EN 219 Exam 3

How does "Song of Myself" relate to Emerson's "Self Reliance"?

In Self-Reliance, Emerson explains that your identity and your sense of self is spiritual. Whitman argues, in Song of Myself, that your identity and sense of self is based on both your soul and your body. Both authors seem to allow intimate connections and friendships, Emerson encourages people to have close relationships with a few while Whitman encourages connecting with as many people as possible because of different views.

What are Ishmael's perceptions/misperceptions of Queequeg?

- at first glance- he thought queequeg was barbaric, tattooed ruffian. At first, the two were opposites, Ishmael being educated and intelligent with queequeg being barbaric. "I was now as afraid of him as if it was the devil himself who had broken in"- page 1438. However, later the two become best friends that Ishmael relies on. The landlord foreshadowed this. Page 1439- he says- "queequeg wouldn't harm a hair of your head." As the friendship grows, Ishmael warms up to religion.

How is "A Certain Slant of Light" a representation of despair?

- it is a meditation on despair itself—and all the aspects included. "Winter afternoons—that oppresses, like the Heft" she uses the thought of cold winter light to convey depression and despair. This expresses the slant of light shining down on her feels like a weight pulling her down. She expresses how despair isn't seen on the outside- "we can find no scar". Nobody can teach this feeling she says, it is sent by the air, helplessly an "imperial affliction."

Why does Moby Dick begin with "Call me Ishmael"? What relationship to the reader does this introduction establish?

- page 1426- By beginning with "call me" Melville is establishing a personal and informal relationship with you, the reader. He creates dialogue which makes the reader feel a part of the story/ conversation. This attitude continues 1427- "tell me, does the magnetic virtue of the needles of the compasses of all the ships attract?"

What are some of the rumors and legends about Moby Dick (1450-1)?

-- page 1450-: unearthly conceit that Moby dick had been encountered in opposite latitude at one and the same instant of time." "transports himself with swiftness to most distant points." " unrelenting fangs of some incurable idea"- 1454

What are some examples of 'symbols' in these first chapters of Moby Dick? What do these symbols aim to express or accomplish?

1- Moby dick to the Pequod crew: expresses their anxieties about their scary jobs. Moby Dick to captain Ahab symbolizes all the wrong in the world. He thinks it's a manifestation and his destiny to kill it to get rid of all evil. 1442- Ahab takes it upon himself to be strong, "captain Ahab stood erect... there was an infinity of firmest fortitude". Queequegs coffin- symbolizes life and death. Queequeg built it when he was ill, then after recovering used it as a chest. It ends up saving Ishmaels life after ship sank, as he held onto it. "sink all coffins and hearses to one common pool."

Extra credit (+15)—can you memorize, with all the dashes in place, etc., a poem by Emily Dickinson? (At least 10 lines long)

225 I'm "wife" - I've finished that - That other state - I'm Czar - I'm "Woman" now - It's safer so - How odd the Girl's life looks Behind this soft Eclipse - I think that the Earth feels so To folks in Heaven - now - This being comfort - then That other kind - was pain - But Why compare? I'm "Wife"! Stop there!

What are some differences between Whitman and Dickinson? Similarities?

Differences- Whitman writes in free verse, carefree and hippie-like poems, published by democratic poems discussed nature and average man, very personal poems, concrete topics ---Dickinson in very structured rhyme scheme and "ruled" writing, published by republican, she was very conservative and not open, did not seek fame, reclusive, eccentric, used off and slant themes to multiply aural possibilities, wrote bout contemporary events, highly abstract. Similar- same timeline and geographic area, both wrote outside the box, both shaped literature and impacts still live to this day. Although Dickinson's poetry was not largely published during her lifetime, now they are both widely known as poets.

How does Douglass' Narrative discuss slavery's attack on self-knowledge and self-affirmation?

Douglass' Narrative centers around the idea that knowledge is equivalent to freedom. A very popular quote from this narrative is his notion, "Once you learn to read, they will forever be free." Douglass discusses the strategies that whites enslaved blacks: ignorance. Slaves tend to not even know some of the most basic things about themselves, specifically their birth date and paternity. These things rob children at birth from their sense of self and individuality. There is a universal understanding that knowledge and self-affirmation would lead slaves to question their binds. Douglass presents his own self-education and discovery of himself as the primary means by which he is able to free himself, and as his greatest tool to work for the freedom of all slaves.

