Journal 31

My job shadowing experience was not that great. I job shadowed a pharmacist at Complete Care Pharmacy, and he was pretty busy. It was the beginning of the month so everybody was getting social security checks and spending them on their medication. The pharmacist was on the phone seventy-five percent of the time, so I did not really learn anything. I already know a lot about pharmacy, so he would not have been able to teach me a lot. But he basically just stood in one spot the whole time. The only new thing I saw was a machine that contained half of the medicine in the pharmacy, and it could dispense whatever was needed. Most of the information was on a computer program, so the guy was on the computer also. I still want to be a pharmacist. I am really interested in it, and I think it is the right career for me. I think the person I shadowed enjoys his job, so I think I will too. I have always been interested in chemistry and anatomy, which makes up a lot of the curriculum; I obviously want to help people too; and it pays off financially in the end. I used to want to be a dentist, but I definitely do not want to work with teeth all day. I would much rather work with weird people and medicine than cavities and tooth decay. I do not mind having to talk to all of the different people because in the end they are getting the medicine that they need. I will probably have to continually go to school even after I graduate from pharmacy school, and I do not mind that. I am not sure what branch of pharmacy I will end up pursuing, but I think I will either be a typical pharmacist, a hospital pharmacist, or a nuclear pharmacist. It would have been better if I could have shadowed a different type of pharmacist to see why he or she went into that specific field.

Modernism video

Journal 30-Whitman

My favorite poem by Walt Whitman is probably “One’s Self I Sing.” Although I have not read all of Whitman’s poems, or even a good amount, I think this is a good one. It is his initial poem in Leaves of Grass, and it sets up the rest of the poems. The poem is short, but it presents important information that Whitman wants to convey at the beginning because it shows a lot of what he believes. The first two lines express how every individual is separate, but yet everyone is also ‘en masse.’ Next, he explains that it is not just appearance or just intelligence that matters; it is the culmination of all elements of a single person, making up their form, that matter. He also says that men are equal with women, so he has his own beliefs that may differ from the norm of the time. Then he ‘sings’ “of life immense in passion, pulse, and power…” Alliteration aside, he is saying that life forms, in part, from great experiences. Then he says “cheerful, for freest action form’d under the laws divine…”, which implies that freedom is very important to the self and necessary in understanding the self. This poem is good because it really lays the track for Leaves of Grass in its entirety. This is like a broad illustration for a few topics that he goes more in depth with throughout the rest of the poems. I think this is his best poem because it is so explicit but open. Many of his poems can be very complicated, but this one is much simpler. Aside from maybe using the word ‘physiognomy,’ this poem is pretty straightforward. Whitman just comes out and gives his preamble in a concise manner, while still maintaining a sort of eloquence. Although many of his poems are also short and well written, this one is more direct. Some may be more expressive than this one, but this covers his idea of what self is and why it is important.
http://whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1891/poems/2

Reflection: Whitman again (Chanting the Square Deific)

Walt Whitman creates a wholly unique spiritual belief in his poem "Chanting the Square Deific." He takes the religious topic and he does not necessarily restrict himself to one single religion. It is related to Hinduism, Roman mythology, and Christianity in a way that is all his own. Whitman's Self is implemented in "Chanting the Square Deific" in a way that solidifies his beliefs for the rest of Leaves of Grass.

What Whitman has accomplished in this poem, a combination of complex interpretations, is an entire background for his beliefs. “Chanting the Square Deific” has taken the typical Christian trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and turned it into a square or quaternity. His third stanza introduces the fourth side, which is Satan. This seems to be how he balances power. Satan is a “comrade of criminals” but also a “brother of slaves” (Whitman). This introduces Satan as an evil entity with warlike characteristics, but he also reaches to the despondent. He is not empathetic, but he is vengeful and a wanton revolutionary. This stanza has important antithetical statements to the first stanza about God. In the first stanza, he says “Not Time affects me—I am Time, old, modern as any” (Whitman). This is countered by the third stanza statement that says “Nor time nor change shall ever change me or my words” (Whitman). This means that Satan is unaffected by God; they are necessary to each other in almost neutralizing one another.

The second stanza, pertaining to Christ, does not seem to oppose the fourth, which represents the spirit. Christ is sacrificial, affectionate, and charitable; he appears to promote life, while the soul embodies it. His sacrifice is shown by him saying “all the world have I given up for my dear brothers' and sisters' sake, for the soul's sake” (Whitman). He is responsible for the soul, but the soul is “Including all life on earth, touching, including God, including Saviour and Satan” (Whitman). They have made up some sort of codependency upon each other for sustenance. This essentially facilitates the understanding of Whitman’s Self.

Whitman demonstrates his relation to all of these deities in every line of the poem. He uses the first person, not to write from the gods’ perspectives, but to proclaim his relation to them. They are all one entity. He concludes the poem in a way that seems to tell the readers that they too are a part of this omnipresent entity by saying “breathe my breath also through these songs” (Whitman). Charles M. Oliver believes that “The last line suggests that the poet himself represents the Santa Spirita, singing not just this "Chant" of the "Square Deific," but all the songs of Leaves of Grass.” It seems more like the “songs” are just referring to the four stanzas, but it is possible that it refers to the rest of the Leaves of Grass. Whitman’s profound illustration of spirituality, gods, and the Self has proven to be explanatory of his own intricate discoveries in life.

Whitman's poem has exemplified a great deal of complexity in religion. He brought his Self into the equation to make a truly intricate relation that incorporates four sides of gods. This poem is important in understanding Walt Whitman and interpreting his songs.

Oliver, Charles M. "'Chanting the Square Deific'." 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= CCWW082&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 3, 2012).

