One Self, One soul

Reading We Are All Whitman: #2: Song of/to/My/Your/Self It has a lot of passion, pain, and expressiveness. The rhythm is like the pace of a heart, having moments that are quickly paced while other parts in the poem are not, but some pauses allow readers to bask in the idea the poem is trying to convey. However, I notice differences in the rhythm of the two poems. Although both have many similarities, Ambroggio has more pauses and expresses a different sort of emotion. With this poem, he expresses the deep feelings he feels for discrimination and injustice among colored people.. Like Whitman, he also lacks periods, which creates a lot of run-ons. Some things rolled off my tongue as I read the fast-paced parts, which flowed perfectly together. In Line 11, “offspring of poor and rich, of lettered and unlettered. ”  This poem, like Whitman’s, has many long sentences. But in a way, these long sentences imitate the stress in his voice, the tiredness of it all. When he goes on about the treatment certain groups of people get, he starts every chunk of text with the same word for the most part, starting with a repetition of the word from to repeating the word It from lines 43- 82. He wanted to bring the poem together and started doing it toward the end. 

This poem starts similar to Whitman’s… people are people, but things can go one way or another, but some differences set them apart; unlike Whitman, I feel he almost embraced differences, pointing them out. Whitman was getting across the point that at the end of the day, no matter what, you have your human with an oil. He uses a lot of symbolism, showing that although people might be from different worlds, certain things remain the same. He expresses his love and hate for creation… the good and bad, yes the physical world we live in, the anatomy..etc might be great but the personalities not as much. This leads to my point on his comparing things to one another. This poem is about identity, problems that certain groups of people face, and problems that Luis himself has gone through. This poem highlights that although God made humans in his image to be considered “perfect,” all are far from it. In the end, regardless of people sharing similarities in anatomy, it doesn’t automatically mean there will be respect.

A way that I saw Ambroggio’s poem translates the rhythmic enumeration of body parts in Whitman’s poem was very prominent in this specific part. I immediately noticed a connection between the two: “It suffers now, and in the next gust of wind, the discriminating smoke of random breath, for good or bad of those who intoxicated breathe ignorance or haughtiness without clusters of stars, mountains, heavenly clouds, wellsprings of gifts and meadows.” It shows similarities to what Whitman said in lines 6-10: “Eyes, eye-fringes, iris of the Eye, eyebrows, and the waking or sleeping of the lids. Mouth, tongue, lips, teeth, roof of the mouth, jaws, and the jaw-hinges.Nose, nostrils of the nose, and the partition. Cheeks, temples, forehead, chin, throat, back of the neck,neck-slue.Strong shoulders, manly beard, scapula, Hind-shoulders, And The ample  Side-round Of The chest,” list things in the same categories to ensure the reader understands their feelings. Overall, as for the meaning of the poems, I felt the end goal was entirely different. Whitman expresses his love for the body and the music all the body parts can make, while Ambroggio sheds a dim light on the fact that creation is beautiful but discusses how the world, indeed, can be. But I could see both trying to find peace in themselves, loving themselves despite what others say, and accepting who they are.

Victoria Sasere

Whitman and Ambroggio’s Celebration Of Life

Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric” utilizes the rhythmic enumeration to emphasize the beauty of every human body by continually using commas as punctuations rather than periods. Throughout the poem, Whitman lists categories of the human body, for example, “Hair, bosom, hips, bend of legs, negligent falling hands all diffused, mine too diffused” (Whitman, 266). In this quote, there are multiple commas where he talks about body parts and how body parts operate, like the bending of the legs. Whitman is expressing his love for the simple actions of humans and how we move our day to day. 

In Ambroggio’s poem, “Song of/to/My/Your/Self,” Ambroggio also utilizes Whitman’s technique of adding commas as punctuation as the rhythm enumeration. The comma adds to the fact that the rhythm is not supposed to stop, which is intentional. With a period, that means it’s the end of the sentence, while the comma is meant to keep his appreciation for life going. While Whitman expresses the love for every human, Ambroggio takes that approach by listing different countries, which expands from just body parts to actually giving representation to actual places where these people reside. For instance, one section says, “This Self is Puerto Rican, Chicano, from Cuba, free dancer of merengues, from Santo Domingo and all the Caribbean, from El Salvador and Nicaragua” (Ambroggio, 2016). Ambroggio highlights not only the people there but also the items in their daily lives, and he later goes on to list grapes and flutes when he is praising these places. This poem draws off Whitman’s celebration of others but also ends the poem by praising himself. Overall, Ambroggio does an excellent job of taking inspiration from Whitman’s poem and spinning it into his own lists of the things humans do and what surrounds humans. Both poems sit back and take their time appreciating common human qualities many don’t think about as often.