What are some differences in tone, style, and argument between David Walker, Cornish and Russwurm, William Garrison, Angelina Grimke, Sojourner Truth, and Martin Delany? You could approach this question by comparing and contrasting 3 different texts.

Each of these diverse authors have quite varying notions in their tone, style, and arguments. I specifically notice their varying stylistic choices. In David Walker's closing, he utilizes capital letters, dashes, italics, and parenthesis to emphasize certain things throughout. Cornish and Russwrum employed capitalization throughout certain words and questions to amplify the need to maintain the civil rights of all people. William Garrison was very individualistic in his inclusion of his poem, varying punctuation, dashes, italics, and quotations. In his poem, he writes, "Such is the vow I take- SO HELP ME GOD." This is a very interesting execution of this sentence in my opinion. Additionally, Aneglina Grimke writes that slavery is against the delcaration of independence and the human rights given to Adam. She uses a more logical appeal geared towards women- "Am I not a Woman and a Sister?"- even going to the extent of having a numbered list of reasons that their opinion and efforts can change the laws indirectly. In addition to a numbered list, she also uses italics and quotes. Martin Delany approaches the issue of slavery from a political persepctive, using notions from other countries and cases all around. He claims slavery is a "great political disease" and that the "remedy is Emigration." Commonly seen in the author authors, he also uses dashes, italics, and quotations.

Describe a passage from Douglass' Narrative that moved or interested you. Explain why

I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of those rude and apparently incoherent songs. I was myself within the circle: so that I neither saw nor heard as those without might see and hear. This passage is part of Douglass's long discussion at the end of Chapter II about the songs that slaves sing. As he often does in the Narrative, Douglass takes his personal experience of hearing slaves sing on their way to the Great House Farm and analyzes this as a common experience among all slaves. He uses his conclusions about slave behavior to correct white readers' misconceptions. In this instance, Douglass explains that many Northerners mistakenly believe that the singing of slaves is evidence of their happiness. He says that the songs are actually evidence, on an almost subconscious emotional level, of the slaves' deep unhappiness.

Can you recognize "I felt a funeral in my brain" if I give you an excerpt from it?

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, And Mourners to and fro Kept treading - treading - till it seemed That Sense was breaking through - And when they all were seated, A Service, like a Drum - Kept beating - beating - till I thought My mind was going numb - And then I heard them lift a Box And creak across my Soul With those same Boots of Lead, again, Then Space - began to toll, As all the Heavens were a Bell, And Being, but an Ear, And I, and Silence, some strange Race, Wrecked, solitary, here - And then a Plank in Reason, broke, And I dropped down, and down - And hit a World, at every plunge, And Finished knowing - then -

Can you recognize the passage on page 1017 that begins with "I went to the woods..."? Can you provide a close reading of this passage, examining and explicating it line by line?

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about iy, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to "glorify God and enjoy him forever."

What is Thoreau's relationship to nature in the passage on page 1135 that begins "Our village would stagnate..." and ends with "...and that sometimes it has rained flesh and blood!"?

In the passage given, Thoreau sees nature as beautiful. However, we must see Thoreau's appreciation for nature as something beyond simply its beauty. He states, "At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious." He emphasizes not only HOW essential nature is but also the importance of it being wild, deeming it the "tonic of wilderness." Continuing, he writes, "we need to witness our own limits transgressed, and some life pasturing freely where we never wander." The importance of nature is not all about us, but we need to be reminded of our reliance on it as years pass and technology advances.

What are some of Thoreau's fundamental arguments/contentions in Walden?

It is important that we recognize Thoreau as a transcendentalist- his arguments align completely with the transcendentalist perspective. His most fundamental contentions center around the simplification of life and the alignment with nature for satisfaction. He emphasizes that the simplification of one's lifestyle does not hinder such pleasures like owning a home but, on the contrary, facilitates them. By immersing himself in nature, Thoreau hopes to gain a more objective understanding of society. Walden focuses on the importance of self sufficiency, solitude, spiritual discovery, and the closeness to nature in order to transcend the "desperate" existence that some people have (according to Thoreau.) Thoreau critiques the Western culture's materialistic attitudes and reiterates that nature leads men to a true, fulfilled life.

The opening paragraph of the excerpt from "Notes on the State of Virginia" is extraordinarily long, almost relentless. Why doesn't Jefferson pause or break up the prose, as he does in the Declaration of Independence? Do you see relentless "scientific" exposition or argumentation here or some other rhetorical strategy at work? Where, in your view, are Jefferson's grossest lapses in logic, observation, and basic knowledge of the world—and how is language used here in an attempt to maneuver past these weaknesses?

