Emily Dickinson

Melanie Freeman
English 48B
March 19, 2009
Emily Dickinson

Although the reason for Emily Dickinson's self inflicted isolation has been debated throughout history, it is clear that the time she spent alone in her room was devoted to a thorough examination of the human consciousness and emotions. Through her poetry, Emily has been able to explore levels of the mind beyond the capacity of most people. The genius of Dickinson, enhanced by years devoted to expressing her "extreme emotional states", has created unimaginable depth to her poetry. Dickinson often describes a state of feeling overwhelmed or inundated with a physical substance or of a particular emotion. It appears that in her period of isolation, Dickinson at points felt overwhelmed by her own discoveries from within her own mind. Although the true Emily Dickinson remains a mystery, it is clear that her mind was thinking about an existence that far surpassed her physical self.

I started Early -- Took my Dog --
And visited the Sea --
The Mermaids in the Basement
Came out to look at me --

And Frigates -- in the Upper Floor
Extended Hempen Hands --
Presuming Me to be a Mouse --
Aground -- upon the Sands --

But no Man moved Me -- till the Tide
Went past my simple Shoe --
And past my Apron -- and my Belt --
And past my Bodice -- too --

And made as He would eat me up --
As wholly as a Dew
Upon a Dandelion's Sleeve --
And then -- I started -- too --

And He -- He followed -- close behind --
I felt his Silver Heel
Upon my Ankle -- Then my Shoes
Would overflow with Pearl --

Until We met the Solid Town --
No One He seemed to know --
And bowing -- with a Might look --
At me -- The Sea withdrew --

In this poem, Dickinson describes the experience of nearly drowning in the ocean as a metaphor for the orgasmic feeling she reaches during moments of intense thought. By pushing the limits of her own imagination, Dickinson is able to feel and experience sensations unknown to the average person. The ocean is used as a metphor to emcompass all that is offered by the universe in life and in death, an although she loves it, Dickinson is also consumed by it. Once the tide covers her, the thoughts in this poem seem to become more disjointed. It feels as if the speaker is witnessing flashes of images, as though she has no more control of her own mind.
In addition the feeling over being mentally overwhelmed, one must also notice the sensual tone in this poem as well. The relationship between the sea and the speaker can be perceived as sexual, as Dickinson describes the physical interaction between the two "bodies". In this sense, her feeling of being overwhelmed can be seen as a physical climax, or complete surrender to her own feelings.
In this poem, Dickinson ties together the feelings of emotional, mental and physical climax together in one fluid description. It is hard for the reader to differentiate was is real and what is metaphysical but it seems that that is Dickinson's intention. The pleasure Dickinson experiences from being able to deeply explore her own mind and feelings is manifested in the sensual, all-consuming force of the tide.

Emily Dickinson

Melanie Freeman
English 48B
March 17, 2009
Emily Dickinson

Many of the details regarding Emily Dickinson's life remain a mystery today because of her introverted, reclusive lifestyle. Not published until four years after her death, Dickinson was not recognized as the influential poet she was during her own lifetime. Her unique use of structure, punctuation, and subject matter has had a strong influence on poets and writers throughout history. Dickinson spent the majority of her adult life writing from within her room in her parents home. The reason for her self inflicted isolation remains unknown today and has been a subject heavily scrutinized by many scholars. Although many questions about Emily Dickinson are still present today, it is clear that she is one of the greatest, most complex American poets and one whose poetry offers unlimited interpretations.

After great pain, a formal feeling comes -
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs -
The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore, '
And Yesterday, or Centuries before?

The Feet, mechanical, go round -
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought -
A Wooden way
Regardless grown,
A Quartz contentment, like a stone-

This is the Hour of Lead
Remembered, if outlived,
As Freezing persons recollect the Snow-
First-Chill-then Stupor-then the letting go-

