"I like a look of Agony,
Because I know it's true -
Men do not sham Convulsion,
Nor simulate, a Throe - "

"Dickinson often writes aphoristically, meaning that she compresses a great deal of meaning into a very small number of words. This can make her poems hard to understand on a first reading, but when their meaning does unveil itself, it often explodes in the mind all at once, and lines that seemed baffling can become intensely and unforgettably clear."

Dickinson is obviously someone that acknowledges her appreciation for honesty. She can enjoy something or at least respect it if it is not hiding anything. If you are not hiding anything, you are revealing yourself to everyone which takes confidence and courage. At the same time you can’t be totally open about everything to anyone or you could be putting yourself in danger. Or you could be thought of as weird which can be a pretty bad place to be in if you don’t play your cards right. I have already conjured up some respect for Dickinson because she can look past the harshness or ugliness of a person or situation. That takes intelligence and maturity. To be able to enjoy something just because it is transparent takes wisdom. As we get older we realize how easy it is to be tricked and how often people try to trick you. This gives us more admiration for things that are clear and straight forward. It saves time and frustration when we don’t have to figure something out. I especially dislike things that are made complicated or unclear just for the sake of distracting us from the facts.

I am fairly positive that Dickinson doesn’t enjoy watching anyone in agony. I don’t think anyone does unless they’re crazy or the person in pain really deserved it. I like that she goes to the extreme to make her point known. After reading the first line I was a little confused and maybe even a little shocked. I also thought she might just be being sarcastic for the poem, which she kind of is. In the second line you get a sense of relief because she justifies why she said she likes the look of agony. I can relate to her appreciation of truth. In my experience, in order to appreciate truth you must first experience the pain of being lied to. What first comes to mind is when the police tell you that you won’t get in any trouble as long as you’re honest. Then you give an incriminating statement and of course you’re immediately treated as the scum of the earth.

The reason Dickinson uses states of torture to show truth is because that’s when people are least concerned with their appearance. Whether they are conscious of it or not people are always concerned about the way they look to a certain degree (except when they’re sleeping or knocked out). Only in extreme circumstances do people become utterly careless of their appearance and one of them is enduring agony. People are so overwhelmed by their instincts that their emphasis on looks is non-existent.

"SparkNotes: Dickinson’s Poetry: Analysis." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/dickinson/analysis.html>.

“The ability of Whitman's persona to shift quickly between different identities, including those of blacks and woman, and to emanate health to everyone approximated the mesmerists' posture.”

"Have you learned the lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed passage with you?" - Walt Whitman

This statement makes it sound like Whitman is doing a little role reversal. Instead of him hypnotizing the reader into making them feel a shift in their identity, Whitman takes on the role of the subject by shifting his own identity. It just doesn't really make sense to me to call him a mesmerist when he's taking on the the position of someone that is being mesmerized. It makes sense that Whitman would not attempt to mesmerize his readers because that would involve some sort of hypnotism which I'm pretty certain requires making actual contact with the hypnotist. I think Reynolds is saying that Whitman shifted his identity because he had observed or read that a hypnotist would make their patients shift their identity. I interpret the term mesmerist as someone who is able to hypnotize people and make up an identity for them that they then internalize. I definitely agree that Whitman tries to emanate health when he describes himself as healthy. I think it goes without saying that he wants his readers to share his experience or at least feel the emotions he projects. For example when he poetically describes a feeling of bliss he wants his readers to feel bliss, and even if you only do a little bit he's accomplished his purpose.