The opening paragraph of "Notes on the State of Virginia" is very long and seems almost relentless. This is in contrast to Jefferson's style in the creation of the "Declaration of Independence." In this, he addresses the powerful indictments of slavery in a manner that some can even consider "overkill." He targets slavery, freedom of speech, the secular government, and Virginia's natural resources and economy throughout the 23 chapters of this title. In contrast to splitting up the prose in a more traditional sense with spacing and breaks, he uses other strategies like hyphens, questions supported with their answers, and different punctuation. He employs these techniques, because he wrote the "Notes on the State of Virginia" in response to François Barbé-Marbois, secretary of the French legation in Philadelphia. Francois sent questionnaires to officials of the thirteen states requesting detailed information about their history, geography, economy, and culture. Because of this, his response was more structured as a letter and in a question-answer format than an official documentation and set of demands.

In "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," what is the significance of the lilacs, the star, and the hermit thrush?

The poet bestows a sprig of lilac in the coffin to show his affection. The association of death with an object of growing life is significant. The lilac also symbolizes his love for Lincoln and his memory in death. The star confides in the poet a heavenly body identifies itself with an earthly being. The star is identified with Lincoln, and the poet is still under the influence of his personal grief for the dead body of Lincoln, and not yet able to perceive the spiritual existence of Lincoln after death. The song of the hermit thrush finally makes the poet aware of the deathless and the spiritual existence of Lincoln.

What is Whitman's relationship to the body?

The soul and the body are inextricably linked for Whitman. While the soul is the ultimate repository of the self, and connection between souls is the highest order of relating, the body is the vessel that allows the soul to experience the world. Therefore the body is just as important. He also says the body is nothing less than a miracle: wonderful beyond description, it gives people their own distinct identity and connects them to every other person alive. To have a body, is to be a part of a beautiful, ordered, and joyful universe.

How and where does Thoreau make use of "Eastern philosophy," or quotes from sages from China, India, Japan, et al.?

Thoreau criticizes the western (individualistic and materialistic) philosophy. Because of this, we see promotion of the Eastern, collective philosophy throughout his work. For instance, he writes, "Fix not thy heart on that which is transitory; for the Dijlah, or Tigris, will continue to flow through Bagdad after the race of caliphs is extinct: if thy hand has plenty, be liberal as the date tree; but if it affords nothing to give away, be an azad, or free man, like the cypress." He uses sages from Iraq to show how nature transcends everything; nature will be here even when we are long gone. Additionally, he writes, "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagvat-Geeta, since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial." The Bhagvat-Geeta, a holy scripture, is valued in the Hindu faith and has also influenced many thinkers.

How is Whitman's "Song of Myself" 'democratic'? How/why is it distinctly American

Whitman envisioned democracy not just as a political system but as a way of experiencing the world. In the early nineteenth century, people still harbored many doubts about whether the United States could survive as a country and about whether democracy could thrive as a political system. To alleviate those fears and to praise democracy, Whitman tried to be democratic in both life and poetry. He imagined democracy as a way of interpersonal interaction and as a way for individuals to integrate their beliefs into their everyday lives. "Song of Myself" notes that democracy must include all individuals equally, or else it will fail. For Whitman, democracy was an idea that could and should permeate the world beyond politics, making itself felt in the ways we think, speak, work, fight, and even make art. Throughout the poem Song of Myself Whitman gives the emphasis on equality of all men and women. To him all humans are equal and all professions are equally honorable. In this all-encompassing interpretation Whitman says that the freedom offered by democracy is for all not a chosen few.

Describe Ishmael's personality and the way his mind seems to move and work. As he describes his experiences, what appeals to him? What is his attitude toward value systems—religious, cultural, intellectual, political? Do you find him a plausible human being? Why or why not?

he is openminded, he is a character capable of growth and change; he travels the sea when he feels down because it sooths him. He is curious and observant. His only real friendship is with queequeg, a tattooed ruffian. He is intelligent and well educated, says traveling on the ship is his yale and Harvard. He initially looks on belief systems with disgust, then slowly opens his mind. I believe he is plausible because he is very skilled and open to new ideas. Page 1437- "but what is this on the chest? I took it up and held it close to the light..." shows his intelligence and curiosity. His friendship with queequeg appeals to him due to his state of isolation. Page 1438- "ignorance is the parent of fear"