Walt Whitman's America

"There is a strong nostalgic undercurrent in Whitman's writings, an impulse to revisit the period before his birth, when slavery and the economy were not yet problematic issues."
"Whitman's ancestry can be pointed to as a source not only of his poetic paeans to agrarian values and artisan labor but also of his interest in the American Revolution."
"It was mainly because of the Battle of Brooklyn that George Washington became one of Whitman' important models."
"On this level, Washington hugging his troops becomes for Whitman a kind of ideal private father (a poetic substitute, perhaps, for his own less-than-ideal father), who at the same time was a father of the nation."
"Locke's notion of tabula rasa became for the educators the rationale for an outlook that stressed the role of environment."
"Horace Mann, an educational leader Whitman greatly respected, had written of the effect of surroundings on the child: 'Their influences are integrated and made one with the soul. They enter into spiritual combination with it, never afterwards to be wholly decompounded.  They are like the daily food eaten by wild game, - so pungent and saporific in its nature, that it flavors every fibre of their flesh, and colors every bone in their body.'"
"The hill, the road, and the vista of his childhood give an autobiographical ring to his famous passage in 'Song of Myself'..."
"For now it is sufficient to note that, despite periods of antislavery activism, he always maintained a lurking sympathy for the South."
"The poet's older brother, Jesse, would lose his mind and die in an insane asylum.  His beloved sister, Hannah, became neurotic, possibly psychotic.  His brother Andrew became an alcoholic who died young and whose indigent wife became a streetwalker."
"Whitman spent twenty-eight years of his life residing in Brooklyn - more than in any other place - and absorbed all aspects of its daily life."
"He did not have to struggle, as did Hawthorne or Dickinson, with a personal heritage of repressive Calvinism, although his boyhood visits to different churches did give him some exposure to gloomy religions..."
"The character continues, 'I do, in my heart, believe that we shall live to see poetry done away with - the poetry of form, I mean - of rhyme, measure and cadence.'"
"At eleven, Whitman was forced, apparently by his family's financial necessity, to seek employment."
"'My theory is that the author might be the maker even of the body of his book - set the type, print the book on a press, put a cover on it, all with his own hands: learning his trade from A to Z - all there is of it.'"

My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: Chapters 5-9

"As for the impact of all this on the Dickinson children, it looks as if they were much better shielded from illness, cold weather, and physical labor than from their parents' protective anxieties."  I was shocked by how much the Dickinson children were sheltered for most of their life.  However, there seemed to be a double standard when it was concerned with Austin, Emily's brother, who was often allowed more advantages than his sisters.  A copy of The Frugal Housewife was marked with this line - "I would not that servile and laborious employment should be forced upon young."

Often the role of chores would fall on Emily's mother, which it is said that she gladly accepted.  I was confused by this as Emily's mother was frequently mentioned to have health concerns.  It seemed strange that they would sacrifice the health of the mother for the unencumbered life of the children.  Perhaps it is this idea, this attitude which spurred on Emily's anger towards her mother. 

"The inevitable inference is that she never much attached to her mother, that her mother failed her emotionally, and that the result was a profound deformation."

"The passage captures many aspects of the writer's girlhood: the interest in flowers (learned in part from Mother); the questing, pleasure-seeking spirit; the accidental nature of her transgression; her sense that her mother was always weary; and her perception that the reproof did not come from the heart."

Concerning her poem, They Shut Me up in Prose, "Dickinson's poems often lay claim to a kind of sovereignity traditionally identigied with deity itself.  What is striking about this one is that the consciousneess of power seems to originate within a cage." 

"Although it is impossible to quantify her school attendance, it appears she acquired much of her early learning at home, in the presence of a mother who spelled "feeling" with an "a." Does that help explain why Dickinson began "upon" with an "o" for most of her life, or why she and her sister and brother never learned, or bothered with, standard punctuation?"  I know Dickinson uses quite a strange set of punctuation in her novels; however, I don't think I would ever have attributed it to her lack of education.  Perhaps I read it wrong, but it seems that her grammar and punctuation were quite normal in her personal letters to friends and acquaintances.  The way this author seems to talk about her punctuation seems to put her down, blaming it on a lack of education.

In all honesty, this statement seemed to loose my respect for this author of this biography - but perhaps this is a different fault entirely.  Clearly, I place Dickinson on some sort of literary genius pedestal, even without studying all of her work.  Perhaps this is where the fault lies - in me, in our creation of the literary canon.  It has been taught to me through all my years of schooling that her precise use of language and punctuation where for specific purposes, but how much of her work was based on error in punctuation and capitalization.  It is tough for me to assume that she never made a mistake and that this is what has caused us to study her.  Perhaps some of what we contribute to her literary genius is in fact an error that, if she were alive today, would quickly be remedied... but I digress.

One of the most fascinating elements of the Dickinson biography was the mention of the children's magazine, Sabbath School Visitor.  I was shocked at the level of violence and grotesque images illustrated in it; it reminded me of the old Grimm's Fairy Tales.  I wonder why shocking children with these images was the chosen way to pass on information.  I am particularly fond of the story "The Lost Finger" where Elizabeth chops off her finger while doing something she shouldn't in a factory.  At first I found this a strange setting for a children's story, but then I thought it a good glimpse into the society of the time.  I am sure child labor was more prevalent back then and it would have been a good thing to teach. 

Back to Mrs. Dickinson, Emily's mother again.  What was wrong with her?  Is this one reason Emily's father was so over protective of his children?  The biographer notes that Catherine wrote a letter assuring that "...mother and children are 'quite well,' repeating and underlining at letter's end that Mrs. Dickinson was 'perfectly well.' The insinuatiing emphasis points to something the record fails to clarify. 