Reflection:
This poem is clearly reflective of Dickinson's fascination with both nature and with death. Here Dickinson describes the physicality of freezing to death as well as the emotional "letting go" that follows. Although Dickinson is obviously not describing her own death, her ability to recreate the hardening sensation is very realistic. In Dickinson's own life she lost many of her close friends and family members to deadly diseases and it is as if she has experienced a sort of death of a portion of her own life with the passing of those who are close to her.
The overall sensation of this poem is a feeling of calcification. The metaphors comparing human organs such as nerves and hearts to tombs and stone creates the image of the life leaving ones body. The "Hour of Lead" Dickinson describes is the slow surrender of a person's body to hypothermia and eventual death.
In the third stanza, Dickinson writes, "Remembered, if outlived" to imply that speaker has experienced near death but is not writing from the grave. Perhaps Dickinson has manifested her own pain and grief into this poem to explain how deeply she has comprehended what death is. It seems as if by locking herself in her room for years, Dickinson has had the opportunity to deeply contemplate what the sensation of death feels like and recreate it metaphorically in her own poetry.
It is also interesting to note that Dickinson refers to the feeling of death as "formal". This implies Dickinson's respect for death itself. By seeing death as "formal" and "ceremonious" Dickinsion expresses that perhaps she does not fear death at all. Death is portrayed as the most intensely emotion moment of ones life and one that is highly regarded, not feared.
Although Dickinson has been described as a "death obsessed spinster" (74) with a negative conotation, I do not believe her fascination with death is necessarily from a morbid view. By being able to invest so many hours into exploring the emotional and physical experience of death, Dickinson has been able to describe death as through she has experienced it. A feat that is unimagainable for many people.

Walt Whitman

Melanie Freeman
English 48B
March 12, 2009
Walt Whitman- Song of Myself

As one of the original twelve poems from the first edition of Leaves of Grass, Song of Myself is a very significant poem to Whitman's career. This poem was revised throughout Whitman's career and embodies everything that he is. This poem received several different titles such as "Walt Whitman" and "Poem of Walt Whitman: An American" until it was given its final name, "Song of Myself" in 1867. Song of Myself is Whitman's most significant and well known piece of work for its ability to encapsulate everything that is him, that is human, that is natural and that is American. The reviews of this poem have been mixed thoughout history, calling it everything from vulgar and tasteless to glorious and profound. Whitman's ability to notice seemingly insignificant objects or occurences and point out the complex meaning behind them distinguishes him among poets.

"A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands;
How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he"(33).

Section six of Song of Myself is a very good example of Whitman's ability to take an object that is typically overlooked and give it profound meaning. In this section Whitman ruminates on the definition of grass and its deeper, philosophical connections to this country. The blade of grass represents nature in general as the connection beween humans in this world. The natural environment shared by all, is deeply tied to our beliefs and memories.
One of Whitman's answers to the child's question is that grass is "the hankerchief of the Lord" (34). This answer portrays Whitman as religious with a commitment to god in each day of his life. In this sense, grass serves as the constant reminder of the creator, the one responsible for the very land we exist on.
Whitman also defines grass as a "uniform hieroglyphic" (34), or a connection between all cultures in the United States. By implying that the grass does not discrimminate where it will grow, Whitman illustrates his open mind and tolerance for all cultures. This description of grass celebrates the mixing of cultures and the diversity in America.
The image of grass also brings a memory to Whitman's mind, as "the beautiful uncut hair of the graves" (34). This connection is in reference to Whitman's experience in the Civil War and from witnessing the immense casualities it created. This definition is far more dark and depressing but also very significant to United States History. Just as grass is responsible for uniting people, it is also the place of battles and death. The grass growing around the graves shows how the earth absorbs all aspects of life, both good and bad.

Walt Whitman

Melanie Freeman
English 48B
March 10, 2009
Walt Whitman: Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

Born in West Hills, Long Island in 1819, Walt Whitman is remembered as the most influential American poet of all time. Breaking rules and tradition that had regulated poets throughout history, Whitman created a style of poetry that is distinctly American. Whitman wrote solely in free verse, which rejected the formalist, pattern and rhyming poetry. This unregulated style in combination with his more human, natural topics, made poetry that was descriptive of the average, working American. Whitman, who started his literary career as a journalist, wrote about things that he saw. Living in Manhattan, Whitman witnessed crime, poverty, and sexuality, all topics that revolutionized poetry of the time. Similar to Mark Twain, Whitman created a rougher style of writing that is perfectly representative of the world he existed in: an industrializing United States.

"And you that shall cross from shore to shore years hence are more to me, and more in my meditations, than you might suppose" (21).

