Whitman Musings

“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,

And what I assume you shall assume,

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” - Walt Whitman

While this is not necessarily tied directly to the blog post prompt...this quote above that I have taken from one of the Song of Myself poems is, to me, one of the quotes representative of Leaves of Grass as a whole.  The idea of singing is a motif present through many of the poems that depicts what Whitman was trying to convey- the idea of expression. In this quote Whitman is also attempting to connect the reader to himself. Every human is made of atoms and thus to the very core every being is the same.  And with this being said let us delve into the musings present in Whitman’s notebook, his very being and inner thoughts...

Some initial musings…

Under the “document” tab of the notebook I have pulled, as seen above, some themes or ideas that I saw reoccurring.  The idea of Abraham Lincoln is present throughout the notebook. This connects to the context of the Civil War that Whitman wrote within where ideas and talk of slavery and human equality were rampant in the 1800s United States.  This theme of human equality (which connects back to the quote mentioned at the start of this blog post…) is then explored further in the notebook through ideas of liberty, the union and the democratic and nationalist movements, and the history and past revolution.  

Another motif and symbol indicative of change in the notebook is a ship.  Whitman emphasizes that the talk of the times (regarding equality and the civil war in America) feels somewhat stagnant.  He feels that something needs to stir the calm waters and a storm must be brought to the land. Besides a storm a ship can disrupt the calm waters and change the tide and move the pools of traditional ideals.  

Finally, the document delves into some of the portraits and sketches that Whitman included in the notebook.  Connecting this to my own art experience regarding drawing people, I know that I tend to draw people in a way so that my insecurities on myself are not present within the character I am drawing.  Perhaps this connects to the sketches that Whitman creates toward the end of the notebook which eventually spiral into more caricatures and unrealistic images. Whitman may not have been happy with aspects of himself and this connects also to the idea that he might have been going through a midlife crisis.  It is evident in the notebook that he mentions death and some sad ideas that were often not discussed during the time period. It is therefore important to note that the notebook concludes with a caricature of a mysterious grotesque figure that may be representing America. Perhaps Whitman’s feelings regarding his own insecurities and happiness in his life have translated and connected to the larger picture- the United States of America.  

Some additional musings from the notes…

After diving further into Whitman’s notebook from exploring the “Notes” tab, I found particularly interesting the idea of liberty by nature contrasted by the liberty provided by human made systems, such as government.  Whitman writes in his journal about how the idea of liberty will transcend and outlast the longest-lived political regimes. This is so significant to me because it just shows that this idea of freedom is not coming from these man-made systems that will never outlast time, freedom is coming from the inherent nature of the world and beings.  Also significant in the notebook is how Whitman also identifies that freedom within America is not the only freedom that need be obtained, freedom within other nations extending beyond America is also significant.

Another facet that I briefly discussed in my initial musings was the idea of the ship and the disruption of calm waters.  However, I failed to consider that ships must always have a captain. Whitman explores this idea and symbol by ascertaining that the captain of the ship, most likely being the president, will have monumental tasks ahead of them with regard to the current state of the nation.  This then connects back to the idea of the imaginary conversations that Whitman was said to have been having with Abraham Lincoln throughout his notebook.

In conclusion, the main themes and ideas that I have deemed as significant from this analysis of Whitman’s notebook are that of liberty, nature, leadership, and politics.  So, connecting back to the quote that I used to introduce this post, the person must take Whitman’s musings and sing their ideas for their liberty to do so does not rely on man-made systems but on the inherent nature of the world.  

THE AMERICAN DREAM

The American Dream

When thinking of this idea of “The American Dream” a few words/phrases immediately come to mind:

• Goals
• Success
• Money
• Immigration
• New York
• Hard Work
• Sacrifice

...and of course there are many more but these are the immediate things I think about when I first encountered the prompt for this blog post.  

Specifically regarding The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream is exemplified throughout the novel...or should I say The “Gatsby” Dream.  It seems that the wealth and material possessions that Gatsby has are merely objects and the way he has acquired his wealth is just that- a way of getting money.  All of these objects and monetary possessions dull in comparison to his idea of being to obtain the one thing that money cannot buy- Daisy Buchanan. So, in essence The Great Gatsby is about Gatsby’s dream of getting Daisy Buchanan to love him once again.  

