Today we read a few poems from The Spoken Word Revolution (pp. 194, 104-108). We then read Walt Whitman's Song of Myself, or started it. We discussed the poet and his life and the America reflected in this poem, one of our greatest in literary history for the forms he broke and the images evoked.
Students were encouraged to write their own "Song of Myself," as Sherman Alexie did in his "Song of Ourself" after "Defending Walt Whitman" (104-105).
Post your poems and/or reflections here. We will look at Howl, by Alan Ginsberg, another famous poem during the period known for the Beat Poets. These young poets took their work to the streets, into the cafes, collaborating with musicians and other poets. Again Howl like Whitman in his Leaves of Grass where Song of Myself appears, breaks form.
Webistes for
http://www.internal.org/list_poems.phtml?authorID=2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_Myself
http://www.internal.org/list_poems.phtml?authorID=2
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/whitman/section2.rhtml
Poet Beau Sia titles his poem, Howl, also (179).
Homework, continue working on your essays. Thursday, let's talk about the novels you are reading. Prepare to do a book talk.
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Erica Williams
Professor Sabir
English 1B
3 November 2009
Reflection on Walt Whitman
After reading the piece by Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself”, I found it to be full of many ideas that in my opinion told a story. He does an excellent job in placing the reader inside of the poem by using many descriptive words to tug at your imagination. I enjoyed how he painted such a vivid picture of the setting from which he was writing about. He in a sense teaches you how to stop and appreciate the world around you. For example in the poem he writes:
You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through
the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books,
You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me,
You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self.
He declares that we as the reader will be able to see things for more than what they appear to be. Whitman wants us to look at every aspect and not take it for granted. I will the poem in its entirety in order to completely submerge myself into the poem’s setting. However, I really liked the portion of the poem that I was able to read and look forward to reading more of Whitman’s work.
Work Cited:
Whitman, Walt. “Song of Myself.” Leaves of Grass. 3 November 2009. daypoems.com
Song of Myself
1
Munyiga Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba
Kwame Nkrumah
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mahaatma Ghandi
Kwame Toure
El Haj El Malik El Shabazz
Che
Cesar Chavez
Fists up poking out of the crowd like
Fiery hairs
Rooted in passion. Ideas, beliefs, frustrtation
Righteous indignation, hatred, malice, wounds
2
Dead Prez
Talib Kweli
Mos Def
Common
The Roots
Jill Scott
Angie Stone
Lauryn Hill
Bilal
Brown stress, injustice, enhalors, ivs, flatlines
Lay flat, wet kiss, soft touch, hard rocks leak warm water
Release, sex, the funk, the beauty, the life,
The revolution
3
Weed, drank, pictures,
Paintings, puka shells, red stars, locks
Not dread locks, locks
Afros, picks, dashikis, children, must,
Hugs, ashe, amen, piercings, tattoos, poems,
Speeches, shea butter, sage
youthfulness
4
Amethyst Rocks
All I Hear Is
They Schools
Barely Audible
Murder
Golden
I Get Out
Final Hour
Rebel
The sound that preceed bullets and bodies on the ground
Explosions, arrests, framings, railroading, false accusations,
Planting evidence and gunshot wounds in the arm pits
Mumia, Asata, Soledad, etc.
Yeah, the music that rises like steam wetting the atmosphere
Everything becomes wet and moist and attractive like the sea, the lake, the ocean, long hair, big lips, big hips, big words, big hearts, big earrings and big books
4
Longing
Loneliness
Hopelessness
Anxiety
Hunger
Apathy
Everything needs salt, needs sugar, needs fruit and vegetables and prayer and spirit
Signs need scriptures and proverbs, protesters need God, need humility, need peace, need help, need love unconditional, unwarranted, undeserved, shocking, guilt producing, love
5
Altar
Peace
Found
Newness
Wisdom
Tears
Love
Tears
River overflows, uncontainable, indescribable, fluid, daze, questions warping around like feathers falling up, spinning in the moment, the Word, the song, the Lord, the hands raised, the moment
4
Jesus
Pastor
Pastor Harris
TD Jakes
Bishop Eddie Long
Juanita Bynum
Joyce Meyers
Jamal Bryant
Bob Jackson
New heroes, new focus, new time, no time, eternity, forgiveness, people, my walk, my words, my wars, My Rock, My Shelter My Friend, My Comforter
Why stop, don’t go, its me, lets be, lets rap, lets dance, come back, don’t leave, just me and Him
My Friend, why them, now what, who else, where’s love, over please
6
Jesus
Holy Spirit
Speaking in tongues
Dancing
Laughing
Praying
Faith
Love
This college is a collage of backgrounds moving in one direction with many streets, parallel beliefs, young, in pain, need help, healing, cry out, get held, get up, go learn, go preach, no sleep
7
Bart trains
Bus rides
Multitudes
Boredom
Students
Co-workers
Workers
Suits
Nike shoes
Patterns
What now, preach how, preach when, preach now, speak loud, speak up, just wait, not now, not yet, prepare, do work, go read, go sleep, get up, get blessed, get wet, get dressed, stand tall, step out, shrink down, grow cold, shut mouth, die slow, wish much, pray much, plan much, one day, some way, mouth will gape, words escape, hope its not too late.