Summary:
Crossing Brookyln Ferry, was first published in the second edition of Leaves of Grass in 1856. This collection of poetry was an organic work that was under constant revision throughout Whitman's career. This poem appeared in the final "death bed" version of Leaves of Grass and is very significant to remembering Whitman's origins. Whitman surely crossed the river on this ferry many times in his life and this poem is an example of his talent for obersvation and thoughts on human existance.

Response:
Whitman's Crossing Brooklyn Ferry is written from the perspective of a man who has died and is looking back on his life. Written later in his literary career, it is clear Whitman has gained insight into life as an older man and is sharing his thoughts and experiences with younger generations.

In this poem, Whitman describes a common experience that creates very deep meaning. By describing the crossing of the ferry, Whitman writes about the connection between generations of human beings. He writes that as humans, we are all more alike than we think and that he has shared similar experiences and feelings with each one of us.

In the years that follow, thousands of people will cross on this ferry, sharing feelings of guilt and isolation, but in the scheme of life, Whitman believes, this is insignificant. Whitman belives humans will follow similar patterns throughout history and that human nature remains consistent. Human's naturally tend to mentally alienate themselves during times of stress or sadness, but in reality these feelings are what defines us as humans.

Whitman, the narrator of this poem and someone who appears to be speaking from the grave, feels that he understands people and life now that he has experienced it. He finds connections between people that we as humans are unable to percieve until after death. Whitman describes that all aspects of life "were to [him] the same as they are to [everyone else]" (23), to show that life is a shared experience and that humans are all existing as a part of a greater universe.

Kate Chopin

Melanie Freeman
English 48B
March 5, 209
Kate Chopin: The Awakening

A pattern that exists throughout Edna's "awakening" is that she often becomes overcome with emotion but has not been able to interpret the reason for her feelings. On some occasions she is extremely happy, others thoroughly depressed "without knowing why" (58). Edna can feel a change happening inside of her but she has not yet truly understood these changes. It is not until her last moments on the shore of the Grand Isle, that Edna finally understands herself. Unfortunately, at this same instance, Edna is overcome with heart break which prevents her from being able to exist as the woman she truly is.

"She understood now clearly what she had meant long ago when she said to Adele Ratignolle that she would give up the unessential, but she would never sacrifice herself for her children" (113).

Summary:
This moment follows the climax of the novel when Edna reads Robert's letter. The letter explains that he has left her again, implying that he is unable to reciprocate her love for him. Self-alienated from her husband and children, Edna is more alone and devastated than ever. She returns to Grand Isle, the island where she met Robert last summer for what appears to be a chance for her to clear her mind. As Edna heads to the water to swim, she removes her suit and stands completely naked on the shore. Edna swims far out and her weak, exhausted body succumbs to the ocean.

Response:
As Edna realizes the meaning of a sentence she spoke months before she finally understands the woman she truly is. She now knows that she was forced into a life she did not want and felt trapped by the social expectations of women from of her status. Her role as a mother was never fitting and at this point she finally embraces that fact.

Although Edna has started the process of reinventing herself by painting more often and living on her own, she has not been able to succeed in her personal relationships. She feels guilty for her relations with Adlee and crushed by her rejection from Robert. At this moment Edna finally comprehends what is mentally required to survive as the woman she is and has fallen short. She is too weak and injured and gives up in response. She is unable to fulfill the requirement Mademoiselle Reisz set for her; to "possess the courageous soul that dares and defies" (114). The ideal of becoming a woman without the confines of society's opression is a task impossible for Edna to achieve.

Kate Chopin

Melanie Freeman
English 48B
March 4, 2009
Kate Chopin: The Awakening

Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis in 1851 into an aristocratic family. Upon her wedding to Oscar Chopin, Kate moved to New Orleans and became a member of the Louisiana Creole social scene. She did not begin to her writing career until after her husband's sudden death in the early 1880s. With a plantation to run and six children to take care of, Kate often wrote very quickly and efficiently. Kate Chopin is often described as a regional writer who recreates and memorializes the Old South and Creole culture. Her most famous work, The Awakening, not only describes the Creole culture but tells the story of a woman's series of self discoveries. Although The Awakening was harshly criticized for being vulgar upon its first publication in 1899, it is now a staple in many English classes for its depiction of the changing definition of what a woman is.