When considering the idea of the American Dream it is essential to consider American culture.  This brings to mind a few immediate things; french fries (but how ironic because they’re not American fries...they’re FRENCH fries), burgers, hot dogs, baseball, football, and also (I will preface this with an apology because I cannot help what immediately comes to my mind) obesity.  As of 2016 approximately 39.6% of the total adult population in the United States is obese. There is no denying that the atmosphere of America has had a negative vibe lately, and it is often times easier to focus on the problems of the nation that we live in, rather than the plentiful good things that we are fortunate enough to have in this country.  So, when I think of the American culture it most definitely has a negative connotation in my mind and since I connect the idea of the American culture with the American dream, this idea also has a negative connotation. BUT (just for you Mrs. Genesky) I am going to try to be positive and uplifting of this idea of achieving goals and “wealth” in America.

SO, going a little bit backward before we can progress forward, I’m going to describe the American Dream from the perspective of my family history.  My distant relative named Sophie (whose last name is forgotten) came to America from Germany in the early 1800s. While I never personally knew her and very few documents regarding her life were preserved, it has been passed down through family stories that she wholeheartedly believed in the idea of being successful in America.  She came from a poor family in Germany and being able to afford to arrive in New York City was all that she needed to know that once in America she would work as hard as she could to better her life- for herself and her future family. This is when the family story starts to get a little fuzzy and no one really knows what job she had when in America.  But, we uphold the belief that she was successful and happy with her life that she made for herself in the United States.

Flash forward to the present day United States.  I honestly feel that I often overlook the privileges and how blessed I am to be in my position.  Therefore, I feel as though I take the American Dream for granted- I have a family, a home, and both of my parents have well-paying jobs, so it seems as though the dream has already become reality for me. But, I think that my American dream and furthermore responsibility is to now use that privilege in order to better my country, to make sure that the American dream becomes attainable for everyone- regardless of their background.  

My dad always says that money isn’t what makes you rich- and I believe in this too.  Material possessions are not what make up the “American Dream”. Instead, having a support system of family and friends assisting you on your way to reach your goals makes you rich.  Rich in love and support will help you make dreams reality and accomplish anything you desire.

So, regarding my view of the American Dream, I think a quote from former president John Quincy Adams encompasses what I believe.  He said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader"  My American Dream is to do what I can to help others. I am so lucky to be where I am today and it is unfair to waste my privilege by not helping others.  So, by using my actions in America I hope to inspire others into action and help them accomplish whatever they dream.

IOC Practice

IOC practice (8-10min)

How does the structure of this text provide clarity and context for the reader?

What major themes does this extract reveal and how does it do so?

IOC: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0Hz8NCgcOpj

Passage analyzed:

Planning:

Self- Assessment:

Criteria A: Knowledge and understanding of text or extract (10)

In my knowledge and understanding of the text I would give myself an 8 because I believe that I did present the context necessary for this IOC- I established who the play is by as well as the time period and gave a brief overview of the plot surrounding the passage I was commenting on.  I also believe that my comments were supported by references to the text but I think that my references could have been better developed or more clear.

Criteria B: Understanding of the use and effects of literary features (10)

I would give myself a 8 again in this criteria because I think that I did have a good awareness of the use of literary features, such as the way the text was developed and the juxtaposition and the development of Macbeth’s character.  However, I think that I need to have more specific literary features such as tone and the way the setting plays a role and things such as that.

Criteria C: Organization (5)

For organization I would give myself a 5 because I thought that I had a clear introduction, body, and conclusion and I made sure to create links between all of my body points.  The order of the body was also logical because I developed what was happening overall, then focused on some specifics regarding the juxtaposition of good and evil, and finished up with the impact that this has on Macbeth’s presentation and his character.  

Criteria D: Language (5)

For language I would give myself a 4 because I know that I did have some pauses and awkwardly worded run-on sentences but I did not think that this detracted from the overall points I was making.  I also don’t think that this detracted from my knowledge of the excerpt and my analysis of it.