Itzel Diaz
English 1B
Song of Myself
If I had to talk about myself
I would not know were to start
Because all my life is a journey
and there are things that I don’t want to go back
I was born and received with love
In between the struggle but nothing went wrong
I was the princess of the house
A humble castle protected by God
Never once something bad happened
Because my guard angel had my back
I grew up and life was hard
I look forward, never looked back
Remember my life, carrying my past
Building my future with hard work, no masks
Being myself, not somebody else
I love how life goes
never stops, always goes
it keeps me moving
it don’t want me to stop
keep on growing and working hard
I’ll be who I want; there is no doubt of that .
1.
mascara
lip gloss
nail polish
hairspray
bras
panties
perfume
high heels
dresses
2.
dirt
rocks
rivers
lakes
stars
trees
mud
dust
3.
lights
city scapes
clubs
malls
freeways
graffiti
4.
boots
hats
flannels
belts
tall socks
sweat pants
5.
Jay Z
Lil Wayne
Tupac
Lil Kim
6.
Meryl Haggard
Chris Ledoux
Garth Brooks
Dolly Parton
Where Im from is who I am. Where I am now just doesnt fit.
Ilene Lee
English 1B
Professor Sabir
3 November 2009
Song of Myself
I praise myself and grow with what I experience
My thoughts and dreams grow with each day
That passes
My eyes see the world
In its fascinations and mysteries surrounding
People, my family, my friends, my people
We all share the quality of being human
My mind is open and non-judging
I seek out the eccentricities of humanity
I question the purposes we hold
Our destinies waiting to happen
Ready to burst into our lives and
Become reality
My ideas are influential
They spread like watercolor on a palette
Flowing and mixing in rhythmic patterns
Colors integrating and thoughts sprouting
There are no limits
No standards and no boundaries
Free and billowy, my painting grows
My limbs and shoulders are fragile
Organs and bones lying delicate
I am soft and sensitive
Like a branch, I am light
But I come from strong roots
With a thick core that is planted deep into the ground
Sacrifices made and hardships hidden in the past
I come from traditions and values filled with moral beliefs
I extend from the stable trunk
I reach and grow, sprouting leaves of knowledge and progress
Light and fine, as I am
My leaves and strength hold the highest potential
I am amorphous
Shapeless, formless and unstructured
Everything I embody is ever changing
The uncertainty is exciting
The mysteries and surprises inspire me
Qualities of spontaneity drive my passion
I am different and unexpected
Every day is new
Lovely responses and poetry. Keep writing (smile). I am looking forward to the presentations on Thursday and more poetry. I think poetry makes the world turn...
Poetry's the coconut juice that spills a little as the planet tips its ashay and amen and hallelujah.
Poetry is why we are here right now together. It's our assignment...it's the song Whitman played on his Santa Claus beard just before slavery ended...it's the ball leaning towards the hoops, the lip prints on the glass next to salty memories drowned in pink sunsets perched on slender stems.
We should sing more often of the grass...the waves...the trees and skies and meadows.
Education is a luxury of the middle class, poor people study what they can eat.
Song Of Myself
1
Dave Matthews Band
The Roots
Beyonce
Alicia Keys
Passion Pitt
Pheonix
James Morrison
2
Playing at the park
Making Breakfast
PTA meetings
Hip-Hop class
Flag Football
Soccer Mom
Arts & Crafts
3
Dead Poets Society
Go
Crash
Billy Madison
4
A million Little Pieces
Starving to Eat
Coldest Winter Ever
Twilight
Something Borrowed
Where the Red Fern Grows
Catcher in The Rye
5
Detroit
Chicago
Long Beach
Las Vegas
San Francisco
6
Love
Laughter
Compassion
Honesty
Motherhood
Love
Love
Love
Jose Vasquez
Song Of Myself
1. Sonora
2. Guanajuato
3. Jalisco
4. California
5. Sinaloa
1. watch baseball games
2. go fishing
3. go to the clubs
4. workout
5. drive with the top down
1. Mariachi(is in my blood)
2. banda
3. corridos
4. salsa
5. cumbia
1. spicy
2. sweet
3. sour
4. cold
5. very hot (Tequila!!)
1. Antonio Villaraigosa
2. Emiliano Zapata
3. Pancho Villa
4. John F. Kennedy
5. Alex Rodriguez
1. cars (67 Mustang Eleanor)
2. sport of kings( if u know what I mean)
3. baseball(go Yankees)
4. girls( who doesn't)
5. movies
1. loving
2. caring
3. special
4. unique
5. always myself
yup thats pretty much me!
Munkhjin Munkhbaatar
English 1B
Song of myself
1.Mongolia
America
Alameda
Buena Vista
2.Jacket
T-shirt
Jeans
Underwear
Socks
Vans
Crutches
3.Munhjin
Work
School
Basketball
Volleyball
Soccer
Friends
Oakland
4.Jessica Alba
Megan Fox
Brad Pitt
Warriors
McGrady
Real Madrid
Christiano Ronaldo
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