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.