Jk this post isn't about Walter White although I really wish it was.
At first glance at Whitman's notebook, there are subtle things I can point out. This includes many numbers as well as names. The names and numbers almost point to street names at a first impression. This emphasis on individuals points to how Whitman cares so much for the opinions of others and how he strives to impress and leave a lasting impression on them. Another theme that pops out within glancing at the notebook is the feature of religion. By diving into the nitty gritty aspects such as the Greek roots involved with the Christian religion, it can be noted that Whitman places a huge emphasis on that aspect of his life. This also carries over into many of the poems I have read by him. Whitman continues to place importance on the reader or whoever he is writing to, as he mentions "you" many times. This can be seen within his descriptions of a ship and comparing it the reader in an emotional sense. This further shows how much Whitman dives into capturing the physiological nature of the everyman as he talks to them directly. Whitman also carries the idea of a ship throughout his notebook. Lastly, Whitman has many cute little drawings and sketches. These drawings, while they are cute, are more symbolic, showing how Whitman is a very deep and reflective individual.
So looking back at Whitman's actual meaning of what he wrote, I noticed many things. For one, the addresses are representative of his times living in D.C. along with his theoretical encounters with the President at the time, Abraham Lincoln. Whitman also loved finding new names for his books and pamphlets, which could also be a note to the names in the book. Whitman's discussions of religion could have been a part of his theoretical conversations with Lincoln. Within these discussions, he brings up the idea of a four-sided God. This idea shows that Whitman believes that the idea of religion has many angles and that religion can fit the ideas and needs of all people. Whitman also believes religion to be a more open concept compared to others during this time, as he is noted with associating religion with politics. While I thought the idea of a ship had to do with the emotions of the everyman, it actually has to do with the stableness of the nation during the time in which he was writing. In using he phrases such as "you", it is noted to either address Lincoln or Libertad, a Spanish concept. Lastly, his drawings are not as symbolic as I thought, because one was just a self portrait. His drawings are of things he found important to him, such as the stovepipe hat as well as possible names for his upcoming books.
In all, Whitman is a pretty cool individual who is incredibly reflective of the world he lived him.
At first glance at Whitman's notebook, there are subtle things I can point out. This includes many numbers as well as names. The names and numbers almost point to street names at a first impression. This emphasis on individuals points to how Whitman cares so much for the opinions of others and how he strives to impress and leave a lasting impression on them. Another theme that pops out within glancing at the notebook is the feature of religion. By diving into the nitty gritty aspects such as the Greek roots involved with the Christian religion, it can be noted that Whitman places a huge emphasis on that aspect of his life. This also carries over into many of the poems I have read by him. Whitman continues to place importance on the reader or whoever he is writing to, as he mentions "you" many times. This can be seen within his descriptions of a ship and comparing it the reader in an emotional sense. This further shows how much Whitman dives into capturing the physiological nature of the everyman as he talks to them directly. Whitman also carries the idea of a ship throughout his notebook. Lastly, Whitman has many cute little drawings and sketches. These drawings, while they are cute, are more symbolic, showing how Whitman is a very deep and reflective individual.
So looking back at Whitman's actual meaning of what he wrote, I noticed many things. For one, the addresses are representative of his times living in D.C. along with his theoretical encounters with the President at the time, Abraham Lincoln. Whitman also loved finding new names for his books and pamphlets, which could also be a note to the names in the book. Whitman's discussions of religion could have been a part of his theoretical conversations with Lincoln. Within these discussions, he brings up the idea of a four-sided God. This idea shows that Whitman believes that the idea of religion has many angles and that religion can fit the ideas and needs of all people. Whitman also believes religion to be a more open concept compared to others during this time, as he is noted with associating religion with politics. While I thought the idea of a ship had to do with the emotions of the everyman, it actually has to do with the stableness of the nation during the time in which he was writing. In using he phrases such as "you", it is noted to either address Lincoln or Libertad, a Spanish concept. Lastly, his drawings are not as symbolic as I thought, because one was just a self portrait. His drawings are of things he found important to him, such as the stovepipe hat as well as possible names for his upcoming books.
In all, Whitman is a pretty cool individual who is incredibly reflective of the world he lived him.
I like how you connected the street addresses and numbers that Whitman had written in his notebook to his ability to notice each individual person and his unique quality of being super observant. I also like how you pointed out that Whitman writes in the second person perspective a lot, always addressing "you" to the audience, making them feel as if he's speaking directly toward them. I think this is what makes his writing stand out above the rest!
ReplyDeleteI too liked how you pointed out how he addresses the reader a lot in his journal using 'you', as that is a continued theme in Leaves of Grass. I wish that he had been explicit about why he did that in his journal writings, as that would've given us more insight into who he was as a writer. I didn't catch the part about a four sided God when I was reading, so it was interesting to read your perspective on that, and I think overall it is very interesting how he sees religion that way. Lastly, I'm interested in how the time he was describing was considered peaceful, as some of them were written after the Civil War. Was it more that he wanted peace? Overall great post!
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you talk about your initial interaction with the notebook because that always shapes what you will take away in the end. I also like how you talk about religion and that it has an impact on because I agree that Whitman places an emphasis on aspects of his life. It is important to take religion into consideration as it shapes the world around us. And I think that Whitman wants it to be known that the things around us like people and elements craft who we are individually.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! I really liked how you mentioned that he wrote about how he delved into not just traditional Christianity, but also how the greek tradition played a role in it. I think this shows he was very able to think for himself and push the boundaries of what everyone else was thinking, as well as being very good at making connections. I also agree that the drawings show him being reflective, but I think they also show his belief that people contain multitudes and can be viewed in many ways from many perspectives. You bring this idea in really well when you discuss the four-sided God. Overall, very insightful!
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