Exam week has proven long. My 10th graders are overwhelmed by testing this week. They have to take 3 tests for the county this week, but they are doing a great job staying focused. My 11th graders are taking their semester exams, which are long but not too hard. It will all be over soon.
This week's blog focus is on Walt Whitman. Whitman is perhaps the most famous of the new American poets, but he was a scandalous man. The English text book paints him as someone to be admired, calling his Leaves of Grass the most influential book of poetry in American Literature. This is true, but Whitman was far from a saint! In fact, he caused a lot of trouble for the more conservative people within society during the time he wrote and many of them threw away their copies of his book. While we might not think of him as so scandalous today, he raised A LOT of eyebrows then. For extra credit to start the nine weeks, read up on Walt Whitman and see if you can find out about any of his scandal. Tell me what you found by replying to this post. There is more than one correct answer. When you comment, only give me one "scandalous" thing about Whitman so that other students have a chance for points. Once a scandal has been commented on, no one else may get points for that one. GO!
Hi, Ms. Christian,.one of walt whitmans's scandals involves the sensual passages and natures in most of his many poems he has published. for his scandals over-ride his talent and his work.
ReplyDeleteIs this good enough or more detail?
wuv u ms. christian
Yes, but what does that MEAN? It sounds like you copied that, which wasn't against the rules, but I want to know that you UNDERSTAND it. One way you can show this to me is by giving me an example of a "sensual passage" in his writings. You are first though, so plenty of time to still get the points :)
ReplyDeleteWell here's an "sensual passage" from Walt's "A Woman Waits for Me". "Sex contains all, bodies, souls,
ReplyDeleteMeanings, proofs, purities, delicacies, results, promulgations,
Songs, commands, health, pride, the maternal mystery, the seminal milk,
All hopes, benefactions, bestowals, all the passions, loves,
beauties, delights of the earth,
All the governments, judges, gods, follow'd persons of the earth,
These are contain'd in sex as parts of itself and justifications of itself."
This poem and passage involves nothing else but sex, and all it contains, as if that was the only thing on Whitman's mind. So, it would in turn turn into a wide scandal from the media, spectators of the large amounts of sexual indictations between the two main characters. Even though many scandals surrounds his workings, This is the second biggest! Hope this clarifies my first statement. Thank you miss. christian, wuv u.
Whitman had a racist attitude which showed in his poems.
ReplyDeleteWhile most people were lining up on one side or another, Whitman placed himself in that space,sometimes violent, erotic, always volatile between master and slave. His extreme political despair led him to replace what he now named the "scum" of corrupt American politics in the 1850s with his own persona, a shaman, a culture-healer, an all-encompassing (encircle) "I."
Auntriel, It has to be in your own words and show that you understand what it means. And an example would help. How was class today?
ReplyDeleteFor ex: While the war was going on, Whitman wrote racist poems towards it. One poem that comes to mind is "A child said, What is the grass?".
ReplyDeleteHe mentions the differences between whites and blacks numerous times throughout the poem and compares them.
& class was pretty good. I don't think they finished the notes though since the projector was messing up for the 1st 10 min of class.
ReplyDeleteBut most of the time, we did not have any distractions.
Thanks girls. This extra credit is now closed.
ReplyDelete