In the last week, we have spent a good amount of time discussing poetry that breaks the rules. Rather than restrict itself to a specific formula, meter, or style, modern poetry experiments with the poem's form, asking the question, "What is a poem?" (See your notes on Lawrence Ferlinghetti and "Don't Let that Horse.)
Today, read Walt Whitman's poem "I Sing the Body Electric" located in your "Open Form" poetry packets as well as the introduction. Then, answer the following questions in the comments section below.
Questions:
1) Free Response: What informs this speaker's attitude toward the human body?
2) Read the poem aloud. Is it simply a tedious enumeration of body parts, or do the lines achieve some kind of rhythmic cadence?
1. In this poem i believe that the speaker is actually Walt Whitman, due to multiple context clues throughout the poem. I think that the speakers attitude towards the body comes largely from their own body. When one reads the poem it gives off a feeling of comfort with ones own body, talking about the different parts in very mature and poetic ways. This conclusion leeds me to believe that the speaker is a person who is comfortable in their own body and is comfortable talking about the parts of the opposite sex swell.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that the poem is not just a large list but rather has a distinct flow to it. the poem not only has a rhythmic pattern to it but it also follows a logical path from the top of the body to the bottom when listing parts. the pattern that the different parts appear in seems to be very deliberate because it allows the reader to think about their own body whilst reading and allows a deeper understanding of what humans are really made of.
I never really thought that their attitude may have come from their own body, I imagined it more as they would have seen other people and got this feeling from seeing them.
DeleteI agree that the speaker is likely Whitman, and that they have clearly become comfortable with the human body. I also agree that though the poem has no pattern to it, the speaker does go from order of top to bottom.
DeleteI really love the way you worded the answer to the first question. I completely agree with it and I like that you interpreted the speaker as actually being Walt Whitman, but still refer to him as the speaker. I also noticed that the speaker listed the body parts from top to bottom.
Delete1. I agree with you completely about the speaker actually being Walt Whitman. The beard and strong shoulders gave it away that it was a man, and because there's a picture of Walt Whitman, it seems like the poem could be about him. What was another context clue that lead you to believe this? Also, I agree that the speaker is a person who is comfortable in their own body. The poem gives off a positive and confident vibe and the speaker doesn't seem shy when describing the human body.
Delete2. My response to this question was very similar to yours. It does seem like a list, but I agree that it flows together nicely.
1. The poem talks about the human body in a relaxed, soothing tone. The speaker is talking about the different parts of the body, and ends the poem by saying that the parts are not just part of you physically, but mentally and emotionally too, that they are part of the soul. I believe the speaker is trying to say that the body is beautiful, even the parts we don't think about very often.
ReplyDelete2. One rhythm I noticed in the poem is when the speaker lists body parts, it seems fast paced. The voice seems to be talking fast, until an "and" comes along and the speaker can take a breath. I also noticed that the speaker starts with the exterior of the body and at the top, and makes his/her way down the body. The speaker then proceeds to the actions and movements of the body parts.
I like how you mentioned that the body is part of the soul, and also talked about how the speaker is trying to convey to reader into knowing that the body is beautiful no matter what, and the speaker does an excellent job by persuading the reading into thinking this by his ongoing list of body parts. I also liked how you mentioned that the poem seems fast. Usually when someone speaks at a rapid pace, they are passionate about the topic. The speakers fast pace tone also allows the reader to relate to his passion, and get more drawn to the subject.
DeleteI agree with Gilley, I really like how you talked about how the body is part of the soul (or is the soul) because even though the speaker doesn't talk about the soul a whole lot, the poem is still trying to give the message that the body and soul are one.
Delete1) The speaker's attitude in "I Sing the Body Electric" is complex and diverse. I believe the speaker is a man due to the fact that a beard is described on the body. The speaker feels strongly about the human body and describes every detail. He starts at the head and ends with describing "the bones and the marrow in / the bones." I believe the speaker is talking about his own body. He seems confident and has no problem describing every single part.
