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The first annex poems are surprisingly short, when you compare them to poems such as “Song of Myself.” A common theme that I noticed in these poems, which is a common theme of Whitman’s in general, is the nautical theme – the oceans, being a pilot, etc. etc. A word that stood out for me was “undulate” which he used twice within just a couple of the first several poems. Why did Whitman choose to use so a strong, sexually-connotative word to describe the waves? Possibly because his mind was just always so wrapped up in sexually charged ideas that this word just fit perfectly in line with his regular descriptions.

I really liked the feel of “As I Sit Writing Here”, on Page 614, because he is describing all of the things he’s experiencing now that he’s in his old age (and last few years on Earth). He lists the aches and lethargy, as all older folk tend to get in the end. Mentioning his constipation and boredom (as he describes here as “wimpering ennui”) is classic! I was thinking something along the lines of, “Gee, thanks, Whitman…really needed to know that!” It was still pretty funny though.

“The First Dandelion” (Page 615)  was very Whitman-esque, if you will because he is talking about a weed; a mundane item to someone else but to Whitman is wonderful and beautiful in its own way, which he points out when he states, “innocent, golden, calm as the dawn”. He surely has created a trend, in the texts we’ve read thus far, to write about the everyday things of life that others would not give such credability to, even if they felt so. This short poem also reminded me of the mullein that Whitman mentions in Leaves of Grass (deathbed edition) because it is also a weed or a weed-like flower, I forget, but they are both golden and simple.

Another interesting poem was “Abraham Lincoln, Born Feb. 12, 1809” which was to commemorate Lincoln’s birthday, which in itself is a bit obsessive. We did already know this about Whitman’s attachment to Lincoln. However, in this poem, Whitman actually capitalizes the word “him” as if he was signifying an extreme devotion to Lincoln as if he were some kind of deity. I suggest this because the only time I have ever recalled seeing “Him” is when a text is referring to God. This being said, I feel even more so now that Whitman definitely has some kind of gross, homosexual-like obsession.

The final poem that I wanted to discuss because I though it was rather interesting was “Life and Death” on Page 629. I think it was completely true in the fact that they are two “problems” that are “intertwined” because they are the realities that each person has to deal with not only everyday but eventually, in eternity, as death would have it. I think it’s so true that no matter how long an individual person is to live, death meets each one of us, sometimes when we are prepared, sometimes not.

“Years of the Modern” is the poem that was particularly interesting to me this evening while I read for Thursday because it was one of the poems that related directly with my Material Cultural Museum project. Because my project was on the telegraph, I noticed a lot of the technological connections that Whitman attempted to make in regards to the expansion of acceptance between races and cultural combinations of the peoples of America and the internationally. In this poem, I noticed that Whitman is discussing the progression of not only America, but other countries as well in regards to technology, freedoms, and breaking of boundaries.

Whitman always seemed to be an advocate of the self – to be self-indulgent and then further, to be proud of it. From this poem, I get the sense that Whitman is alluding to being quite the opposite; instead of being involved in oneself, to be involved in the development of onself with others and the greater good of the country and humanity. 

I really like the part where Whitman says, “Are all nations communing? is there going to be but one heart to the globe?” (Whitman, 598). I feel like in this instance, Whitman is pointing to the idea that internationally there is an effort to come together in understanding of other people and other viewpoints, no matter what the subject.

Another great poem from the selection for Thursday was “Song at Sunset” because I could completely imagine the sunset that Whitman describes, even though I can never experience exactly what he was experiencing in that moment. I think it’s wonderful how Whitman relishes in the events of the day and how he is completely amazed by even the smallest things. This amazement in minor items can be seen in “Leaves of Grass” like when he mentions “mullein” and similar weed-like flowers. It is within the mundane things that Whitman feels most connected and attracted to. Back to “Song at Sunset” – Whitman says, “O amazement of things – even the least particle!” – he is specifically pointing out the volume that even the littest items possess.

My reactions to pages 607-608: Why the heck are these poems so short?? Are they even poems; seems more like “line-ers”, whatever that may mean…they are just snipits of Whitman’s mind, like he couldn’t even decide what to write about so he just kind of threw some quick thoughts on the page. Was this to make the reader confused, to question his purpose, to question even more the greatness of these ideas, something else?!

What about “Portals” (608), I wonder…Whitman alludes to the portals of death-moving from life to death but portals in general are just a transition from one stage in life to another; the transcendence of a state of being into another. The power of portals is incredible when one thinks about life in general in that every situation or event or person is meant for a special purpose. Perhaps each of these things is a metaphorical portal that carries a person from ignorance into revelation. I can see that Whitman’s writing can be viewed as a portal into his mind and imagination, as small as the portal may be, it’s possible.