Journal#42: Dickinson or Whitman?

If I lived at the same time that Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson were writing, I really don't think I would like either of them very much. The time period has nothing to do with anything. The only bearing it would have on my opinion would be that it was new poetry, rather than the "classic" stuff that it is taught as today. Sure, it might have been shocking to some people, but whether it was shocking or not, it doesn't really effect the overall quality of the poem. Personally, I don't think that I would have been able to read the poetry of the time. If I was actually in that time period, and that poetry was really considered that shocking, I doubt that my mother would have let me read such things. I doubt that anyone's mothers would approve. Especially because Whitman's topics include such things as homosexuality and incest. My mom doesn't even like me reading anything like that nowadays. I can't even imagine what she would be like almost a hundred years ago. I have a feeling that I would still find them boring. I would probably have to say that - if I really had to choose - I would like Whitman better. I think I enjoy reading maybe five or six of Whitman's poems as opposed to three or four of Dickinson's. Also, Dickinson's subject matter seems boring to me. Honestly, how much life experience can a shut in have? At least Whitman was out in the world doing things. Dickinson was just watching the birds in her garden. They were both pretty pompous in their writing though. They probably thought they were so cool, being a bridge between Realism and Modernism. In the words of Shania Twain, "That don't impress me much." Also, the fact that I was forced to read their work in class puts a damper on my enjoyment of their work. Had I read them of my own volition, I might have actually enjoyed them.

"I Know Some Lonely Houses off the Road" Analysis

"I Know Some Lonely Houses off the Road" by Emily Dickinson is a poem about thieves robbing a house. She is saying that she knows some ideal houses for people to steal from. The houses she describes are back from the road, and they are inhabited by elderly people who would not notice right away that someone had been in their house. She describes how such a theft might take place and what the robbers might steal, such as "Tankard, or spoon, earring, or stone, a watch, some ancient brooch" (Dickinson). This poem is a typical Dickinson work in some ways, but it is different from her usual works as well. She uses lots of descriptive words and really paints the scene so that it is easy to imagine the robbers peering in the window and creeping through the house. She also uses personification often, which is a common element in her poems. The last line is a great example of personification: "While the old couple, just astir, think that the sunrise left the door ajar!" (Dickinson). Since sunrises cannot, to the best of my knowledge, open doors, this is an example of personification in "I Know Some Lonely Houses off the Road". These literary techniques are characteristic of not just Dickinson's poems, but Modernism as well. Her word choice is very careful, which is important in any writing, but especially in Modernism. I personally like how she used the word "chanticleer" instead of rooster in the line "The sun has got as far as the third sycamore. Screams chanticleer, 'Who ’s there?'" (Dickinson). Using that word gives the poem a more classy air, not to mention it sounds more lyrical than just saying "rooster". She also writes about a realistic occurrence that could have actually happened in real life. This is a characteristic of Realism. A characteristic of both Realism and Modernism that Dickinson uses is that she does not use any particular meter or rhyme scheme. The fact that Dickinson had characteristics of both makes her a sort of in-between poet, given that she does not fully fit into either category. An analysis of the setting in Dickinson's poems by Douglas Anderson stressed the importance of the setting. The setting is very important in this poem, as it is with others by Emily Dickinson. Had the houses been not so far off the road, the thieves would have had a more difficult time of stealing from their elderly inhabitants. Also, had it not been night time, said elderly inhabitants would not have been asleep, also making it harder for the thieves to take their valuables. I thought this poem was pretty good. It actually made sense to me, unlike half of Dickinson's other poems. I also thought that she picked a somewhat interesting topic for once. Instead of a snake in the grass or a robin on her lawn, we get all the action of a robbery. Also, unlike some of her poems, "I Know Some Lonely Houses off the Road" is pretty literal and straightforward. Not a whole lot of hidden meaning to be found in the robbery of an elderly couple.


Anderson, Douglas. "Presence and Place in Emily Dickinson's Poetry." The New England Quarterly 57, no. 2. (June, 1984): 205–224. Quoted as "Presence and Place in Emily Dickinson's Poetry" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Emily Dickinson, New Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=MCVED03&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 22, 2011).

Dickinson, Emily. "15. "I Know Some Lonely Houses off the Road." Part One: Life. Dickinson, Emily. 1924. Complete Poems." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. .