Janayah Applon

Identical Twins with Different Personalities

“Song of/to/My/Your/Self” and “I Sing the Body Electric” are like twins that look identical, but have small differences in their personality.They both talk about the same thing, yet they portray their subject in completely different ways. “Song of/to/My/Your/Self” talks about what a person does, while “I Sing the Body Electric” talks about what a person is. “Song of/to/My/Your/Self” uses the same rhythm all the way through, while “I Sing the Body Electric” varies more. “I Sing the Body Electric” also has shorter lines, and is read slower than “Song of/to/My/Your/Self” – it feels like you’re running through the stanzas. Even though both poems discuss the same subject, they portray it differently. This difference in description parallels how everyone has a relatively similar physical body, but on the inside we are drastically different. An interesting way to assess the rhythm and overall sound of both poems is looking at punctuation. “Song of/to/My/Your/Self” and “I Sing the Body Electric” both use a period at the end of each stanza, as well as commas to slow down and speed up each poem.

Anne K. Anderson

Structure in Chaos

In Whitman’s poems he has a structure in the chaos. His prom flow isn’t like typical poems, there is a chaotic flow in his stanzas. In “Body Electric” it’s structured like the alphabet, slow and trailing in the beginning and middle, leading to his chorus in the end where he states “O I say now these are the souls!”, by ending it off like this it shows the end to the rough waters from the middle of the poem. The flow of the poems flows not only through the mouth but Whitman makes you body feel electrified.

In Whitman’s poem “Song of/to/My/You/Self” centers around ones self, particularly more internally. The rhythm flows the poem with connecting stanzas, such as being italicized, “I celebrate myself, and I sing myself.” “I’m large, I contain multitudes.” As in the title, he creates a sing along type poem that is a message for people. The message that is to show ones individuality.

Both Whitman’s poems flow chaotically, like the rough waters in the water that come still.

Roma Ventura

The Free verse and the Chaotic

In the poems by Walt Whitman, “I Sing the Body Electric, and Luis Alberto’s Ambroggio’s “We Are All Whitman #2: Song/of/to My/Your/Self, ” we don’t see the very structured sides of poets. While last week our class was looking to fin d the very precise and coordinated rhythm and meter of he poem this time around we focus on how the unstructured devices of a poem allow for a better way of a message to get to the reader than the way a message would be conveyed by a very structured poem. Although this is tru and free verse poem can b e refreshing and a great form of writing, it allows for the meaning of the poem to be up to more interpretation that if it was structured like pros, in my opinion. The way that owe discussed Whitman’s poem last week allowed us to see two very different points of view, whether he was being misogynistic or whether he was being progressive for his time. I believe that he was being sexist but because of the intricate free verse someone else m might think of it in a different way, thus creating the chaos of what the poet is actually trying to convey and allowing us top have more discussion about our ideas.

Guadalupe Lemus

There is chaos in enumeration

We are given two poems, one by Luis Alberto Ambroggio called “We are all Whitman: Song of/to/my/your/self” and one by Walt Whitman called “I sing the body in electric”. Luis Alberto Ambroggio’s poem translates the rhythmic enumeration of the body parts in Whitmans poem because Alberto uses the technique of listing things which creates chaos. You would think that listing makes something more simple and easy but these two poems give somewhat of a chaotic effect. However, Whitmans poem talks about the body parts of men and women. While Ambroggio’s poem talks about ethnicity and the experiences of some of the ethnicities. The poems are about different things but they are similar in the way that they using enumeration. When reading Whitmans poem out loud it had many moments where the poems sound escalated and times where it would deescalate which is what created the chaos. The irony in Whitmans poem was that when reading it out loud it could make you feel electrified which is in its title. The poems rhythm was almost like a heart’s pulse when someone is energetic. Ambroggio’s poem had a similar effect to his as well. However Ambroggio’s poem felt a little more calm and structured while Whitmans poems was everywhere. Luis Alberto Ambroggio translated a poem in different languages. It was interesting because there was three different translations and they all had the same effect on the poem the only difference was the translation itself. Ambroggio and Whitmans poem were similar due to enumeration however, they just had two different concepts.

