"Emerson and the Work of Melancholia"

"Emerson and the Work of Melancholia" is very descriptive, not only of Emerson's works, but also of his personal life and the tragedies that he went through (Emerson). It speaks of his strggle to try to reach his place of peace (Emerson). He tried to go along with the Romanticists and Transcendentalists for quite a while, but eventually, later in his life, he went completely against everything he had believed in (Emerson). Earlier in his life, he had claimed that mourning and being upset would only hurt a person, and one should not do so. He had many tragedies in his life, though, and so he really needed to put into practice what he had said (Emerson). He actually did a pretty good job in following what he believed, even though it was hard for him. He went through life happy, and he relied on himself for a number of things. In fact, that is what he preached to others (Emerson). He wanted people to be self-reliant and to be able to get for themselves what they needed. He wanted them to figure things by using their intuition and not by using science or reason. He also thought being with nature and relaxing through getting away from society would really help other people. He was very into Romanticism and Trascendentalism early in his life, and he was very extreme in how much it influenced him and how much he tried to influence others by the way that he used them as well (Emerson). Soon, though, the pressures and tragedies of his life got to him, and he started to lose his original thinking and ideas (Emerson). He quickly turned away from everything he had known, and he walked away from Romanticism and Transcendentalism completely (Emerson). He turned in the total opposite direction, and he did things that went against everything he had preached in the early years of his life (Emerson). He mourned and was constantly upset, and he did not worry as much about nature or about relaxing (Emerson). He let everything that had happened to him finally catch up to him, and he mourned greatly over the losses of his young wife, early in their marriage, his brother, pretty soon after his wife died, and his young son, who was five years old when he passed away (Emerson). He realized that sometimes it is very important to mourn and realize the loss of a loved one can still be used for good. He recognized the fact that it is often good to celebrate the people for their lives as they were, not to dwell on the could have's, should have's, or would have's, because that will only make a person more upset than they would have been in the first place. Emerson learned many great lessons over the course of his life, and he realized that often, one must make a mistake or try a number of different things before a person can finally get at least somewhere close to right (Emerson). He learned that experience is very important in life, and so is remembering people as they were, not as what should have happened. Emerson was a great author and poet, even though he switched his style halfway through his life.

"Emerson and the Work of Melancholia." Raritan (Spring 1987). Quoted as "Emerson and the Work of Melancholia" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On Fild, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=MCVRWE007&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 7, 2010).

Journal #21

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Benjamin Franklin have differing views on self-reliance. Emerson thought that self-reliance was very important. He thought that everyone should rely on oneself. He also believed that each person should tell everyone else about their thoughts and ideas, because he thought that eventually the person's thoughts and ideas would get out anyway, so he figured that the person with the original idea might as well say it. He also thought that if one person did not tell their thoughts or ideas, someone else would, and the person with the original idea would be ashamed, because they had the idea in the first place but they were too cowardly to say anything, so they would be ashamed that they had not said the idea first. Benjamin Franklin had different ideas, because he thought that each person should work together for the greater good of the country or anything else they are involved in. He believed that people should not work for themselves, but that the person should be sacrificial and work toward the good of everyone else, not for themselves. If Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson had discussions on self-reliance, they would have had very opposing views. They probably would have argued quite a bit, and I am not sure if they would have ever ended up agreeing. They may have just had to agree to disagree, but their views are so different that they would have had a very hard time finding any points to agree on. They probably would have agreed on the fact that people should all try to reach the good of everyone, but at the same time, they probably would have disagreed on how to do it. Franklin and Emerson may have been friends, but they would argue, or "discuss", they differing views and opinions often. Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson were very different people with very different views, but they were both vital in the history of America and American writing.

Journal #20

It is very necessary to take a break from society sometimes and to relax. It is also important to reflect on oneself and one's actions. One should reflect on one's actions, so if a person made a mistake in the past, they would be able to realize it and possibly fix it in the future. They could realize what the circumstances were, and they could realize what decision they should have made. It is important, though, for them to not be too hard on themselves, because then they would only be thinking about the what ifs or the could haves, should haves, or would haves, and those will only hurt the person instead of helping them. It is important to get away from society sometimes, because that is a good way to release stress. It is important to release stress because that way people will be happier and less angry with each other. People would be nicer to each other and more patient, because they would not be stressed out to begin with, which is putting pressure on them and makes them upset and impatient. Stress is a very bad thing in life, and it is very important to get rid of stress in a good and healthy way. Stress can actually really hurt someone, because it can be a cause of anxiety and can eventually lead to depression, which could lead to suicide if it got bad enough. It is very important to get rid of stress, and getting away from society is a good way to lose stress. It is important to figure out how to get rid of stress in a good way, because that way no one will be harmed when one must get away. People can be very confusing, and stress can be bad, but it is good to get rid of it. Sometimes it is important to be alone and reflect on oneself and the decisions one has made in the past, so one can make better decisions in the future and can better their life.