Journal #41: Analyzing Dickinson

For this journal's purposes, I will be analyzing "Unto my books so good to turn" from Part One: Life of Emily Dickinson's works. Basically, this poem is talking about how Dickinson escapes into her books at the end of the day. She spurns the company of her "retarded guests" at their banquets, and the time that she spends waiting to escape to her library just makes it that much sweeter when she can actually get away. I'm sure Dickinson did not mean retarded in the offensive way that the word is commonly used in speech today, but, given Dickinson's contempt of most people, she very well may have meant that she thought they were slower mentally than everyone else.
Like Dickinson, I love to read. I am not a hermit; however, so books are not my only friends like they apparently were for the speaker in this poem.
Like many of Dickinson's other poems, "Unto my books so good to turn" has individual thoughts represented by each stanza that are similar throughout the whole poem. The first stanza is about how Dickinson likes, at the end of the day, to relax with a good book. The second stanza's idea is a metaphor comparing the speaker's small library with a feast with many merry guests. The third stanza basically says that no matter how ugly the world looks or what may be going on outside, books can always provide an escape to a happy place. The last stanza is about how the speaker cherishes the books as on would a friend, despite how plain they may look.
If one were religiously inclined, one could substitute the Bible for the books that are present in this poem. I know of many religious people who cherish the Bible and would therefore experience the emotions that Dickinson presents in this poem.
This poem was one of Dickinson's more literal poems. Except for the metaphor of stanza two, most of the language can be taken at face value.

Journal #40: Self...Again

Self from my perspective is basically a convoluted mess of little importance. Whitman even said himself that it was very near impossible to try to find out exactly what makes up Self. Considering that he actually cared about and spent years looking for the elusive "Self", and I have neither the desire nor time to spend on such a thing, I think I'll leave the Self-analyzing to Whitman. There is no way that I will ever know everything about myself, and I usually fail at guessing what other people think, especially when whatever they are thinking of involves me. You really can't analyze chaos.
Personally, I kind of hate the idea of Self, at least Whitman's definition of it. It annoys me that he could be so egotistical, but then turn around and be self-depreciating in the same sentence. Personally, given that I only enjoy a handful of his poems, I don't think Whitman is a good enough writer or poet to feel entitled to this discovery of Self. It's one of those mysteries in life that mere human beings are not supposed to be able to solve. That's the main reason this journal has a rambling, ranting sort of tone. No one will ever figure this stuff out, so I say, "Why try?" All it will do is make me feel again how insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things.
I also don't like Whitman's view of the Holy Trinity. I think that he doesn't fully understand it himself. Then he goes and writes that since God is in everyone, everyone is God. I don't know where exactly I stand on Self, but I know that's not a part of my definition. To say that is arrogance to the extreme. It's even worse than the scenario presented by the saying "everyone is special, so no one is". If everyone is God, then God loses much of His power. That's not even accounting for the atheists of the world. I'm sure that they would disagree with Whitman on this point.

"Not the Pilot" Analysis

"Not the Pilot" by Walt Whitman is about the burden a poet faces in describing America in a poem. As most people who know about Whitman are aware, Whitman was very patriotic. A good example of his patriotism is the well known poem "O Captain! My Captain!" which is about President Lincoln. In this poem Whitman is expressing his concern that he may not be good enough to write a poem that can fully encompass the American spirit. After reading some of his other, more egotistical works, this uncertainty was a nice change of pace for Whitman. I write sometimes myself, so I can see where Whitman is coming from when he writes, "More than I have charged myself, heeded or unheeded, to compose a march for these States" (Whitman) and that Whitman is a bit overwhelmed by the task at hand.
His use of imagery is very effective in painting a scene of a struggle. His bold language also helped make an imprint in my mind. "Not the pilot has charged himself to bring his ship into port, though beaten back and many times baffled" (Whitman) really stuck out, and it seemed really memorable to me.
In this poem, Whitman is saying that even though pilots and pathfinders' jobs are daunting, the poet's job is even more so. The pilot's task has been done before, as well as the pathfinder's. Poets have yet to succeed in their quest "to compose a march for these States, For a battle-call, rousing to arms if need be, years, centuries hence." (Whitman). Obviously, poets can be remembered for centuries after they are alive. Fine examples include Homer and Dante. I do not think this is exactly what Whitman is talking about here. I think he means the poem. The one that says exactly the right thing and lasts forever. The ultimate poem.
Surprisingly, almost none of Whitman's usual themes are present in "Not the Pilot". There is really no mention of love of any kind in this poem. Not even any that you could find between the lines. None of Whitman's then-shocking musings on homosexuality are present. Religion is not present, even in metaphoric form. Jesus cannot be substituted for the narrator at this time like He is in many of Whitman's other poems. Nature is not disscussed either, as it is in a few of Whitman's other poems. The only usual characteristic is Whitman's almost obnoxious love of America that is present in many of his poems.
At first, I did not understand this poem very well because all I could think of was an epic war adventure. I read an analysis by Charles Oliver that helped me to understand that this poem was about writing a poem. I thought that this poem was pretty good and got Whitman's message across effectively. It was a plus that he managed to do so in so few words as well. "Not the Pilot" is short, but it is still effective in getting Whitman's frustration across to the reader.

