Journal fav Whitman Poem

My favorite Walt Whitman poem is definitely "O Captain, My Captain" because it makes so much sense to me and I love history. The whole story about the death of Abraham Lincoln and making him the captain of the ship and having all these loyal crew members mourn the death of their leader but celebrate all the things he accomplished. They talk highly of their leader and that is something I think is important no matter what Lincoln decided these men were willing to follow him to the end. "O Captain, My Captain" is the first big poem we studied as kids and it made so much then and now every time I read it I pick up on different things and new ways to interrupt it than just the story of the President Lincoln's death, but also the end of war and the coming together of the nation. Lincoln was one of the greatest presidents and this is why we study him and Walt Whitman wrote some of great poetry some of it not appropriate for school but what we do study is important. "O Captain! My Captain!" contains some great lines of poetry that express the feeling of a nation both in celebration and also in mourning. The African Americans were still slaves before Lincoln took control and we can even interrupt that Lincoln is the Messiah and leads the slaves to freedom and this makes him an American hero. I like when poetry has a story and is not just a bunch of feeling but it is also important that the story has feeling and makes the reader enjoy the story. "O Captain My Captain" contains this feeling of the country and it tells a story straight forward at first but then if you read it again you could pick up a different story line about it. This is why my favorite poem from Walt Whitman is "O Captain My Captain".

"O Captain! My Captain!, by Walt Whitman." Poetry Archive. Web. 17 April. 2012.

Chanting the Square Deific Reflection

Walt Whitman was deeply involved in his idea of self and want his role in life was. Walt Whitman explored this spirituality and beliefs through out his life trying to find his "self". When Whitman talks of self he is looking beneath what a person does or how they act but what their true values are. In "Chanting the Square Deific." Whitman explores his religion to help guide him to find his self.

Walt Whitman deeply believes in the idea of self and this searching for his self drives his poems and gives meaning to them. Whitman's struggle to find his self is exposing the true person that he is and not the person he pretends to be or who others think he is. Whitman divides his poem into four parts which is part of Whitman's self. "Chanting the Square Deific" is divided into this four part to describe the different parts of his Holy Trinity instead of three he has four. Each part of this poem is told from the point of view of the speaker who is a part of Whitman's quaternity. Walt Whitman's quaternity is made up of God, Christ, Satan, and the Soul (Oliver). Each of these speakers present a part of Whitman's "Square Deific".

God was a first speaker and he influences Whitman's idea's about mercy and the importance of doing things right. "Relentless I forgive no man- whoever sins dies- I will have that man's life"( Whitman). Whitman is saying that God does not have to show mercy because he is God and this puts him on a level equal or higher than Jehovah, Brahm, and Saturnius. They did want they pleased because they were on top and showed no mercy. They ruled their lands with an iron fist and this is what Whitman believed was important in life and to his own. While God was the first speaker the next speaker is Christ the only son of God.

Christ is the second part of Whitman's square deific and is the more comforting than God. "And my sweet love bequeath'd here and elsewhere never dies" (Whitman). God becomes the more loving and comforting person that Whitman wants to become. He wants to help through their struggles and help them find peace in their lives. Christ was the son of God and he gave his life to save people from sin by dying for sin. Walt Whitman quotes this part of Christ's death because it is something that he admires and wants to work harder to do. "All the world have I given up for my dear brothers' and sisters' sake, for the soul's sake," (Whitman). Whitman does not plan on dying on a cross for people but he wants to become a better man by helping his friends and the people around him. The third piece of the Whitman's square deific is Satan who represents the darkness in everyone.

"Satan is opposite God in the Square Deific, creating, Whitman may be suggesting here, a balance between good and evil, both necessary, he believed, in the lives of human beings and in all of Nature"(Oliver). In Whitman's idea of life and self he knows that everyone has two sides a good and a bad side. The comparison between God and Satan is taking what Whitman believes to me in everyone just in two different people. He sees God as light and Satan as the darkness. "Permanent here from my side, warlike, equal with any, real as any, Nor time nor change shall ever change me or my words"(Whitman). Satan is stuck in his awful position as being a bad guy and not being able to get a new reputation and Whitman does not like the idea of judging people by their appearances or by what factors other than their true character and morals. Whitman sees Satan as a trapped soul who may want to redeem himself but has not been given the chance to do so. Believing in people's ability to change is something that Whitman believes to be important but wants the change to be truly from the spirit and not just the outside.

The fourth part of the square deific is the spirit and the spirit is an abstract idea that is never seen but controls a lot of stuff and unites the universe and brings people together. The spirit is within everyone and this spirit brings people together and makes everyone a person who is unique in their own ways but are all related to each other by the spirit.

The square deific is something that Walt Whitman continued to explore and also evolves over the years. He eventually finds his self and it becomes his spirit. The last line of his poem suggest that he represents the spirit and he does. Everyone represents their spirit and this element that makes everyone the same also is the thing that makes them different.

Oliver, Charles M. "'Chanting the Square Deific'." Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

"The Walt Whitman Archive." CHANTING THE SQUARE DEIFIC. (Leaves of Grass [1891-1892]) -. Web. 03 Apr. 2012.

Journal 29

Defining yourself is one of the hardest things to do because describing yourself is something that we find very hard. It is a fair question that stubs people and no one really does who they are because the question who are you asked who you are on the inside and not what you do. Who am I is hard to answer without giving the person that asks you the things that you do. I am unsure how to describe myself without saying what I do because what I do makes up part of me and gives me ideas of what to do. Soccer and swimming are things I enjoy to do but they do not describe me or tell who I am. I have a job and family and friends and all of these people and things make up the things I do and the beliefs I have. I believe in strong family values and being close to them. I love my family and they are the most important people in the world to me. I believe in God which also describes me and shows that I believe that religion is important and that having a belief in something is important. If you do not believe in anything then you have nothing to believe in or strive to do. I believe that everyone has a role to play in the world and to succeed is one of the most important things in life. I hope to succeed in life and if I fail I hope to learn from my mistakes and rise above the fail to become an even better person. Hard work is something that I strongly believe in and if you want to be a better person you have to work for it. I lifeguard at the YMCA and banquet serve which allows me to work hard and this is something that I hope to continue working towards. To have everything you want you have to work life is not full of handouts and to accomplish anything you must work hard and get an education.