The poetry Whitman writes is so descriptive and the words are so artistically crafted together that I am often hypnotized by it. I am awestruck at his verses and struggle to keep up with them at the same time. This state of admiration and confusion has the capability to possess my mind. In this sense Whitman is taking on the role of a mesmerist. The way he speaks so directly to his audience makes them share his thought processes and emotions. When he takes on a new identity in his poems the reader is so enveloped that they can shift their identity smoothly along with him. He has the rare talent of putting his readers in a semi-conscious state. To achieve this impressive act of hypnotism the reader must also be able to hold up their end of the bargain. This means deeply focusing on the writing and being apt at understanding the definitions and possible variations that are exercised in the English language. It also includes translating his imagery into your own head. I speak from experience because I can't get into a text or poem unless I understand it or am at least trying to. Whitman refines mesmerism to fit his needs by removing all of the false excess that it's widely known for. There is nothing hokey about Whitman's creative genius and his ability to shift identities. It's the result of experience and inventiveness that needn't rely on a placebo effect.

"Walt Whitman Quotes - The Quotations Page." Quotes and Famous Sayings - The Quotations Page. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Walt_Whitman/>.

“Backward I see in my own days where I sweated through fog with linguists and contenders,

I have no mockings or arguments, I witness and wait.”

"If you done it, it ain't bragging." - Walt Whitman

Whitman is using his past experiences to better his way of talking to smart people and understand them more easily. It seems repetitive to say “my own days” but I think he does it on purpose to emphasize that he's looking back on specifically his experience and not trying to understand everyone's experience in dealing with highly talented people. In the first line he's acknowledging the frustration and confusion he endured when trying to interpret and appreciate the words of a linguist. He's also saying that when he would compete with contenders he would experience the same lack of ability. To have a fair chance of successfully dealing with an opponent you must be well familiarized with their tactics and know how to execute the proper defense or offense. If you are not well equipped or devoted enough in taking on a task you will be sweating. If your walking through some fog your guaranteed to get covered in water. The same amount of moisture you would get by sweating profusely. Whitman is using sweating as a replacement for struggling because it works with his fog analogy. In this context I interpret contenders to be the same thing as someone who is experienced when it comes to competing with another individual. So if your faced with competing with a contender your probably going to be “sweating” so much moisture that you might as well have walked through a dense fog. In the second line he seems to be referring to the linguist. If his goal was to out speak a linguist his approach wouldn't be to mock them or argue with them. That tactic would be futile. The best option is to sit back, listen, and wait for whatever else may be coming at you. That way you learn from the encounter instead of talking so much that you don't even understand what the counter argument is.

I feel like Whitman is trying to give us advice on how to live our lives. He is boasting that he knows how to get the most out of an experience. He “witnesses and waits.” He acts like he understands what I'm all about and is therefore in a position to be giving me guidance. To suggest that you have that kind of wisdom is definitely a little egotistical. I also think that observation and waiting alone is not the best way to learn. Sometimes mocking someone is necessary to show what your stance is on the topic or idea. By mocking someone it can also have the effect of putting that person in their place. The better a person understands their position the easier it is to get out of it or improve it. I interpret his use of the word “arguments” in two ways. The first is him advising us not to argue when we should just accept what we are being told. The other is him advising us not to argue period. I don't like this way of looking at it because I strongly believe that arguing can produce many positive outcomes.

"Walt Whitman Quotes." Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1438.Walt_Whitman>.

“Consider, you who peruse me, whether I may be not in unknown ways be looking upon you”(p.25 line 112)

"I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
And if each and all be aware I sit content.
One world is aware, and by the far the largest to me, and that is myself,
And whether I come to my own today or in ten thousand or ten million years,
I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness, I can wait." -Walt Whitman

            I would guess that he was laughing a little bit when he wrote this line. It's like he's turning the tables on us, making us feel uneasy. We may think we're in our room reading in private, but he could secretly be watching us. Who knows for certain? He knows that we don't know and is using that ambiguity to make us feel a deeper connection to him. The more we can connect or relate with the author the more likely it is that we enjoy their work. As long as it's not boring. “Looking down upon us” seems to grant him superiority over the reader. He is so aware that his perception and interpretation of life is analogous to everyone else's that he has the advantage of knowing what someone is thinking at any given time given their situation. He can guess that we feel in control because we are reading his deep emotions and he counteracts our enhanced observation skills by letting us know he just may be observing us.