Journal #19

The ideal United States would have some of the same qualities as the United States does now, but it would also have some different qualities. The ideal United States would still be democratic and allow people to vote for their leaders. There would be a difference in how candidates would run for their positions, though, because instead of spreading bad things about the other candidates on television or online or through any other means of communication, they would only be able to express the principles that they believed in and promote the things that they would do if they were in office. There would have to be an unlimited amount of land, so everyone that wanted to could come to the United States, and they would not have to go through such a rigorous system to try to enter. The people would be able to help decide where their tax money went, so we would not be in debt, and we would be a very prosperous country. We would have a good economy, and be self-sufficient, but we would still trade with other countries so that we could help their economy to make it as good as ours is. We would have politicians that do not lie, are not corrupt, and really speak what the people want to say. They would not just say one side of the story, either, but they would explain both sides of every story and figure out which was really better for the good of the country. They people whose side did not win would not be upset, for they would realize that it was true, and the government would help those that did not benefit from whatever law they had just passed. There would be more people that would be policemen, firemen, and doctors, so everyone could be okay if something bad happened, and everyone would know what to do if there was an emergency. Everyone in the country would be willing to help each other, and people would be a lot kinder to each other in the ideal United States of America.

"My Playmate" Analysis

I chose to analyze the poem "My Playmate", by John Greenleaf Whittier. The literal translation is as follows:
"The pine trees on Ramoth Hill were very dark, and blossoms were falling off the trees because of the May wind.
The blossoms fell at our feet, the birds from the orchard were singing clear, it was the sweetest yet saddest day of the year.
My playmate left her home, but it hurt me more than the animals, and took with her spring, music, and the bloom of flowers.
She kissed her family and acquaintances, and held my hand; what more could I ask, I who had fed her father's cows?
She left in May, years kept passing and May mornings llike the one she left happened, but she never returned.
I walk through the years, and every year I sow in spring and reap the ears of corn in autumn.
She lives where her summer roses blow all year long, and she sees the children of the sun come and go.
Perhaps there she smooths her silken gown with jewelled hands, which is no longer the lap with homespun clothes where I shook the walnuts.
Wild grapes are on the hill and nuts are on the hill, they wait for us, but still the woods of Follymill are made sweet by the May flowers.
Lilies blossom, birds build nests, and the dark pines on Ramoth Hill sing the slow song of the sea.
I wonder if she thinks of the trees and the old times, or if the pines of Ramoth Hill are in her dreams.
I see her face and hear her voice, does she remember mine?
What am I to her now, I that fed her father's cows?
Does she care that orioles build for other eyes than ours, that other hands are filled with nuts or other laps with flowers?
Oh playmate in the good old days!
Our mossy seat is still green, the violets bloom around it, and trees bend over it.
The winds which blow with the scent of birch and fern, also blow memories, and in spring the veeries sing of long ago.
The pines of Ramoth Wood are still moaning like the sea, the sea of change which has come between you and me."

Whittier used a number of poetic devices. He similes, and an example of one is when he says "...The blossoms in the sweet May wind were falling like the snow." He is using the simile "like the snow" to describe the blossoms. He brings up another mental picture of snow falling to show how the petals were falling. He also uses imagery in a number of ways. He paints beautiful pictures with his words. Some examples of this are "The blossoms drifted at our feet, The orchard birds sang clear;..." "The lilies blossom in the pond, the bird builds in the tree,..." "...Our mossy seat is green, Its fringing violets blossom yet, The old trees o'er it lean."

I think this poem is pretty straightforward, and it is talking about his playmate from when he was young. He worked on her father's farm and really looked up to her, and he probably had a crush on her. One day, when she became old enough, she left the farm on a beautiful May day, and she never came back. Whittier assumed that she had done well for herself, so he assumed that she was wearing beautiful clothes and had expensive material items. He still wants her to come back to him and it seems as if she was his first love, and that he spent many years of his life pining for her. The poem never explains, though, what happened to either of them, so the poem just seems very sad.

Journal #18

The dog went to the park so he could play.
He liked to go to the park ev'ry day.
His name was Boxer and he liked to bark,
Wherever he went he left a big mark.
He was an incredibly friendly pup,
He even had a very special cup.
Suddenly one day Boxer ran away,
To hide from everyone so he could lay
Down and give birth to a litter of pups,
And through all of his down and all his ups,
His owners found out that he was a she,
And from all of the things that they could see,
She was just as wonderful as a he,
But they had to go on a shopping spree.
The pups were wonderful to everyone,
But they were not given away, not one.

The End

"Thanatopsis"

The literal analysis of "Thanatopsis" is as follows:

• Nature talks to Nature Lovers and steals their thoughts.


• His last thoughts come like a bad dream over his spirit and make him sad which drives him to go listen to Nature because soon he will die and no one will care he is gone.


• He will be buried and the Earth will use his body for nourishment.


• Oak roots will use him to grow the tree.

• He is not dead yet and he will not die alone.


• He will be with the great and the rulers at a great meeting.


• Nature decorates man's tomb.


• The whole universe is shining on cemeteries.


• There are more dead people than living.


• The dead rule the Earth from within.


• What if you die and no one notices?


• All the living will end up dead.


• Everyone will go one when you are gone, but they will all die in the end.


• Eventually, everyone will be dead with you.

• When you die, go peacefully.

Poetic Devices:

Whitman uses many poetic devices, but he mostly uses similes and leaves the rest up to us to determine. An example of a simile in his poem "Thanatopsis" would be "Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." Another example would be "...like the quarry-slave at night, Sourged to his dungeon,..."

There are many different things that Whitman could be trying to make us understand in his poem, and he could be saying many different things. I think he is mostly saying that there is a man that will die soon, but Nature has been very kind to him and will sooth him. I also think that he is trying to reassure this person, because he discusses how everyone on the Earth dies and will be dead at some point, so this person has nothing to worry about. He is saying that this person does not need to fight death becasue it will come as a relief, so this person can go peacefully.