tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425514987715337437.post773011060773687472..comments2024-03-26T22:47:45.276-07:00Comments on Intro to Critical Reading: Song for SexualityAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425514987715337437.post-60819737865511124322011-02-06T10:16:25.616-08:002011-02-06T10:16:25.616-08:00My main comment on this essay is that it's a l...My main comment on this essay is that it's a little on the short and simple side. That might sound harsh, but I don't mean it to be - it's a clear, direct discussion of Whitman's sexuality and its relevance, and I'd much prefer a good but simple argument to a complicated one that fails disastrously. <br /><br />But to continue the thought - I see that the essay you're using is only four pages long. That probably means that, as the name of the journal indicates, it's meant more as an explanation than an argument. Again -t his isn't the end of the world, or any kind of disaster, but it *is* a limitation.<br /><br />So - you come to the reasonable conclusion that Whitman is celebrating the male body and (homo)sexuality, in defiance of all taboos. That's fine, as far as it goes. <br /><br />Now, if you were to revise, you need to get beyond simplicity, although you can certainly start with simplicity. If we focus on the centrality of the male body and of his desire for it in the poem, how should we read it differently? Does that understanding question, challenge, or change any of our discussion?<br /><br />In other words, how are you helping us to read Song of Myself differently? A simple insight can have complex implications - if you revise this, I want to see those implications.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5425514987715337437.post-64869116533280676392011-02-06T09:55:30.278-08:002011-02-06T09:55:30.278-08:00I completely agree with yours and Bradley's ar...I completely agree with yours and Bradley's arguments for Whitman's sexuality. You do a good job of summarizing not only the article, but applying it to multiple quotes from the poetry. Having read this and knowing first hand what sort of language exists in Whitman's works, I would like to take the argument deeper. What was happening in Whitman's life? What was going on politcally, socially, and economically at the time he wrote his poetry? What was his family life? In other words, what is the CONTEXT of this apparent homosexuality? <br /><br />In my Western Civilization class, that is all we talk about; context. We read great stories or plays and regardless of their content, it was the context in which they were written that gets all of the attention. I personally like reading a story/play/poem for face-value but that seems to be shallow in this and many other classes. Great read.DMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03400846718611866280noreply@blogger.com