ReplyDelete2) I believe this poem is a combination of both tedious enumeration of body parts and rhythmic cadence. There are numerous body parts described in great detail, but they are presented in a rhythmic way. It is almost a list of body parts, but it flows together in a way that makes it more like a poem.
I agree with your #2, it is very interesting how what could be read as just a list of parts is actually very rhythmic and has meaning to it. I also agree with you when you say the speaker seems confident when talking about their own body, this also adds a lot to the poem because it is someone describing themselves.
Delete1. The way Walt Whitman talks about the human body conveys a sense of whimsy toward its existence. He goes on to list many parts of the body, and each stanza has to do with a particular part. He starts from the top, slowly going lower as he takes the body one section at a time. The way he breaks the sections up gives this poem a sense of flow, being as they are around the same part of the body and often start with similar letters or words. He goes on, describing how people are born and loved, again not only by listing body parts, but of actions. It all works well to convey his feeling of love that we show through our bodies that many of us may not even realize we do. It's a poem about ourselves and each other as a whole, and how beautiful we are, because without these body parts all working in harmony to allow us to do what we do on a daily basis, we wouldn't be us, and being ourselves is a beautiful thing.
ReplyDelete2. The poem is far more than a list of body parts. It describes in detail not only what we are made of, but how we exist. We exist because all these body parts come together to form ourselves, and describes how we use these body parts, such as smiling, running breathing, hugging, etc. It also gives the reader a sense of unity, as the speaker states many times that the same structures of their body are also within other people. Despite it being essentially just a list of body parts, the flow of the poem's listing definitely gives it a rhythm, despite being free verse.
I agree when you say "it's a poem about ourselves as a whole," because even though all the parts are listed individually, all of them together or "working in harmony," allow us to be who we are. They allow us to be human, and without one of them, we would not be who we are.
Delete1) Free Response: What informs this speaker's attitude toward the human body?
ReplyDeleteThe constant repetition and use of consonance throughout the poem inform the speaker's attitude towards the human body. Whitman not just lists the plain jane body parts, but lists the even more import aspects of each part, which create the whole. "Wrist and wrist-joints, hand, palm, knuckles, thumb, forefinger, finger-joints/ finger-nails" (Lines 12 and 13). Whitman uses multiple lines such as this one to emphasize the importance of each individual aspect of the body and how it all works together to function.
2) Read the poem aloud. Is it simply a tedious enumeration of body parts, or do the lines achieve some kind of rhythmic cadence?
I believe that Whitman's use of repetition help to emphasize the bodies importance, and the different chunks help the poem flow. At the beginning of the poem, the speaker introduces his views on the importance of the body, then goes onto each and every aspect of it. These body parts that the speaker mentioned aren't just random body parts, but all these parts have a purpose in the body, and how each part is significant to every individual. Some can say that this poem is just an ongoing list of body parts, but to this speaker, the body is like a poem, and tells a story. "I believe the likes of you shall stand of fall with my poems, and that they are my poems" (Lines 7 and 8). To this speaker, body parts are not just body parts, but tell who each individual is, and is a significant aspect to who one truly is.
I loved what you said about how Whitman used emphasis to show how these parts are significant and how they work together to function.
DeleteI completely agree with your #2 answer, and how the repetition of body parts is used to show importance, and how structure helps this poem flow better.
DeleteI agree with you that Whitman has broke down the body parts and then explain that they are all work together to function. I like your use of literary terms. It's great that you mentioned the use of repetition to emphasize the importance of each aspect of the body. I think you interpreted the meaning of the poem very well.
Delete1) It's likely the speaker is describing the author, as he and the description both are male with beards, and also the line, "All attitudes, all shapeliness, all the belongings of my or your body..." It sounds like he's trying to express the sophistication of the human body that he's discovered throughout his life.
