Ranna talks about whitman

here ya go ranna :D

Ranna said...
i STILL don't know how to post a new topic so i'm going to talk about whitman here:

Whitman presents the idea that he wants people to step out into new experiences through his opening stanza:"Healthy, free, the world before me,The long brown path before me leading wherever I chose."

He depicts the transcendental belief in self-dependancy and individualism when he says "Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune"

Section 9 introduced the concept that one must "endure" in order to to reach their ultimate goal. People may face temptation to sell themselves short when they tire; however, Whitman's philosophy encourages people to persevere until they accomplish the entirety of their goal. This is evident in the lines:
"However shelter'd this port and however calm these waters, we must not anchor here, However welcome the hospitality that surrounds us we are permitted to receive it but a little while."
The concept is reinforced in section 14 when Whitman says:
"Now understand me well -- it is provided in the essence of things that from any fruition of success, no matter what, shall come forth something to make struggle necessary"

Whitman tries to persuade the reader that the "juice is worth the squeeze," and that one must be determined and persistent to be able to squeeze the juice out.
11:06 PM

On the Long Brown Path

I was driving in the car this afternoon and heard Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone. Albert in his post wrote that "...music plays such an integral role in changing emotion," and listening to that song, it seemed as if in that moment I was listening to that song across time, at all moments when then song had ever been played. Time for a moment was non-linear. I remembered myself at the summer camp I'd gone to for three years. In flashes, I was walking across the footbridge over the highway, in a crowd, right from lunch, listening to my iPod, that song. I remembered the air at the moment clearly, the green shorts I was wearing, weighed down embarrasingly by the iPod, the flip-flops and my glance over campus and environs. Overlayed on top came crashing images of next year at the same place, sliding from my eyes to the pit of my stomach, tossed with discomfort with the ideas I'd had, or hadn't, the friends not talked to, the chances missed and promised unkept.

A few seconds later it passed as the past's future interceded, reminding me somewhat of why things ended up the way they did. And yet, I had regret. When Thoreau says "live deliberately," it means to me not to go what every your will takes you, not to live in the moment, but something different. Rather, to live as if the past is past, live in the future, live around the moment. Be struck by choices, not years later, but as they occur. At every moment, consider not what you're doing, that's just maturity, but also your whole future laid out at your feet, but wrapping around and back. Consider each and every shadow cast by various lights, trained on the multifarious future. Live deliberately now, so you can understand that the regrets you're left with are just mementos and should be cherished.

That's a different kind of maturity. Listening to Bob Dylan from 1965 is a fascinatingly different experience to listening to Bob Dylan from 2006. The former is exuberant, idealistic, angrily idealistic even as he sings about disillusionment. And this is not a case of falling from innocence, that idiotic notion of "high ideals" that fail at a moment's notice, a case that gives those comfortably living decades, centuries later a warm fuzzy feeling of superiority. Bob Dylan of 2006 sings about walking in a weary world of woe, but it isn't because he's become distanced from his earlier idealism, but because he understands why the world is weary and woeful and that he's just as much to blame as anyone else. He can put himself now, not just in Medgar Evars shoes, Hollis Brown's shoes, Emmet Till's shoes, as he did in the 60's and not just in his own shoes, but in the shoes of the lynchers, the murderers, the man in government, whatever, even the most unromantic. He's not happy, he's not even accepting, but he understands why someone might do the things they do, if only in feelings, not by circumstances. They become part of him, it's all part of the world, and as a poet, nothing can be excluded. He won't denounce, but understand as completely as they themselves could, however he feels.

Therefore, we should all be poets, at some level, inside. Maybe not with such an expansive scope, but at least turn your undestanding inward, at every moment, living around the moment, considering it from angles never thought of, new patterns never considered, as if in the future. That's why it's so hard, but it doesn't matter. To live deliberately is to fail and have sweet regrets.

Foray into non-musical madness

So.
This is a lot harder than I thought.

DAY UNO
Woke up, clock radio alarm went off, 93.3, the Preston and Steve show was on. All was well until Linkin Park's Somewhere I Belong came on to the radio waves. Didn't really realize it at the time but at 6:15 AM, the first day of my transcendentalist experiment, I failed.
Didn't really help that the bus driver had classical music on the radio.
I think the transcendentalist gods were spiting me.

