Donne's "The Flea" and arguably parts of "Song of Myself") those metaphors become more powerful and changed in a way that a metaphor, presented in regular speech, does not.
That is why theater is so powerful. It shows an aspect of the world in a heightened state that elicits a special connection. We recognize the artifice, but that artifice is a mirror that helps us view ourselves and humanity more clearly. Whitman's early love of theater and later love of opera just goes to show us how much our poet was embedded in the arts. It even makes me think of some parts of "Song of Myself" as theatrical.
"Song of Myself" is a celebration of living surely, but also a celebration of art. As i mentioned in an earlier post Whitman defies and refuses speech but chooses poetry to share his world with us. That is because art has a power over language that simple speech does not. This power is derived from the rearranging of symbols and the balances between story/discourse being shifted. A metaphor is a strong device. But as we can see in some metaphysical poems ( such as John Donne's "The Flea" and arguably parts of "Song of Myself") those metaphors become more powerful and changed in a way that a metaphor, presented in regular speech, does not.
That is why theater is so powerful. It shows an aspect of the world in a heightened state that elicits a special connection. We recognize the artifice, but that artifice is a mirror that helps us view ourselves and humanity more clearly. Whitman's early love of theater and later love of opera just goes to show us how much our poet was embedded in the arts. It even makes me think of some parts of "Song of Myself" as theatrical.
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