And now for something completely different!

Okay, not "completely" different, but different nonetheless.  Stay tuned for new commonplace blog entries focusing on Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson!

Also, check out these artistic renderings of the two authors...

Beneath her shirt, a book was eating her up.

This book meant so much to me, I cannot begin to explain the emotional attachment I have to it.  Without much explanation, here is a step-by-step collection of images culminating in my own expression of The Book Thief.  Enjoy...

In the event of snow, you must make sure you use a good shovel...

Death as the narrator of The Book Thief... This definitely adds a unique element to the novel.

"First the colors.  Then the humans."  My biggest question with Death comes back to this first line - the colors. Death's perception of colors is fascinating and makes him out to be a beautiful artist.  Any painter would tell you that a sky isn't blue - a sky is blue and yellow and orange and purple and red and bursting with life.  His visioning of all of the different colors is incredible and rivals the beauty of a famous painting.  Also, how could Death not be interested in Liesel when her first stolen book was about the proper way to treat the dead?

Liesel's story is sad and heartbreaking and a contradiction to popular belief.  Normally, Holocaust stories portray the pain and suffering of a Jewish person, but this story takes place on the other side of the spectrum.  However, at the beginning of the story I thought this had to be about a Jewish girl.  When Liesel was traveling on the train and her brother died, I automatically assumed that this must be a train to a concentration camp.

This personality contradiction seems to be a favorite of Zusak.  In Maus, the therapist claims, "Perhaps there shouldn't be any more Holocaust stories."  The therapist and Vladek seem to feel like the basic story has been told over and over; however, both Vladek and Zusak decide to take their stories to the next level.  They want their story to be different than any other Holocaust narrative.  Zusak's story is one of pain, but it is a universal pain, a bystander's pain.

You murdered me, mommy...

My personal life plays a large part in my connection to this graphic novel, Maus.  First, I love and respect the art of the comic (well done comics, that is).  Second, this is my first year teaching 8th grade Literature and one of my district's requirements is the coverage of Anne Frank.  I will never claim to be a history buff, far from it in fact.  This novel has been an eye opener and an excellent example of for me to learn from and pass on to my students.

That said, I was confused by the introduction of the novel which featured Valdek's history with Lucia Greenberg.  I began to think that this was the author merely trying to point out the humanity and normalcy of his father; however, through further reading I began to see another character trait emerge.  Vladek is resourceful and always seems to look out for himself - sometimes to the point of being selfish and one minded.  I think this was a character trait that Art choose to utilize and emphasize to remind the reader that his father was a human being throughout the entire experience of the Holocaust.  Despite being subjected to such brutality and the dehumanizing effect of the Nazis, Vladek retains his humanesque qualities throughout.

The appearance of "Prisoner on a Hell Planet" was definitely unexpected.  On a side note, I appreciated the stark contrast of artistic quality, but as for it's importance I am drawn two ways.  As previously explained, Vladek is truly a man after his own goals.  This experience of the death of his wife shows a true and utter breakdown which was unseen throughout the entire Holocaust experience.  How could a man who was so strong break down now after all this time?  On the other hand, I feel like this is the reader's first honest connection to the author. Up until now, it has seemed that the war has had little effect on Art's life, but this shows us a glimpse of something more.

The final word of the novel, "Murderer" is filled with strength and power.  During the escape into the "... Hell Planet" comic, Arti blames his mother for his death.  He claims that she is his murderer.  As his mother faded away into maniac depression and eventually her suicide, she drove her son to madness.  In his madness he links her depression and her obsession over him as an equivalent to the death of him.  This last word of the novel, rings back to the comic; however, it is not the mother who is claimed as committing the perfect crime - it is Vladek.  Vladek destroyed and lost the only element of Anja before the depression.  In doing so, Vladek has murdered the one image of 'mother' that Arti has always held dear.

A new face deserved a new name.

Analyzing American Born Chinese through the elements of the article 'motion' from an unknown book. 

Panel-to-Panel Motion

This form of motion is one of the earliest stages of comic movement.  The character changes abrubtly from one panel to the next.  Mentally, the reader assumes the motion in between.  Later on this can be classified also as static background motion. 

Sound Effect Motion

Sound effect motion is more unique in its execution.  In this sense, a sound effect like a camera 'click' or the 'tick tock' of a clock, can signify movement in itself. 

Motion Line
A common form of movement in newspaper comics is the use of a motion line.  In this form, the movement is traced or outlined through one or multiple lines. 

Multiple Image & Streaking Motion
In this form of motion the image that is in motion is repeated (normally framed or echoed with motion lines), alternatively, the multiple images may be streaked or slightly blurred as well. 

Blurred Background or Foreground Motion
This uses concepts from movies where the camera can only focus on one movement at a time.  For insance in a scene where a car is speeding down the street, two scenarios may happen.  First, the car may be blurred while the buildings are in focus.  Second, the car may be in focus while the buildings are blurred out. 

Static Background Motion
This is uses panel-to-panel motion, but seems to focus more on the background.  (In my opinion, panel-to-panel would have a plain background while static background has more detailed background elements.) 

Time / Duration Motion
Time / Duration motion uses an element of time like a clock, watch, or even the setting or rising sun and the reader can notice the time change from panel to panel. 

So what does the motion add to this piece of literature?  This novel is built around change and there is no clearer way to see change than through the pictures and the motion within them.  The novel deals with multiple levels of stereotyping, primarily that of Chinese or Chinese American children.  The idea that every child who is Chinese must love robots is played out as the young boy want to grow up to be a Transformer and for the fact that the robot that the Monkey King has is what first unites the two young boys.  Along with robots, another stereotype is that of a love of comic books - what better why to publish this story?