DAY TWO
Woke up, fortunately only the Preston and Steve show was playing and no songs were heard. All was well until the bus, which had classical music, again.
I figured that I'd just tune it out because all the kids on the bus were talking and I could barely hear the music anyway so it'd be all good. I don't really consider that failing to the same extent as yesterday but it was a minor blemish.
Fast forward to the volleyball match. Pump up music was playing for our warmup. FAIL

So yeah
Music is definitely a lot more pervasive throughout society than I first thought. I was first thinking of just giving up my iPod but I thought that that was too easy. I could find my musical pleasures elsewhere. So I decided to up the ante to no music at all, with the exception of background music to movies or games. While they don't count, I'm still making an effort to avoid background music.
But music is almost essential to everyone's lives. I posted on a forum I'm a part of and none of those who replied said that they could give up music easily.
I'm guessing the reason for this is because music plays such an integral role in changing emotion. Whether it's to pump you up for a big game or just to make the boredom go away, music plays a huge role in human emotion.

In case you care, I'm gonna try and do daily updates within this "thread." You can read about how I crash and burn each day with my goal of no music. Perhaps on the weekend it'll be better.

A Poetry Event

Scholars--

While I realize the extreme unliklihood that you will see this during your time amid the wild festivities of prom weekend, I wanted to post this immediately, just in case.

Tuesday May 22, 2007 at 8 p.m.

The National Arts Club presents

A CELEBRATION OF HAIKU AND BASEBALL WITH BILLY COLLINS

Former poet laureate of the United States and bestselling author
Billy Collins will read from and talk about his recent book of haiku,
"She Was Just Seventeen." Former president of the Haiku Society of
America Cor van den Heuvel will then read and discuss haiku from his
new book "Baseball Haiku" (published by W.W. Norton and co-edited
with Nanae Tamura), and three of the featured poets in the book--Alan
Pizzarelli, Ed Markowski, and Brenda Gannam--will read their baseball
haiku.

Wine reception to follow.

The event is free and no reservations are required.

The National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South
New York City

At the moment, I am planning on attending, because it's Billy, and that's not to be missed. I thought I would inform you all of this opportunity. My plan would be to take the train from Trenton to Penn Station, then probably walk the few additional blocks. If any of you would like to join me, you are welcome along.

Please understand--this is not an official field trip, and I am in no way taking responsibility for you. If you should choose to go, you are taking responsibility for yourself and your own conduct.

See you in class--

LAZ

Civil Disobedience (Thoreau)

To continue our (tangential) debate of whether it’s acceptable to refrain from voting...

People should place a lot of importance on their right to vote. The main bone of contention in our discussion appeared when Mr. Lazarow proposed the idea that making a conscious decision not to vote can be just as responsible as voting. I disagree.

A citizen’s main source of power is his or her right to vote. It gives you control over the actions taken by your local government and the power to choose candidates who (promise to) fight for certain issues. With the number of issues and positions on issues in today’s world, it is inevitable that you won’t like all of the beliefs held by any candidate. But my question is this: do you “compromise” your integrity by voting for the candidate that you prefer? Do you “compromise” your integrity by choosing the “lesser of two evils”? I say no.

I can relate to the disillusionment felt when you discover you don’t completely agree with any of the candidates’ platforms. I can relate to the feeling of insignificance that tells you “my vote doesn’t count.” But if everyone operates under the assumption that their votes don’t count, the democratic system collapses [especially when the people not voting are (self-proclaimed) geniuses].

Whether it is a conscious decision or not, the failure to vote is just that: a failure. If you don’t feel that any candidate is adequate for a given position, put your own name (or the name of someone you feel is qualified) in the “fill in the blank” space of the ballot. Not voting at all is a cop-out.

Granted, in a presidential election, chances are that an independent candidate is not going to win. Perhaps your vote doesn’t count for as much when you vote for an independent candidate. But think of it this way:

An increasing number of votes for independent candidates signals to the major political parties that their platforms are losing popularity This demonstrates that even a minority of the vote can make a large difference. Does anyone remember the Populist party? The one that wanted to adopt a 16:1 ratio of silver:gold? If the answer is no, I can tell you why. You don’t remember the Populist party because their platform was absorbed by a major political party that realized it had to adapt in order to maintain support.

Basically, what I’ve been trying to say is this. Regardless of whether your ideal candidate wins, your vote gives you an invaluable opportunity to express your beliefs. Even when your vote cannot possibly lead to your candidate winning, your vote still makes a difference.

-Danielle G

Feel free to post comments that are related more directly to Thoreau's Civil Disobedience.

Emerson's "Self-Reliance"

So, Emerson definitely got his point across. Don’t worry about what others think, but rather, pay attention to what you think, feel, etc

I disagree with Emerson’s statement, “The nonchalance of boys who are sure of a dinner … is the healthy attitude of human nature … independent, irresponsible, looking out from his corner on such people and facts as pass by, he tries and sentences them on their merits … as good, bad, interesting, silly, eloquent, troublesome.”