Oliver, Charles M. "'Not the Pilot'." 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. Web. 8 March 2011. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW296&SingleRecord=True.

Whitman, Walt. "NOT THE PILOT. (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. .

"I Heard You Solemn-Sweet Pipes of the Organ" Anaylsis

"I Heard You Solemn-Sweet Pipes of the Organ" by Walt Whitman is about a man who is walking past a church. He hears the choir singing and the organ playing, and the emotions that the music causes him to feel remind him of his love. This poem contains all of the usual trappings of a work by Whitman. Themes of religion are present in the church and the music. Religion could also be present in that the love that Whitman is feeling is the love he felt for Christ as he was praying the night before. Love is represented by his thinking of his love when he hears the music. The poem itself is written in free verse, with no rhyme scheme. Nature is also present in the line, "Winds of autumn, as I walk'd the woods at dusk I heard your long-stretch'd sighs up above so mournful" (Whitman). I liked that imagery, and I think it ties in nicely with "I heard you solemn-sweet pipes of the organ as last Sunday morn I pass'd the church" (Whitman). Both images bring to mind that same kind of low pitched wind sound that I have always found relaxing.
At first I did not really understand this poem, but then I read the analysis that I found by Charles Oliver, and that really helped me to understand it better. Oliver brings up the issue of whether or not the lover that Whitman mentions is a male or female. That he brings this up at all shows previous knowledge of Whitman's other forays into the world of homosexuality. Oliver just assumes that the lover is a woman based on the title of that particular section being "Children of Adam". Anyway, that whole question is also typical of Whitman. He often left things deliberately ambiguous, which, at the time, was pretty scandalous. Now it just kind of seems like a waste of time.
The Everyman is present in this poem if you squint and read heavily in between the lines. Anyone could be walking past a church or through a forest and hearing music and the wind respectively. Hearing such things, many would become reflective, and some might even think of their lovers. That's kind of a far leap, but it could happen.
Whitman uses a lot of imagery in this poem. He likens his lover's pulse to little bells ringing in his ears. He describes the sound of the pipe organs as "solemn-sweet", which I liked because those two words really do describe how a pipe organ sounds.
Self is really only present in this poem, as far as I understand, in the way the poet is reflecting on something that he holds dear as he hears the wind and the pipe organ. Our Self is shaped by those around us, and the poet has obviously been deeply impacted by the person he is thinking of in the poem.
Whitman successfully manages to relate music to love, and then he reflects upon that love. Though this poem was short, it still managed to artfully capture a moment in time.

Oliver, Charles M. "'I Heard You Solemn-Sweet Pipes of the Organ'." 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= CCWW198&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 6, 2011).

Whitman, Walt. "I HEARD YOU SOLEMN-SWEET PIPES OF THE ORGAN. (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .

Journal #39: "Bardic Symbols"

"Bardic Symbols" is basically an expression of Whitman's frustration with the world and with his inability to understand the world. In this poem, he is walking along the beach and watching the waves washing various debris onto the shore. As he stares at them, he tries to find some deeper meaning to them, then begins to ponder the world itself. He soon comes to realize that he can find no deeper meaning, and that all of his poems up to that point are worthless because they fail to express Whitman's true meaning. "But that before all my insolent poems the real one still stands untouched, untold, altogether unreached...Striking me with insults till I fall helpless upon the sand." (Whitman). This was kind of depressing poem, but a very familiar feeling for many artists, I'm sure.
The Everyman, America, and spirituality are all common themes in Whitman's poetry. The everyman idea is sort of represented in "Bardic Symbols" in the way that no one really understands the world, and most of us have felt some sort of anger at that before. America is not in this at all, no matter how you squint at it. Spirituality is presented in much the same roundabout way as the Everyman. Through trying to understand the world, Whitman is basically trying to understand God, which is impossible pretty much no matter what you believe.
William Dean Howell's criticism of "Bardic Symbols" is confusing sometimes, much like Whitman's poetry. Howell was trying to make the point that Whitman's poetry is different for everyone who reads it. The bardic symbols for which the poem is named could mean any number of things for each person. "No one, even after the fourth or fifth reading, can pretend to say what the "Bardic Symbols" symbolize." (Howell). This is largely due to Whitman's layering of meaning in his poems. Howell also makes a mention of the fact that the critics and the public were divided over Whitman's work. I think this would have pleased Whitman, who would have wanted his poems thought upon, not just read.


