I don't fucking get Whitman...

[JazzManJim]

With apologies to KillerMuffin and the others who so wonderfully opined over the beauty and profundity of Walt Whitman's work...

I don't understand the fucking guy.

I've read "Song of Me" for the fourth time now in an attempt to locate various types of poetic techniques for my American Lit class and I've fucking given up. No....I don't know the difference between Mysticism and Symbolism and I have no damned idea what the fuck an "event journey" is. And I'm not going to learn it in the week given to find these fucking things.

I'm a fucking musician for God's Sake!

So I'm afraid this is going to be a rough class tonight. I don't get Whitman and get Dickinson even less. Unfortunately, the teacher is less than plain in his lectures. I have to think in large circles with his lectures as much as I do with this poetry.

Oddly enough, I don't have this problem when it comes to Eliot or Langston Hughes or Robert Frost.

I don't hate poetry, honest. I just don't get a lot of it. Perhaps, literarily, I'm to literal. I want my writers to, for the most part, just say what they mean to say, you know?

Okay...I needed to vent that. It's been biting my ass for four days now!

 

[Tyrael]

Poor Jim.

I know what will cheer you up....look here for the next chapter of Secret Plot sometime tomorrow!

A pair of boobs and a dripping pussy should help you cheer up.

Besides...in 5 years who's gonna care if you aren't as good at spotting the hidden meanings of poetry?

 

[JazzManJim]

Poor Jim.

I know what will cheer you up....look here for the next chapter of Secret Plot sometime tomorrow!

A pair of boobs and a dripping pussy should help you cheer up.

Besides...in 5 years who's gonna care if you aren't as good at spotting the hidden meanings of poetry?

Thanks, man... That's exactly what I need right now!

Well, I'm not so much concerned about the 5 year mark. I'm just concerned about the test on it in two weeks.

It's okay..It was pretty much just a rant. I need to do it from time to time to blow off steam.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Breathe man. Now run out and rent Mary Oliver's book on how to write poetry from the library.

It won't help you understand Whitman, but it will help you understand poetry because it brings it to it's very base. Rhythm, sound, flow, and meaning within those three things. You're a musician so this should make sense to you.

If not, try orating it to yourself. Say it out loud as if they were lyrics to a song. Once you feel the rhythm and feel the flow, then you will feel the meaning.

*crosses fingers*

 

[patient1]

You don't appreciate Whitman

Me either!

I figure Walt & Slim are acquired tastes

 

[perks]

I think his Sampler is yummy.

 

[JazzManJim]

Breathe man. Now run out and rent Mary Oliver's book on how to write poetry from the library.

It won't help you understand Whitman, but it will help you understand poetry because it brings it to it's very base. Rhythm, sound, flow, and meaning within those three things. You're a musician so this should make sense to you.

If not, try orating it to yourself. Say it out loud as if they were lyrics to a song. Once you feel the rhythm and feel the flow, then you will feel the meaning.

*crosses fingers*

I had thought about that, but what I'm dealing with in this class is less about the meaning of the poem, than it's construction: things like symbolism and mysticism, and personal referents, and didactic language.

It's just deeper than I have knowledge for and I really don't have any more time to do the homework. It was given last Monday and is due tonight in class discussion. UNfortunately, four days of poring over the stinking poem and some reference material (over about 5 1/2 hours, total) didn't give me any new revelations.

So I'll just hit this class lesson blind. It won't be the first time.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Bullshit 'em, baby. Some of my best grades come from a line of pure bs with pretty words in them.

 

[JazzManJim]

Bullshit 'em, baby. Some of my best grades come from a line of pure bs with pretty words in them.

Speaking of that...I get my first test int hat class back tonight, too (hopefully). There was an essay which counted 3/4 of the total grade. If there was any more bullshit in it, I couldn't have gotten it close to diesel fuel!
And thanks.

 

[Hamletmaschine]

It ain't about symbolism or mysticism or poetic devices, Jazzman. Whitman's about the same sort of feeling you get when you're playing music and you just let loose and wail. Think of it like jazz. Ol' Whit was just blowin' in language instead of musical notes. The 'barbaric yawp' and 'singing the anus atomic'--!

~H~

 

[JazzManJim]

It ain't about symbolism or mysticism or poetic devices, Jazzman.

Unfortunately, this segment of the class is about all those things. It's about putting Whitman in his historical place as an influence on other poets, and about figuring all those mechanical things out.

I'll just BS my way along until the next segment comes, I suppose.

 

[Spinaroonie]

With apologies to KillerMuffin and the others who so wonderfully opined over the beauty and profundity of Walt Whitman's work...

I don't understand the fucking guy.

I've read "Song of Me" for the fourth time now in an attempt to locate various types of poetic techniques for my American Lit class and I've fucking given up. No....I don't know the difference between Mysticism and Symbolism and I have no damned idea what the fuck an "event journey" is. And I'm not going to learn it in the week given to find these fucking things.

JMJ... Buddy...

I'm a student... You're a student...

You had to read Walt.... I had to read Walt...

Here's what I did...

I tried to read it on my day off (i.e. a day that I don't have classes till 3:30) and I fell asleep. Maybe it was because of my dumbass suitemates partying all night or something, maybe it was because song of me is really boring... who's to say? I just keep it around for when I can't sleep at night.

So here's what I did. Before anything big, they'll usually have after hours review sessions, I hit this, the TA gave me a few points on what they were looking for (The TA graded the papers) based on conversations with the prof. I did that, I read summaries of Song of myself (Use Google or sparknotes) and just get a feel for it. Whit's well traveled and verbose and crap. He's got some kinky stuff in there, but I can't find it. So armed with very little knowlege I went and got a 94.5 on an (Primarily) Essay test.

Just do those things (if they offer review sessions that is) and you should be fine. If not PM KM (Or if you want something vague, PM me)

 

[seXieleXie]

dude, you guys, you're posting on an internet message board about how you don't understand a reading?
get your little fingers to google and do some searching. you've got the world's greatest educational resource litterallly sitting in front of you!
www.sparknotes.com is a great resource for really famous literature/poetry/etc, unfortunately the section on "song of myself" (note: not me, myself...jeez people) is down right now.

 

[kotori]

Oh! that Whitman

"song of myself" (note: not me, myself...jeez people)

I thought this was some new modren thing since I got outta school.

 

[BigDawg69]

Uncle Walt of Transendentalism uh? Yeah his structure can be cryptic but his message rings through fairly clealy I thought.


What do I know I'm just a dawg.

 

[Spinaroonie]

dude, you guys, you're posting on an internet message board about how you don't understand a reading?
get your little fingers to google and do some searching. you've got the world's greatest educational resource litterallly sitting in front of you!
www.sparknotes.com is a great resource for really famous literature/poetry/etc, unfortunately the section on "song of myself" (note: not me, myself...jeez people) is down right now.

Beat you too it, toots... google and sparknotes