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Jennifer E. for Oct 20

This week I would like to focus on the passage that is titled Human and Heroic New York because whenever I see writings about New York it makes me reminisce what it is known for.

The general subjective view of New York and Brooklyn…

which I may call the human interior and exterior…

no need to specify minutely …the human qualities of these vast cities…

is to me comforting, even heroic, beyond statement…

clear eyes that look straight at you…

To-day, I should say-defiant of cynics and pessimists,

and with a full knowledge of all their exceptions

an appreciative view that New York gives the directest proof yet of successful democracy (847-848).

I chose this quote from the passage because Whitman personifies the city and compares it to a human being. This is especially seen as Whitman calls Manhattan the interior and Brooklyn the exterior of New York. It is the same as someone liking someone for their personality or for their physical features. Then I love how Whitman states that the human qualities of New York makes it the best example of democracy. What Whitman means from this is that he wants the two sub cities of New York City to unite under one ; and Whitman envisions this to happen.

Now I would like to focus on a passage that Whitman wrote that is called a “Night Remembrance”.  This passage spoke to me because I appreciate nature as well, but the imagery Whitman uses just completely makes me appreciate how beautiful the earth is.

“I was down here with a friend till after midnight; everything a

miracle of splendor-the glory of the stars, and completely

rounded moon-the passing clouds, silver and

luminous-tawny-now and then masses of vapory illuminated

scud-and silently by my side my dear friend. The shades of the

trees, and patches of moonlight on the grass”(854).

I am guessing that during those times, one can see the stars and moon so brightly. Today, I can never truly say that I got a great view of the stars where they light up the sky. Besides that, I just love Whitman’s diction which describes the constellations so well.  His use of words such as splendor and luminous just pop out because he really creates the image but in words. This is just another poem that connects Whitman to nature. However, it is interesting to see how in this passage Whitman includes a friend who must be someone special because nature is something he hold so dear to his heart.

But I guess we will never know who this special friend is…

Thomas Eakins, The Gross Clinic & The Swimming Hole= Jennifer

For the Material Museum Culture Exhibit I was given the task of writing about Thomas Eakins paintings which are The Gross Clinic and The Swimming Hole. First, I would like to give a brief summary of Thomas Eakins so the readers can know his background and where his artwork ideologies may have come from.

Thomas Eakins was born in 1844 and died in 1916. His paintings were mostly based on portraits rather than abstract shapes or any other genre. Besides that, Eakins was a teacher at Philadelphia’s Academy of the Arts. But what Americans and future artists revere Eakins for is his portraits. Thomas Eakins potraits categorizes him as the founder of American Realism(Thomas Eakins’ Swimming Picture 1). However, during his time Eakins was highly criticized for his admiration of the human anatomy; something he expresses in his portraits. Due to this, his sexuality was up in the air. Yet, one this is certain, Eakins portraits involve his personal life (Erwin 655-664). This will be most evident as we take a look into The Gross Clinic painting.

GROSS CLINIC

This painting was conducted during Eakin’s stay at the Jefferson Medical College in 1874. During this time, Dr. Gross is the Chair of Surgery for the school and was asked by Eakins if it was possible that he make a portrait of Gross conducting a typical surgical lesson. In the portrait one can see how Dr. Gross standing while all the nurses and clerks and students surround him. They can be identified because they are wearing the traditional business garment color which is black. Then on the left hand side of Dr. Gross, one can see the mother who is covering her eyes dressed in a black veil. According to historians, the feel as though the mother is being melodramatic since this operation is going to save her child’s life. However, the vividness of the operation is often criticized as being “too realistic to be in display in polite Victorian society” (Jefferson 1). Then if one analyzes the doctor, one can see that Eakins thought the doctor as a hero. Dr. Gross stands above everyone and then has a light color contrasts that occur around his face as though he is looking up towards heaven. This is also evident in how the Doctor is the most detailed figure in the portrait whereas the people in the seats and those below him are almost like shadows.

Now I shall focus on the portrait of the Swimming Hole.

This portrait of the swimming hole represents Thomas Eakins and five other students near a creek located in Philadelphia. Because of this portrait, Eakins was told to leave his study because this was such an outrage in Victorian society. Eakins tried to show this portrait at an Exhibition in 1885 and tried to show it but instead the person ahead of the viewing returned it to Whitman for something that was less controversial. Now if we take a more artistic look at the painting, it is interesting to note that Eakins included himself in the portrait. Therefore, it is safe to say that Eakins feels as though the action of being ‘naked’ is not wrong. Rather, Eakins glorifies it and even accepts the fact that all the people who are naked are men. It is as though he is making a statement about homosexuality as well. In that time period, homosexuality was not something that was considered normal but rather a sin during those times when the Protestant Revolution was at its peak (Barry 1).

Yet these two things connect to Whitman because Whitman himself is obsessed with the human anatomy as well. Due to their abnormal admiration for the human physical body, both people were considered outcasts in their society since that does not go well with regular Victorian society. Beyond that, I saw in Whitman’s writing something similar to that of Thomas Eakins’ swimming hole portrait. The passage is called a Sunbath-Nakedness.

“I slowly hobble down these country lanes and across fields, in the good air

as I sit here in solitude with Nature…I merge myself in the scene, in the perfect day

Hovering over the clear brook water…As I walk’d slowly over the grass,

the sun shown out enough to show the shadow moving with me …

Nature was naked and I was also…

Sweet, sane, still Nakedness in Nature! ah if poor, sick, prurient

humanity in cities might really know you once more! Is not

nakedness then indecent? No, not inherently…It is your thought ,

your sophistication, your fear, your respectability, that is

indecent. There comes moods when these cloths of ours are not

only too irksome to wear, but are themselves

indecent.”(p831-832).