"At a very early period she had apprehended instinctively the dual life- that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions" (15).

Summary:
At this point in the novel, the reader has been introduced to Edna Pointellier as the wife of a wealthy, Creole businessman who is spending the summer on vacationing at the Grand Isle, a celebrated Creole resort. From the very beginning of the novel, Edna has experienced emotional distress but cannot pin point the source. She has been attempting to self examine her own feelings but is yet to see things clearly. Although she has been enjoying her time at the Grand Isle, she senses that she is on the verge of an emotional breakdown or a major change in her own feelings.

Response:
In one session of examination, Edna experiences one of many self realizations. Edna ponders on the idea of a dual life, which she feels she has always led. On the outside, she has conformed to society's expectations of a woman. She has married a wealthy man and maintained a comfortable existence and given birth to several children. However, this role Edna has been forced to play is far from who she truly is.

This double life Edna describes in context of "the woman question" is very similar to the double consciousness W.E.B. Du Bois describes regarding "the negro question". It seems that when groups of people are opressed by others due to stereotypes are prejudice, a double consciousness forms in response. On one hand, these women or blacks must act as society expects in order to be accepted at all. However, internally they know they are not being true to themselves. Society does not allow them to express their true feelings and therefore must keep these feelings hidden within.

Although Edna does not suffer economically as much as the black populations from this time, her opression takes a different form. The requirement she feels to represent a certain image becomes emotionally damaging and leads Edna to a point of breakdown. I predict the "awakening" Edna will experience will be once she is able to shed her dual life and live her one life honestly.

Mark Twain

Melanie Freeman
English 48B
February 24th, 2009
Mark Twain: Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses

Mark Twain was born Samuel L. Clemens in Florida, Missouri in 1835. He is forever remembered as one of, if not the most famous American writer in history. Clemens adopted the name "Mark Twain" after he had worked as a river boat captain along the Mississippi River. "Mark Twain" literally means the edge between safe and dangerous water. The meaning behind this pen name is not only a reference to his roots, but a metaphor for the Twain's own character. He consistently tested the boundaries of American literature and broke major ground all with a humorous yet precise style of writing. Twain was clearly a genius of the English language and it is the manner in which he uses this to portray the American people is truly what makes him stand out from other writers.

"Cooper was certainly not a master in the construction of dialogue. Inaccurate observation defeated him here as it defeated him in so many other enterprises of his. He even failed to notice that the man who talks corrupt English six days in the week must and will talk it on the seventh, and can't help himself" (301).

Summary:
Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses represents Twain's critique of the use of language in literature by his contemporaries and explains why he felt confident writing in a style that was so different from everyone else. James Fenimore Cooper is a well known author of historical fiction, often describing a hero who overcomes forces of the wilderness through his cunning strength and survival skills. In this work, Twain lists all of the reasons he dislikes Cooper's work, mainly pertaining to the unfulfilled feeling he gets from the writing itself. Twain interprets Cooper's work to be highly overrated and full of cliques and inconsistencies.

Response:
One of Mark Twain's greatest accomplishments is how he managed to incorporate true American speech into complex literature. The raw, unaltered speech found in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn truly portrays America how it was, not how it was characterized to be. By allowing "real" characters to experience and explain deep moral issues, Twain separated himself from other writers and created a new definition of American Literature.
Mark Twain felt that a major flaw of Coopers was his "inaccurate observation". Twain felt that Cooper's inability to see and portray Americans accurately completely discredited the writing. Twain spends a good portion of Fenimore Cooper criticizing the inconsistencies in the character's speech. The character Deerslayer thinks eloquently and profoundly in one instance, yet speaks with the improper English slang. To Twain, these contradicting ideas are hilarious and unforgivable.
Huckleberry Finn can be viewed as the piece of writing retaliates against Cooper. Huck is the true voice of the novel and the reader experiences the story completely through his perspective. The reader is not removed from the mind of this uneducated runaway and this is what makes the novel so profound. There are no jarring inconsistencies, or cliches, the writing is completely honest to the time and the character. The lessons learned in Huck are realistic, not contrived. By staying true to the time period and not embellishing the language so the sake of literature, Twain has managed to create a piece of writing that is far more meaningful that those "epic" adventures writen by Cooper.