Katherine Deras

Culture, Place, and the Body

For this assignment, we were tasked with looking at two poems, “I Sing the Body Electric” by Walt Whitman and “We are All Whitman: #2: Song of/to/My/Your/Self” by Luis Alberto Ambroggio. We were tasked with finding the comparison between the rhythmic enumeration of both poems, of which I feel as though Ambroggio takes the chaotic energy found in Whitman’s poem and translates it to people’s sense of culture and place. One of the methods that Whitman uses to create the chaotic energy of the poem is the usage of fast listing accompanied by asyndeton to make each and every object in the list striking and come out quickly. He does this to list carious body parts, such as “The natural, perfect, varied attitudes, the bent head, the curv’d neck and the counting”. Ambroggio uses this type of listing to create a chaotic energy even in the very first lines with “This Self- Hispanic, Latin, blond, black, olive-skinned, native and immigrant”. In addition to this, both poems have rapid changes in elevation in terms of voice, with there being many peaks and troughs as if the reader is going on a roller-coaster ride as they are reading each poem. This was demonstrated in class via a reading of Whitman’s poem accompanied with someone drawing the energy wavelengths as the poem was being read. As the poem went on, we watched as the energy of the poem drastically changed and went wild throughout, leading to something akin to a wild heartbeat at the end, symbolizing the chaos and “electrified body” that was reading the poem. Ambroggio certainly does this in many places, such as creating high highs of energy with “fatherland of many fatherlands” and then lowering the energy immediately afterwards with “of random breath,” and a pause. However, I feel like Ambroggio’s poem is a lot more methodical in it’s approach to the chaos: there are a lot more drawn-out sections of the poem where certain ideas or images are explored in a lot more depth than in Whitman’s poem. I feel that this change is due to the focus and theme of Ambroggio’s poem, that being on culture and place. Ambroggio’s poem is more than simply a celebration of one’s heritage and culture, like Whitman’s poem is for the body, but is much more complex than that. Ambroggio’s poem also gives question to how those cultures are influenced by outside forces, the suffering that those cultures and places endure because of it, and a closer look at the families and places that inhabit those cultures (shown in lines such as “It is harassed and startled by propellers and shrapnel, by ashes and the hammer’s hard-won pennies” showing connection to the warmongering of other nations on these places due to a profit motive). Because of this, Ambroggio’s poem takes more interest in the reasoning behind the chaos, such as what it came to be that way and the outside forces that influence the energy of these cultures and places as well as hinting at the chaos possibly being caused by these outside forces. In doing so, Ambroggio’s poem has much more structure behind the chaotic energy than Whitman’s poem.

The Beauty in Perception

Everyone who reads poetry has their own interpretation for what they believe was the main purpose and message behind one’s work. In fact, regardless of whether or not a poet intended a specific meaning, all readers could argue a different viewpoint with their own reasonings if desired. This week’s focus for free verse poetry included “I Sing the Body Electric” by Walt Whitman and “We Are All Whitman: #2: Song of/to/My/Your/Self” by Luis Alberto Ambroggio.

Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric” was quite an entertaining poem to read amongst classmates, and it was even more ‘electrifying’ having experienced it through the powerful voice of one of our peers, followed by the professor’s take on performing it. During the discussion, I realized from a third person’s point of view how much of a difference it makes when someone reads such excerpts aloud and how much easier it was to analyze the rhythm in contrast to mental reading. The beauty in this poem was the concept that no set rhythm stayed consistent throughout. There were so many highs and lows that it was nearly impossible not to hear the passion behind every line from start to finish. Whitman heavily emphasized his views on men and women being equally powerful in their bodies, an opinion that was once immensely controversial during that time period. This in itself creates such a dynamic atmosphere and really sets the tone for how the poem should be expressed. As each body part was mentioned and appreciated, there was a sense of explosion in terms of overwhelming feelings which I feel really helped in translating the significance of equality here. The more chaotic the rhythm was, the more influential the message.

Luis Alberto Ambroggio’s “We Are All Whitman: #2: Song of/to/My/Your/Self” shows listeners the different ways the poem can be interpreted simply by reading it in a different language. Here, sound and rhythm play a huge key factor because we get to witness different tones within those languages, and be able to pick out where each poet emphasized what parts of the lines. It was beautiful to hear the Spanish and Persian translations as someone who doesn’t understand either language. Coming from a trilingual background myself, I loved when at the end they discussed how each language almost gives the poem a different feel and meaning; perception is different for each reader. I also believe that each language has its beauty in being able to interpret words with a specific tone and accent. The music in the background was another major factor for the recognition of ‘sound and rhythm’ because not only did it set the tone, but it almost seems to accentuate the different languages they read in. It goes to show that each language has its own way of producing word flow because accents play a part in sound as well, and those sounds are what create an ongoing rhythm. This is why music is also considered as poetry because each sound and word go hand in hand in order to get a message across, and those words create perception.