            In this poem we are looking into the mind and experiences of Walt Whitman. He makes a point that almost all of what we experience has been experienced before and will be experienced countless times in the future despite our urge to feel unique. We feel obligated to put emphasis on our individuality but at the same time realize we share so much in common with our fellow humans that we might as well be them. We should also never let our urge to be different be overwhelming or be a burden on us because our similarities are so vast. It would be silly to feel alone when so many other people past, present and future share the exact same feelings. This common feeling brings us together, is overpowering and somewhat spiritual. Whitman wants us to consider that though we may feel like we are getting a glimpse into his personal life, we are merely reading about things which we ourselves have already done or felt. His use of the word “you” stands out because in the surrounding text he hasn't been so direct. It's a direct threat to us because we are now stripped of our ability to blend in with the thousands and thousands of others who read his words. He's no longer just speaking to the readers, he's in my face talking to me. There is definitely a positive effect to being so straight forward. I feel special when I think the author wrote these words especially for me. He's exploiting our desire to stand out in the crowd by pulling us aside and getting some one on one time in with us.

"Walt Whitman Quotes." Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. Web. 09 Mar. 2011. <http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1438.Walt_Whitman>.

Mason Labash
English 48B
March 4, 2011
Journal: Analysis of Kate Chopin's works

"Yet this sensual side to her nature is one that her husband has clearly not seen, or has chosen not to see. He has seen her only in the roles which she is expected to fulfill in marriage, roles of service to him, roles true to nineteenth century ideals of womanhood. He has inscribed this identity upon her."

“Women are the only oppressed group in our society that lives in intimate association with their oppressors.”  -Evelyn Cunningham

              Kate creates some sympathy for the male character in power because he too is confined to the perceptions of convention. He can only perceive characteristics of his wife which are made apparent to him. He can’t see every aspect of her personality because her physical actions and what she says are all censored by what is expected of her. If she were to express her deepest thoughts on how she should have equal opportunities as her husband he would seriously take her concerns into consideration. At the same time he must tell her to maintain the feminine image thought to be acceptable by friends and others in society who judge their marriage. He has put a lot of effort into building a respectable reputation and can’t have a wife who makes her want for independence known to the public. The double standard for genders in marriage at that time created a reason for countless women to desire a bigger sense of independence. He may have chosen not to or not been able to see the sensual side of her nature but it is only because the wife doesn’t express it. The wife seems to never be able to reveal her passionate side because if she were to the man would have the ability of understanding every aspect of her and therefore possessing her. Even though Kate’s stories begin with the husbands possessing their wives the women always break free of this possession. She always follows through with her theme of the men’s eventual inability to possess their wives so that she can subvert the patriarchy.

              The wife’s sensual side is camouflaged to her husband and can only be viewed from the first person perspective because of the way men only view women from their point of view. He inscribes his identity upon her so that he can feel like he is dominant but it is not his fault as an individual. We can still feel sympathetic towards him because it is simply how he was raised to treat women. Because Chopin understands this she never makes her male character in the relationship particularly cruel. They are all equally unfair in their treatment of women.

              It is very understandable why the husband’s interpretation of his wife’s personality is obscured by her roles. When she is in a position where she must submit to his every desire and suppress her own she is constantly forced to take the role of a follower. As a follower she rarely voices her opinions for fear that they might clash with her husband’s.  Chopin openly expresses the female’s awareness of their repressed situation making it obvious that they resent it.

             Feminism Quotes, Sayings about Women's Rights, Sexism, Gender Liberation." The Quote Garden - Quotes, Sayings, Quotations, Verses. Web. 04 Mar. 2011. <http://www.quotegarden.com/feminism.html>.

Mason Labash
English 48B
March 3, 2011
Journal: The Awakening

 "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."

 "Choked by the cloistering, moralistic garb of the Victorian era, yet willing to give up everything--even her own life--for the freedom of unencumbered individuality, Edna Pontellier epitomized the consummate New Woman of the late nineteenth century. She embodied the social ideals for which women of that era were striving."