ReplyDelete2) Though the poem isn't in any specific order, known as "free verse", the speaker begin the description at the top of their head, down to their feet, then their innards. But as he goes onto the deeper, harder-to-notice details, the poem seems to crescendo and begins to express the speaker's emotion towards either himself, or another person, ("...all the belongings of my body or your body or any one's body..."
"The continuous changes of the flex of the mouth, and around the eyes, / The skin, the sunburnt shade, freckles, hair, / The curious sympathy one feels when feeling with the hand the naked meat of the body,").
1) The speaker's attitude towards the human body is very descriptive. He describes the parts of the body in an order; from head to toe, also going in a out of the body, too. The speaker also speaks of the body like it has rhythm itself. He describes it as "not the parts and poems of the body, but of the soul." The soul is ultimately what makes us human.
ReplyDelete2) I think that the poem is a combination of tedious enumeration and rhythmic cadence of the body parts. Ultimately, it is a list of body parts. But, the speaker describes these parts rhythmically that makes me feel like this work is more poetic.
1. The speaker recognizes every part of the body and its functions. He also mentions that the poem he has written is relatable to everybody. He speaks of the flow in the body. He speaks of the emotions that humans feel, and the The speaker ends the poem by making he point that the body is more than what he has listed off, but a part of the soul that makes up a being.
ReplyDelete2. I have noticed the separate body parts have been grouped by relation with one another, whether it has to do with function, emotion, or simply realizing that it is a part of the body. To my understanding, he proves that altogether these separate parts work as one with the soul.
By mentioning the flow and image of the body, he is creating the cadence in the poem. He mentions the breath circling to support his reasoning
Delete1) I think that the speaker in this poem, is trying to convince the reader that everyone is different because of their soul, and beliefs, but at the same time alike because we are all human. The speaker compares their body to a poem, or what would be a work of art in their eyes. In the beginning of the poem they say, "I dare not desert the likes of you in other men and women," and I believe that they are saying that they will not compare themselves to other people, being a lesson for the reader.
ReplyDelete2) I think that the long list of body parts is needed to get the point across about being human. Even though the poem doesn't rhyme I think that it flows in a way because of the structure. The structure that Whitman used for this poem helps the poem flow because it quite long, and it breaks it up. With the quote on the first page in mind you can see in this poem how every comma,space,etc, has its purpose to the poem.
1. The speaker (whom I assume to be Whitman discussing himself) is obviously very
ReplyDeleteopen about talking about their body. He discusses body parts that could make some people uneasy but just tells the reader how it is. An example of this is when he says "man balls." This could leave some people feeling awkward, but Whitman seems unfazed by any body part because they are what makes us human.
2. Even reading the poem aloud I can not make it rhyme. However being without rhyme does not mean that the poem does not have flow to it. I found it interesting that the body parts are being said head to toes. This observation seemed significant to me because they are being told as the structure of the poem. Or in other words, the body parts at the top of the body are at the top of the poem and the body parts closer to the feet are at the ending of the poem.
1) Free Response: What informs this speaker's attitude toward the human body?
ReplyDeleteIn the opening lines, "O my body! I dare not desert the likes of you/ in other men and women, nor the likes/ of the parts of you," I think the speaker is saying that he is not only proud of his body but everyone else's. I think the opening of this poem is perfect because right from the get-go the audience can sense the theme and message. To me the theme or message of this poem is that we are all human and in that sense the same, our body (and body parts) is one with our soul, and we as humans should acknowledge it just as that.
2) Read the poem aloud. Is it simply a tedious enumeration of body parts, or do the lines achieve some kind of rhythmic cadence?
Like Jordan, even when I read the poem aloud I could not make it rhyme, but I was able to pick up on a rhythm that made it flow. By listing the body parts in organized sections, Walt created a rhythm that not only makes it easier to visualize but builds up the energy and momentum that is needed to understand why he is even listing them off in the first place. I think Walt Whitman did this to emphasize the fact that we are all human and even though we are not all identical, our bodies and body parts have the same function making us very much alike.