As you can see, like Eakins, Whitman does not think that being naked is a taboo. Rather, he thinks it is the best way for people to get back to their true humble selves. One can see this as he asks a rhetorical question, “Is not nakedness indecent?” From him asking that, the reader knows that he believes that society just created nakedness to be so wrong. Rather, Whitman says “it is your thought, your sophistication, your fear, your respectability, that is indecent” From this, it is evident that people of power and just pure academics were making nakedness such a horrible thing. Whitman somewhat connects to the bible because Adam and Eve were in the garden naked and until they ate from the tree of knowledge they knew what they were doing was sin. Yet, before that it was innocent for them to be naked so that parallels to what Whitman is saying. Overall, this directly related to Whitman because like Eakins, he wants to be closer to nature and go against the society norms that thinks that being nude is so wrong.

Works Cited

Erwin, Robert “Who Was Thomas Eakins?.” Antioch Review 66.4 (2008): 655-664. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2009.

“Thomas Eakins’s swimming picture.” American Artist (VNU eMedia, Inc.) 60.644 (1996): 8. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2009.

Jennifer E. for Oct 15th

During the readings for this week I was surprised to find a more sympathetic Whitman. In his other writings, one often finds satire and content for those who are not for the unite. However, I found writing that was more sympathetic that just really centered on good virtues rather than the bad. For this weeks readings, I would like to focus first on The White House by Moonlight.

“The White House of future poems, and of dreams and dramas, there in the soft and copious moon-thegorgeous front, in the trees, under the lustrous floodingmoon, full of reality, full of illusion-the forms of the trees,leafless, silent, in trunk and myriad-angles of branches, underthe stars and sky-the White House of the land, and of beauty and night-sentries at the gates…pacing there in blue overcoats…eyeing you with sharp eyes, whichever way you move” (742).

I chose to focus on this because white represents so much in society, therefore when one comes across the word white, one must stop and analyze. It is commonly found that white is used to symbolize purity, innocence, and good. Its just interesting that Whitman chooses to describe the White House with the moon light because he is expressing that it stands strong even at night. Then if we take a look at the first line which states, “The White House of future poems” it is evident that the White House represents unity of the union and the rebellious states to Whitman. It is the symbol of the America that Whitman knows is not going to die, but rather live on for people to tell to future generations.

Now I would like to focus on a passage on Death of President Lincoln because it was a very graphic passage for me.

“He leaves for America’s history and biography…UNIONISM, in its truest and amplest sense, form’d the hardpan of his character. These he seal’d with his life. The tragic splendor of his death, purging, illuminating all, throws round his form, his head, an aureole that will remain and will grow brighter through time…He was assassinated-but the Union is not assassinated… Death…obliterates a hundred…a President…but the nation is immortal” (787-788).

I really like this passage because I love how it just correlates with history and true American Patriotism. This truly connects to the White House passage because it demonstrates how the White House is the beacon of hope and the President is the Leader who acts upon for hope. It is just interesting to see this more sentimental, more relaxed version of Whitman. Whitman’s admiration for Lincoln just touches me because I am just so used to him hating on people’s lack of sensitivity and understanding. I am assuming, because all Whitman writes about is unity and peace, that this is Whitman’s perfect example of everything he believes in and stands for so I can feel, somewhat in undertones, his pain.

Jennifer for Oct 8th

The readings of Whitman are becoming more and more in depth.  I love the use of Whitman’s personification in the opening passage of First O Songs for a Prelude.

First O songs for a prelude,

Lightly strike on the stretch’d tympanum pride and joy in

my city,

How she led the rest to arms, how she gave the cue,

How at once with lithe limbs unwaiting a moment she sprang,

O strongest you in the hour of danger, in crisis! O truer than steal!)

How you sprang-how you threw off the costumes of peace with indifferent hand,

How your soft opera-music changed, and the drum and fife 

        were heard in their stead,

How you led to the war, (that shall serve for our prelude,

                    songs of soldiers,)

How Manhattan drum-taps led (416).

This passage is so much more than Whitman describing his love for New York.  If we focus on this portion which says “you threw off your costumes of peace with indifferent hand“, one can see that Whitman is pointing out New York’s tendency to accept immigrants into its communities.  During Whitman’s times especially, New York was known for bringing in Irish and Italian families onto its shore. This is why today, New York is typically known as the melting pot of the nation.  Moving onward,  Whitman speaks about the beauties of Manhatten and speaks how it gathers on to fight unanimously. It seems as though this city, particularly Manhattan, is a safe haven for Whitman, almost like a mother to him.  In the next quote Whitman speaks more about how the people and Manhattan join in fight.

The mechanics arming…The lawyer leaving his office and arming…The driver deserting his wagon in the street…The women volunteering for nurses, the work begun…And you lady of ships, you Mannahatta, old matron of this proud, friendly, turbulent city, Often in peace and wealth you were pensive or covertly frown’d amid all your children, But now you smile with joy exulting old Mannahatta (418).

In this quote particulary, Whitman expands on who is going to war. He says that lawyers, women, men, mechanics, and just everyone is hanging up their coat and uniting together as human beings to stand up and fight.  It seems that this is the time of Yankees vs the Confederates which is known as the Civil War.  I like that the poor and the wealthy come together to save the day. It is interesting that Whitman is from the north east but complains about it because it is not liberal enough. At the same time, the north east to this day is the most liberal part of the United States.  But I am going to end on this note with a song by Alicia Keys and Jay Z singing the song “Empire State of Mind“.