I don’t believe people should be commended for making rash first impressions; yes, most of us do judge others at first glance, but that’s a flaw in human nature, not a “healthy attitude.” Oftentimes first impressions are flawed or mistaken, and correcting those flawed first impressions can take a lot more time and work than would simply waiting to pass judgments.

Interesting point: The Lethe is a river in ancient Roman mythology that flowed through the Underworld and washed away the memories of those people who were going to be reincarnated. (Emerson writes of men who care what people think and “court” others, and says “There is no Lethe for this. Ah, that he could pass again into his neutrality!”)

Everyone can relate to Emerson’s example of a person conforming to society by putting on a fake smile when he/she feels uncomfortable. I definitely felt a twinge of recognition (and guilt?) when I read that; smiling “fakely” is both one of the hardest and one of the easiest things to do. Props to Emerson for noting that.

Emerson seemed to touch on the nature vs. nurture argument when he wrote, “I suppose no man can violate his nature.” I don’t necessarily agree with that. Although I definitely believe that people have certain innate characteristics, in this quote, Emerson speaks in terms that are too finite to allow the wiggle room that environment provides. I'm a firm believer in the combined influence of nature and nurture on an individual's character.

I don't agree with Emerson's argument that people should only seek the wisdom contained within themselves. Firstly, I don’t necessarily believe that people have all that much inner wisdom. It’s a fairly rare occasion that a genius, who never received any education, is discovered in a developing (third-world = un-PC?) country. Not everyone is born to be as brilliant as Albert Einstein; most people are lucky if they are able to study and understand Einstein's theories. Basically, looking back to the past and learning from the wisdom accumulated by one’s predecessors enables progress and greater accuracy of thought. Obviously you shouldn't be wholly dependent on the past for your ideas, but… it’s healthy to have a certain degree of respect for the past.

How did you interpret the quote, “Men imagine that they communicate their virtue or vice only by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment.”? I like the quote, but I don't fully understand it.


-Danielle

P.S. Sorry this is so long... Bad habit.

Billy Budd writing assignment

Hello, IIIH! Here's what I want you to work on this weekend.

In poetry and prose, there is a device called an "epigraph." This is a quote from another author used at the start of a work. It's generally related to the content of the new work by THEME--that is, the theme of the quote establishes a certain mindset for the reader, by which they can better understand the work they are about to read.

So, guess what? You guessed it! I want you to write an original poem, using one of the Billy Budd film quotes as your epigraph. Now, don't panic. I'm not expecting a work of Nobel-caliber genius (although I certainly won't complain if I get one!). I simply want you to make your best effort.

Parameters: Write at least 20 lines, typed, single-spaced. You do not need to use any particular form (standardized rhythm, rhyme, etc are optional)--making the poem make SENSE is the priority, and making the epigraph and poem connect a necessity. THE POEM SHOULD NOT IN ANY WAY RELATE TO OR DISCUSS THE EVENTS OF BILLY BUDD, with the exception of a connecting THEME.

There plenty of examples of epigraph poetry out there. A simple web search will put you in touch with many. You might start with TS Eliot's "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" as one example. There are several good ones by my fave Billy Collins as well.

Good Luck! I'll see you all on Monday.

Billy Budd

I don't have much to say about the movie at this point, but I thought it would be a good idea to get the ball rolling here.

One can see right off the bat that Billy Budd is the "handsome sailor" that Laz discussed in class. It is also evident that the rest of the crew of The Rights of Man are trying to protect him when the officers from the British Man O'War ship come aboard. He is instructed to stay up on the lookout perch so that it will be less likely that he will be conscripted. Predictably, this doesn't work out.

After seeing this scene it made me question why the other sailors will protect the handsome sailor at all costs. I believe that the handsome sailor represents the innocence of youth and humanity. Thus, the other sailors trying to protect him represents the older members of society trying to protect the innocent from the harshness of life. I'm sure as I watch this movie I will be able to refine this meaning more.. but in the mean time, does anyone else have any ideas about the handsome sailor?

Just a bit of foreshadowing...

Budd: "Goodbye to you all. Goodbye to the Rights of Man."
Officer [sharply]: "What do you mean by that?"
Budd: "Nothing."

This exchange shows that Budd will be giving up his rights and will be subjected to some pretty terrible things in his future as a sailor on the Man O'War ship. Budd, because of his youth and innocence, does not realize this will happen, but the British officer knows what will probably happen to Budd and I think that he fears more mutiny may be coming.

Elizabeth J