Whitman, Walt. "Chanting the Square Deific." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 03 Apr. 2012.

Journal 29- Self

My transcendental self would be exactly who I am. There are a lot of words that could be used, but they do not exactly do me justice. I am more than just the words that I can come up with. I am intelligent, but I also look for knowledge and teach myself a lot. This is also because I am curious and spend a lot of time thinking. I do not think that anybody really knows me because I am the only person that can see it. Most people just get a gist of who I am, and it is not the best explanation of my self. I am very interested in gaining knowledge. I think that it is important to always be building on your self, by which I mean to constantly be improving on yourself. I think a person should, or really I, should always do something pertinent. I usually do things that enhance myself mentally or physically, or any other way. I can be hypocritical because I am not always doing something I want to, I can be doing something like watching tv, which usually has no point. Another important part of my self is that I have very strong beliefs and usually do not give up on something I believe. I am not religious, so I do not believe in any sort of god. I think the main points of religion are to give people morals and rules to follow that make them better people to each other and to explain the unexplainable. To me, there is no reason to be apart of one religion because I have my own principles of being kind to others, and I think science can eventually explain the universe. It seems more like a conformity to be religious. I am not just going to believe something that somebody tells me just because most people believe it. I am going to create my own ideas based on what I see. I think it is good to get away from people also. Most people have Facebooks and other things like that that make them just care about what other people are doing, which does not matter at all. I do not have a Facebook because I only care what I am doing. I think it is nice to just go outside, and basically do nothing. It is a much more productive thing to do than check out what everybody else is up to. This could go longer, but there is no more time.

Reflection Blog: Dickinson again

"Nature, the Gentlest Mother" by Emily Dickinson describes Mother Earth and how she takes care of her "children" and "household" (Dickinson). Nature is "impatient of no child" which symbolizes how Mother Earth takes care of everyone on the planet and even when her "children" harm her (carbon emissions, fires, ecosystem meddling), she will always be their mother and take care of them from the "feeblest" to the "waywardest" (Dickinson). The next stanza in the poem describes how Nature aids her children. She is present in the forests and hills, and is "heard by travelers" (Dickinson). "Hearing" nature invokes onomatopoeia of wind whistling and rustling the trees in the forests and whipping the tall grass and wildflowers on the tall and rolling hills. Also the animals making a variety of noises in the forest are a sign of Nature's presence. The flowers growing on the hills represent the gentle loving touch of Mother Earth as life on the hill. The third stanza uses personification. Emily Dickinson describes all of the flora and fauna, as well as the creatures and critters that roam the Earth, as Nature's "household" and "assembly" (Dickinson). Nature has "fair conversation" with her "household" (Dickinson). The conversation is a representation of the interaction between Nature and the living things on the Earth. Without sun light and rain the plants and trees could not survive. Also, the changing seasons effect the ecosystems and the animals. Mother Earth takes care of her "children" by providing "warm summer days" and not having freezing, deadly winters (Dickinson).

Emily Dickinson explains that nature, or Mother Nature, has an effect on every creature, whether it is the “minutest cricket” or “the most unworthy flower” (Dickinson). Dickinson has done a great job of personifying nature in this poem also. She says that “her voice among the aisles incites the timid prayer”, so she has given nature a voice that reaches all creatures she has created (Dickinson). She also says that “with infinite affection and infiniter care, her golden finger on her lip, wills silence everywhere” (Dickinson). She has given nature not just a finger but a golden finger. That symbolizes that nature’s finger is of a more important significance because gold represents more noble or distinguished feature. She clearly has a deep affection for nature in this poem. This poem also has a good amount of imagery. Her descriptions are very strong and animated. She creates the image of children sleeping, a very miniscule cricket, an ugly or ‘unworthy’ flower, and how when nature turns to darkness it creates silence everywhere. She presents rhymes in the final stanza, but it is only with the second and fourth lines. The rhyme scheme does not seem to matter as much to her as a good rhythm. She keeps a constant rhythm that is different, but makes the reading flow. The syllables do not always match up with each line, but she creates a certain element of poetry that makes this poem, “Nature, the gentlest Mother”, worth reading.

Dickinson, Emily . "Nature, the Gentlest Mother." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.

Journal #28 More Emily Dickinson

In Emily Dickinson's poem, "I Heard a fly buzz when I Died", she is coming to terms with her death. There is an absolute stillness in the air and in her body. The people that mourn her are anticipating her death in the calmness, and, when she gives up her earthly attachments, she sees a fly buzzing through air. She would have passes away in utter silence, but the fly interposes on her serene passing. The fly seems to represent something of insignificance playing a significant role. It is an unimportant insect in life, but it symbolizes something of importance that cuts her off from the living world. From the beginning of the poem, the author has established a complete image of the setting. There is an overbearing calmness in the deceased and in the air. She also uses imagery to describe the insignificant fly. The fly is described "with blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz" so that the reader gets a good idea of what it looks like. It is not confident in its movements and it is stumbling, but even these imperfected movements distract the dying woman on her death bed. There does not seem to be a very strong spiritual message from this poem. The woman could be thinking about what will happen after she dies, like whether her soul will go to Heaven or if anything at all will happen, but she is thinking about a fly in her last moments. It is sort of ironic that a person could be living their whole life, not knowing the purpose, meaning, or significance of their existence, and when they could be analyzing their every action they are thinking about a bug. The fly could then be a representation of her. She is an insignificant being in the whole scheme of life, but she could have a profound effect on someone else or something else. It seems to be saying that anything, no matter how small or seemingly unnecessary, has some sort of importance in the world.