Howells, William Dean. ""Bardic Symbols"" The Walt Whitman Archive. 2011. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. .

Whitman, Walt. "Bardic Symbols." The Walt Whitman Archive. 2011. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.

"A Clear Midnight" Analysis

I actually really liked this poem. It made me feel so calm at a time when I've been so stressed. In "A Clear Midnight", Whitman describes midnight. He paints the picture of the perfect midnight. He's alone, and the world expects nothing of him. "Away from books, away from art, the day erased, the lesson done" (Whitman). This line suggests that the night is Whitman's own. Since his lesson is finished, he can do whatever he wants. This image was really attractive to me because, as someone with a lot of pressure on them, I would love to have a night like this. In this night, Whitman ponders various things in a self-reflective manner. This is characteristic of Whitman and his quest to discover that elusive Self. This is; however, only one layer of this poem. On the surface, this looks to be a poem about a night spent on silent reflection. Underneath this facade is a metaphor for death. Unlike some poems that paint death as a horrible experience, this poem sees it as the ending of a day. Whitman makes death sound peaceful in this poem by comparing it to a clear midnight. I especially liked the first line which goes, "This is thy hour O Soul, thy free flight into the wordless" (Whitman). "The wordless" suggests the afterlife, that place where words don't matter because words can't describe it. The last few lines give away the death metaphor: "pondering the themes thou lovest best, Night, sleep, death and the stars" (Whitman). All of those things in one of Whitman's notorious lists has been associated with death at some time or another. Obviously death itself is represented in that list. If that wasn't obvious enough, Whitman provides other clues throughout the brief poem. His line, "Away from books, away from art, the day erased, the lesson done" (Whitman), provides further insight into the metaphor between midnight and death. The day is often used to represent life because that is when life flourishes. When the day is erased, life ceases to exist.
A literary analysis that I read by Charles Oliver mentioned something that I had noticed, but I hadn't really connected it to anything. He writes that "A Clear Midnight" acts as a transition between two collections of poems in Whitman's Leaves of Grass. It fits rather nicely between "From Noon to Starry Night" and the "Songs of Parting" sections. "From Noon to Starry Night" is about living your life until the end, where "Songs of Parting" suggests it is about the things that happen after death. "A Clear Midnight" being a representation of death fits well as a connector between the two.
Whether this poem is taken at face value or not, it is still, in my opinion, one of Whitman's better works. This imagery is very calming, and the metaphors are easily understood. It is also a good bridge between sections of Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Though the brevity of the poem actually makes it more difficult to understand than usual, it is still a fine example of Whitman's skill as a poet.

Oliver, Charles M. "'A Clear Midnight'." 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. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCWW094&SingleRecord=True.

Whitman, Walt. "A CLEAR MIDNIGHT. (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892])." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. .

Journal #38: Reaction to the Ploughman

Whitman's "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing", like most of Whitman's poems can be taken literally or metaphorically. When taken literally, it is about a man watching another man plow a field. The Everyman idea is apparent here in the fact that, during Whitman's lifetime, many people were farmers, so it would not be uncommon to see a man in a field. When taken metaphorically, the ploughman represents the Holy Trinity. To me, the "sower sowing in the fields" is the Holy Spirit part of the Holy Trinity. When there was nothing, the Holy Spirit created the world, much like when there is nothing in the ground the sower comes along and stirs up life in the form of seeds. The ploughman would be Jesus in this scenario because Jesus came along and saved the people at a time when they needed it, much like the ploughman who takes out all the weeds and rejuvenates the soil. Finally, the harvester would be the Father. When we die, according to the Christian belief, we go to Heaven where the Father waits for us. He takes in all the souls of the dead as a harvester would take in his crops. This metaphor made a lot more sense to me than many of Whitman's other metaphorical works. This whole poem was actually refreshingly understandable. The society of the times is represented in this poem because, nowadays, you really don't see many farmers working out in their fields with their own two hands. We now have machines that do a better job of that. Thus, Whitman's time is reflected in the method of farming. Also, this poem would be more easily understood in Whitman's time because a lot more people were more devoted to the church. Therefore, they would have understood the metaphor sooner than many on today's time would. All in all, though I did not think this was a very good poem, "As I Watch'd the Ploughman Ploughing" was still one of the better poems by Whitman, in my opinion.