              Edna thinks that her children and domestic obligations such as being a loving wife to Leonce are keeping her from pursuing a career as an artist. She feels like her ability to be independent would be greatly limited if she was forced to raise her children and resume living with Leonce. When she uses the word "children" it is representative of the many social restraints  placed on her in the late 1800's a woman. Being in a position where she has the freedom to date men, be independent, and develop her talents and passions is essential. What is unessential is her abiding by the expectation of society to be an entirely family oriented woman. According to her much earlier admission to Adele she would give up her life for her children as part of the unessential.  This shows she does love her children but not enough to sacrifice her own well-being. This is her attempt at trying to reveal some of her deepest feelings with Adele. She is just "awakening" to her individuality and wants to hear the reaction of someone who is an ideal family oriented woman so she can hear her perspective.  She is obviously completely against the social norms that she is supposed to be abiding by.

              It takes so long for her to understand what she meant because she wasn't quite sure of what she wanted out of life. She now realizes that she wants meaningful human relationships with people she cares about like Robert and her children. What she doesn't want is them to restrain her like her marriage with Leonce had once done. Living with Leonce was a constant reminder that she should give in to being the ideal wife that commits self-sacrifice in order to develop an ideal household. Through her visits with Madamoiselle Reisz she came to the conclusion that she didn't want to be as lonely as she was but still wanted to live as independently and freely as she did. Even though Madamoiselle Reisz is lonely Edna is still certain she would rather live a life like that then be confined the way Adele was. Adele's only unique outlet was to play music but even that was coerced into being strictly for the the purpose of brightening her home life. This quote is a simplified way of saying, "I would rather give up the unessential and live like Madamoiselle Reisz and be able to be individualistic and creative than devote my whole existence to my family the way Adele has." It isn't possible for her to be artistic and spirited when she is the stereotypical mother obstructed by duties at home and fully aware of it.




"Kate Chopin's The Awakening: A Critical Reception." Women Writers: A Zine. Web. 04 Mar. 2011. <http://www.womenwriters.net/domesticgoddess/sprinkle.htm>.

Mason Labash
English 48B
February 1, 2011
The Awakening Journal

“It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshipped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels”(p.540).

"The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. " - Kate Chopin

This type of woman seems to be the supposed ideal wife of the time period. She offers nothing but untainted affection to her children and husband and is nothing but loyal during her entire tenure in this role. She would most definitely never question her purpose entailing that she would be completely content with it at all times. This type of woman is quite unrealistic in my opinion because I don’t believe any human being could be happy with their life when it is so restricted and defined.

This definition of a loving wife plays a very important role in society. It is perhaps what is expected of woman but very highly unattainable. It describes an individual that would kind of have to bottle up their emotions and keep them locked deep inside. In the context of this story where all women who are past their teenage years are married it is very important that their lives are given meaning because they are basically locked up in their homes. I understand that it’s important to care for your child, but you can’t properly care for a child when you feel trapped by your marriage and can’t really pursue your dreams and develop your talents. Also I don’t think sewing can really satisfy this longing either, but it seems that that is indeed the expectation.

The author, Kate is of course a woman and it is clear she is offering a feminist perspective on the matter. She is very familiar with this standardized role of women and can easily relate to someone in this position. Her voice and opinion really shine through when she says, “Esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals.” I love her use of the word “privilege “because she feels these women just could not be happier with their job and would love nothing more than to bury their individuality. How could someone be expected to devote their life to caring for children? Mothers don’t have to be watching over their children 24/7 to be considered good mothers.  I would expect her view to be that women who play into this role perpetuate the stereotypes of all women. I get the feeling that the main character, Edna, embodies many of the characteristics of Chopin. She cries alone, and cannot explain it and also leaves her children to go off to do their own thing. Her children get by just fine without the shadow of their mother’s wings constantly hanging over them. Her use of the word “angels” is a precise description of what these types of wives represent. An angel dwelling on earth is highly unrealistic, demonstrating that humans acting as angels are equally rare.

"Kate Chopin Quotes." Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5132.Kate_Chopin>.