Simranpreet Kaur

Rhythmic Chaos in Cadence

For this assignment, we are presented with “We are All Whitman: #2: Song of/to/My/Your/Self” by Luis Ambroggio and “I Sing the Body Electric” by Walt Whitman. After discussing “I Sing the Body Electric” in class with my fellow peers, I have taken the intricacies of rhythm into account. When reading this poem, there are extreme inclines and declines in the reader’s voice as they read aloud every line. In class, there were two visual and auditory demonstrations of the inclines and declines within the poem. By the time my professor had finished Whitman’s poem, he was out of breath. However, during the reading there was an electric sensation that echoed in the room due to the cadence and tone. That specific cadence that is amplified and it resembles the chaotic nature of being human. When we dissect the lines, which focus on the body, there are moments where a certain body part is gendered by Whitman. Whitman, of course this is what we would like to believe, is placing both men and women on an equal playing field. Ambroggio’s poem that alludes to Whitman, conveys parallel focal points in rhythm and cadence. There are two videos provided where three poets read “Song to Myself” by Walt Whitman. One of the videos is demonstrating the diversity in translation when reading the same poem. The second presents the three poets who give direct translations as well as their analysis on the question of sensuality.

In Ambroggio’s poem the reader is already embraced by the multitude of colors that exist in this universe, “Hispanic, Latin, blond, black,” (Line 1). When Whitman’s poem “Song to Myself” was read aloud by the three speakers, there were again inclines and declines in the tones of each. One reader spoke in English, the other in Spanish, and lastly in Persian. The Spanish translation exemplified euphony in comparison to Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric.” Similarly, in Ambroggio’s poem there are tangible qualities that resemble “I Sing the Body Electric” such as the enumeration. Both poets discuss different periods of the spectrum within the human experience, one is more physical than the other. I can only imagine the copious amount of slopes created in Ambroggio’s poem. Even just by reading it aloud to myself, I am left with the sense of freedom and passion for the human experience despite bearing somewhat nihilistic thoughts. And while there is no rhyme scheme for both of these poems, there remains structure. The rhythmic listing of races, body parts, ethnicities, gender, and nature are a part of the human experience.

Emily Pu

Weary Body/Mind

Randy Hernandez

The poems “The Tired Worker” and “Outcast” by McKay Claude  are two poems reflecting on the common man in America. I believe the two poems describes the inner emotions and mental state of the lower class or working class in American society. This was a time where people of color worked very laborious and tedious job for next to nothing wages. The two poems share this common characteristics as its main focus throughout both poems share the real life experiences of those who are oppressed by the white man such as colored people and lower class individuals. This would lead me to conclude this idea of the poem “Outcast” represents the poem “The tired Worker” in the aspect of the speakers feeling hopelessness and despair.

Specifically, when both the speakers share the common idea of feeling isolated in the world they work for, how they feel strapped down to the working class and feel no freedom. In the poem “Outcast” the speaker states “I would go back to darkness and peace/ But the great western world holds me to fee” (line5-6). In this quote shows this aspect of the speaker feeling trapped in this country he lives in. The speaker feels the need to go back to his home land to feel content in his current life. The use of personifying the western world and describing it as the “great western world” has significance, the speaker acknowledges the benefits this world brings him. The world makes the speaker feel trapped which is emphasised by personifying the western world as to keep him contained, the speaker is able to show his sense of gratefulness. This world does have many downfalls but it’s still worth exploring the opportunities it can provide for the working class at times. 

Similarly, this is noted in the poem “The tried Worker” as the speaker shows his frustration of not feeling able to rest his body. The speaker can’t wait to put his body under the sheets to sleep to rest the physical body and mental mind. The poem also shows how the speaker dreads once he is awakened as the speaker says “O dawn! O dreaded dawn!”(line 12). The Speaker is showing the lack of rest and peace he feels every morning as he awakes for the day ahead. The speaker expresses his emotions through describing his body to the reader as the speaker says “ Be patient, weary body” (line 5) or says “To rest thy tired hands and aching feet” (line 8). These two examples are of the speaker describing his worn out body from the labor done in the day. The speaker goes to sleep every night with his body feeling weary and his feet and hands feeling worn out. The reader is given a deeper understanding of how the speaker feels every day after a hard day of work. One can picture a person’s body that is shown to be a hard working person but can see the physical and mental effects of it. There is some sense of peace being able to sleep at night. The speaker does acknowledge how they are given not enough rest but are able to receive some type of rest at night as their body is able to recover to some degree. 

Thus, both poems show this idea of being trapped in a world the speaker can’t escape. It’s an endless loop having to work and feeling these emotions of not having any hope and feeling desperate at times. When reading “The Tired Worker” the reader sees how the poem “Outcast” is a manifestation of it of what the speaker is expressing to the reader. This feeling of not seeing a future where they live has trapped them because of the free and empowered white man who controls their lives.