Thursday, September 6, 2012
Leaves of Grass
What really stood out to me in both Leaves of Grass and Nature was how they both aim to paint a picture of nature. Whitman's piece was centered around describing himself through nature. Whitman puts his life through the lens of nature. "A few light kisses ... a few embraces ... a reaching around of arms,/The play of shine and shade on the trees as the supple boughs wag [...]" (2148) This passage really showed me the beauty of nature and it especially embodied a kind of calm for me. "In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrow." (1108 Emerson) This corresponded with Whitman because Whitman expresses his delight of himself through nature. Both pieces try to capture the true image and beauty of nature. Although Whitman writes as a celebration of himself, it's also true that it is a celebration of nature. "To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of a child." This passage from Emerson corresponds to Whitman because Whitman must have really been effected by nature as a child.
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Jillian writes in her post : "Whitman's piece was centered around describing himself through nature". Not only does Whitman describe himself through Nature, but he describes himself as nature. It is a common idea that Nature belongs to everyone as it is nobody's property, and with “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (p. 2147, l.3), Whitman is offering every part of himself to Nature and thus to every living being.
ReplyDeleteTranscendentalism blames this idea that Men separated their body from Nature and gradually considered it as an entity which purpose was to serve the survival of themselves and their body. With Leaves of Grass Whitman gives his body back to Nature so that they can become one again.
“The atmosphere is not a perfume …. it has no taste of the distillation …. it is odorless, It is for my mouth forever …. I am in love with it.” (p. 2147, ll. 10-12) : this idea of distillation reminds me of that process of “corrupt” and separation of body and Nature that transcendentalists such as Emerson evoked in Nature. Distillation is the process of separating two mixtures originally forming an homogeneous one, and the narrator's hatred towards this distillation which intoxicates him refers to Whitman's desire to become one with Nature again.
Jillian writes "[This passage] especially embodied a kind of calm for me". Leaves of Grass indeed is a poetic meditation during which Whitman centers on himself to fulfill his purpose of becoming one with Nature, hence this feeling of welfare and comfort.
Jillian writes in her post : "Whitman's piece was centered around describing himself through nature". Not only does Whitman describe himself through Nature, but he describes himself as nature. It is a common idea that Nature belongs to everyone as it is nobody's property, and with “For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (p. 2147, l.3), Whitman is offering every part of himself to Nature and thus to every living being.
ReplyDeleteTranscendentalism blames this idea that Men separated their body from Nature and gradually considered it as an entity which purpose was to serve the survival of themselves and their body. With Leaves of Grass Whitman gives his body back to Nature so that they can become one again.
“The atmosphere is not a perfume …. it has no taste of the distillation …. it is odorless, It is for my mouth forever …. I am in love with it.” (p. 2147, ll. 10-12) : this idea of distillation reminds me of that process of “corrupt” and separation of body and Nature that transcendentalists such as Emerson evoked in Nature. Distillation is the process of separating two mixtures originally forming an homogeneous one, and the narrator's hatred towards this distillation which intoxicates him refers to Whitman's desire to become one with Nature again.
Jillian writes "[This passage] especially embodied a kind of calm for me". Leaves of Grass indeed is a poetic meditation during which Whitman centers on himself to fulfill his purpose of becoming one with Nature, hence this feeling of welfare and comfort.