Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

Walt Whitman's Crossing Brooklyn Ferry (pages 138-144).

The characteristics of Whitman's poetry-

• free verse and rhythmic innovations
• Whitman's expressive art was complex and multifaceted
• democrat, egalitarian, patriot, metaphysicist, nature poet, lover, free spirit and exponent of spiritual values, of moderation, balance and tolerance
• speaks for the human race and universal harmony through his own experiences.
• a clear vision of his belief that American ideals might serve as an example to the world.
• disillusioned with the aggressive materialism and corruption of a rapidly changing, industrializing society
• less a logical discourse than it is a spontaneous outpouring of emotion
• It is from emotion that it derives its power
• Whitman reached not for cosmic, transcendental levels, but dealt with the elemental and intimate on a purely emotional level
• Whitman wrote in a form similar to "thought-rhythm".
• His rhythms and cadences are also heavily influenced by the music
• "Leaves of Grass" transcends time and place and has something to say to all people, for all time.

*These notes on Whitman's poetry are excerpts of George Mallis ' article "The Poetry of Walt Whitman" (http://www.liglobal.com/walt/waltbio.html)

New Vocabulary

• egalitarian
• exponent
• gregarious
• transcendent
• cadence

What's "thought-rhythm"-the use of parallelisms (thought rhythm as opposed to sound rhythm or rhyme)

Aim: How did the speaker feel as he was "crossing the Brooklyn ferry"? What imagery portray his emotions and thoughts?

Do Now: In your journal, describe one thing in New York that amazes or impresses you for any reason. Describe it. It can be an object for example a building or a bridge or a phenomena. or a scene.

Glossary:

impalpable/ sustenance / similitude / avail / centrifugal / tinged / rig / astride / serperntine / pennant / contrariety / guile / emission

Activities:

1. In stanza 1-
   • what is the main imagery? Select the words and phrases directly from the poem to describe them.
   • What feelings are conveyed ?
2. In stanza 2-
   • How does the speaker convey a sense of eternity for all things including himself?
3. In stanza 3-
   • How does the poet continously build on the sense of eternity through imagery?
   • Make a list of the details the speaker observed as he was crossing the Hudson River in the Brooklyn ferry . For example, sea gulls, the reflection of the summer sky, light, waves, chimneys, etc.
   • Describe in your own word the picture you see as described in this stanza.
   • What senses are conveyed?
4. In stanza 4-
   • What acclamation did the poet make?
   • In what way did he convey the meaning that we are all equal?
5. In stanza 5 & 6-
   • What lines convey the theme of the poem?
   • What's the theme?
6. In stanza 7-
   • In what sense did the poem name all the evil?
   • Make a list all the evil traits.
7. In stanza 8-
   • Why is the poet so proud of being Manhattanese?
   • What does he mean by "The same old role, the role that is what we make it, as great as we like,/ Or as small as we like, or both great and small".
8. In stanza 9-
   • In "Closer yet I approach you..", who the poet referring to?
   • What sense is created in lines "It is not you alone, nor I alone;/Not a few races nor a few generations, nor a few centuries..."?
9. In stanza 10-
   • As he is approaching Manhattan, what does the poem see? How does he feel as he is watching the wonder of nature?
   • What does the line mean "...Which fuses me into you now, and pours my meaning into you"?
10. In stanza 11-
    • What images of Manhattan are described?
    • What characterizes Manhattan?
    • How is the spiritual nature of Manhattan portrayed?
11. In stanza 12-
    • What effects does Manhattan play upon people?

Homework #1

Based on the journal you wrote, describe the scene (object  or phenomena) in details including the feelings it instill in you or other effects it has on you. Your writing needs to include the following elements-

• a brief description of the history of the setting
• the description of the physical look and the surrounding of the building, or neighborhood, the scene you admire
• how the scene (neighborhood, the Empire Building, the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge) affects your emotionally whether you like it or hate it
• the symbolic meaning the scene or the setting entails
• the spirit it inspires

Homework #2 Write an analysis of the poem. In your essay of analysis, you need to include the following -

• Introduction-the controlling idea or imagery of the poem (your thesis in the 1st paragraph-Introduction)
• Body-evidence of how the controlling idea or imagery permeates the poem( make it 3 examples at least, when quoting, use quotation marks)-three separate paragraphs
  • Paragraph 1-Describe the things Whitman saw as he was crossing the Hudson River in Brooklyn Ferry( quote the main imagery described) and how he feels about the things he saw (quote a few examples)
  • Paragraph 2- Describe his belief and attitudes , for example-
    • Equality and the importance of all individuals.
    • Sense of pride as a New Yorker
    • Eternity( i.e. the Hudson River will always be the same for you, me and the new comers).
  • Paragraph 3-How do you feel about the poem? How does the poem affect you emotionally or intellectually?
  • Paragraph 4-the spiritual inspiration brought out by the poem.

• Conclusion