The Notebook
To start this blog I would just like to say that reading and writing cursive was never my strong point, so this is pretty close to translation work for me.
At that, I think these types of journals are beyond interesting. To be able to read the inner scribbles of a man like Whitman can reveal a lot about him. Especially as we see him writing about Lincoln, a man he idolized. The first thing I noticed was the "notes for a presidential elect" note. I liked to think that Whitman was thinking to himself the advice he would ever give Lincoln if he was to meet him. You can also see what looks like "dialogue between Mr. W and "president elect"". I also like the way he either stops short of finishing his sentences or marking some out, it shows us a poet elevated to an almost deity-like position made to be more human and fallible. In reading the notes on these pages, I learned that Whitman wasn't himself an artist and it was more likely that a drinking buddy of his drew them. The caricature of Whitman was more obvious as the pages went on, and the site suggests is became more and more exaggerated as the liquor flowed. I found the drawings of Whitman himself most interesting. After reading the notes on these portraits and the description by the ferry boat captain it seems like Whitman looked exactly as I had assumed, imposing but kind.
Now in the notes we learn a lot more about the book itself. I was wondering what the stamps were and the notes gave me the answer, that it was a Library of Congress stamp. There was also talk of a "third religion" that was trying to keep everyone together, at whatever cost. I think this is a true show of Whitman's beliefs, in that he was a peacemaker before anything else, no matter the sins of the enemy. I also enjoyed the speculation on the use of "Libertad" in his poems rather than the English liberty. The change of "I perhaps shall see the crash" was also interesting. He seems to both give his country a sense of hope, while also possibly comforting himself in the face of a great war. The last drawing gives us a peculiar sight as a skeleton shrugs in front of a sunset with a rapier through his chest. All of these things in Whitman's notebook can provide us an insight to how his mind worked and the things he saw, and it gives us a new respect for the man.
At that, I think these types of journals are beyond interesting. To be able to read the inner scribbles of a man like Whitman can reveal a lot about him. Especially as we see him writing about Lincoln, a man he idolized. The first thing I noticed was the "notes for a presidential elect" note. I liked to think that Whitman was thinking to himself the advice he would ever give Lincoln if he was to meet him. You can also see what looks like "dialogue between Mr. W and "president elect"". I also like the way he either stops short of finishing his sentences or marking some out, it shows us a poet elevated to an almost deity-like position made to be more human and fallible. In reading the notes on these pages, I learned that Whitman wasn't himself an artist and it was more likely that a drinking buddy of his drew them. The caricature of Whitman was more obvious as the pages went on, and the site suggests is became more and more exaggerated as the liquor flowed. I found the drawings of Whitman himself most interesting. After reading the notes on these portraits and the description by the ferry boat captain it seems like Whitman looked exactly as I had assumed, imposing but kind.
Now in the notes we learn a lot more about the book itself. I was wondering what the stamps were and the notes gave me the answer, that it was a Library of Congress stamp. There was also talk of a "third religion" that was trying to keep everyone together, at whatever cost. I think this is a true show of Whitman's beliefs, in that he was a peacemaker before anything else, no matter the sins of the enemy. I also enjoyed the speculation on the use of "Libertad" in his poems rather than the English liberty. The change of "I perhaps shall see the crash" was also interesting. He seems to both give his country a sense of hope, while also possibly comforting himself in the face of a great war. The last drawing gives us a peculiar sight as a skeleton shrugs in front of a sunset with a rapier through his chest. All of these things in Whitman's notebook can provide us an insight to how his mind worked and the things he saw, and it gives us a new respect for the man.
Hey Michael! I quite enjoyed your post. Good job on interpreting the drawings correctly. I like your comment on Whitman's structure in his notes as well. Although, it would be nice if you included more of your first impressions. I really like your interpretations in the second paragraph. Especially about the quote "I perhaps shall see the crash." Good job!
ReplyDeleteyo Michael! Good job on your post I really enjoyed it! Seeing and reading about your interpretations of the drawings was sooo cool! I really liked that part of you blog! I agree with Emma about seeing more of your first impressions! But overall I really enjoyed it great job dude :)
ReplyDeleteBig daddy Michael, I liked this post. Though you struggled reading Whitman's cursive I thought you did a great job reading it in depth and coming to conclusions as to what he really meant when he was writing it. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to start this off with a formal greeting. Hello. How was your day? Good. I really liked this blog post and had a fun time reading Josh's comments too. I really liked how you detailed his sentence structure- or in this case- the lack thereof. Overall good post keep it up dude.
ReplyDeleteHey Michael,
ReplyDeleteThe way you started off your post made me laugh. So relatable! I really enjoyed reading the rest of your blog too. Your analysis of the documents and notes were interesting. You did a nice job interpreting what the "third religion" was and I agree with your comment that Whitman was a peacemaker before anything else. Overall, great post!
Hello there sir Michael,
ReplyDeleteI like how you started off your blog, how you shared your thoughts about Whitman's own inner thoughts in his notebook. I find your interpretation among your analysis interesting and on point, especially about the drawings. Your comment about the third religion was neat because I think I missed that in my post, and I do agree with Emily about Whitman's beliefs as a peacemaker and the motif of "Libertad" really showed that. I think you did a wonderful job with your blog even when your were struggling reading cursive, it didn't hinder how good your interpretations were. Good job and keep it up!
Hello, friend! This post was very well-written. I really liked how detailed your analysis was and I could tell you spent a lot of time on this. I too struggled to read whatever language that he was writing in, so we're in the same boat. I really enjoyed reading this blog, and I look forward to only having to do this once more. Great work!
ReplyDelete