Heart of a Child (in response to Chris' post)

I believe that the very last two lines of Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in some sense entail what Chris is trying to convey. Huck states that, "I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can't stand it." This statement shows that Huck, despite all the growing up that he has had to do, is still a child at heart and desires to build his life upon that. I believe that Huck doesn't want to be tainted by the ill-will and depravity of this world and would rather grow up unbound by society's standards. There is something in the faith of a child, and perhaps the naivety of child, that we lose as we grow up. We forget to enjoy and to embrace the freedom and the simple pleasures life has thrown at us.

Twain, throughout the novel, has constantly striven to convey this sense of child-like innocence in Huck. Perhaps he is trying to remind his readers of the child we all used to be—or still are—and to never fully let go of that. Even though every human being must at some point grow up and take responsibility for his or her actions—that is not to say that he or she must let go of the freedom learned in childhood. If one looks hard enough and opens their heart wide enough, there is always something to be taken to heart from the candidness and innocence of a child.

Tunnel Vision

Throughout Chesnutt's, "The Passing of Grandison," it is interesting to see the consistent conflict between the Colonel's apparent acknowledgement of the slaves' humanity and his desire to continue to keep his slaves as monetary objects. It is said that, "his negroes were the outward and visible sign of his wealth and station, and therefore sacred to him." Built up in this statement are two starkly different connotations. The first is his apparent need to have slaves as a symbol of wealth and power, and the other is the high level of esteem he carries for his slaves denoted by the word "sacred." The Colonel continues on to talk about how he is going to allow Grandison and Betty to get married--indicating that he is completely aware of the humanity with Grandison and the love that he can have for a woman.
When charity speaks of the slaves, it seems that she is more sided with the abolitionists--perhaps only out of apathetic naivety. When a slave-stealer was on trial for "stealing" a slave away, Charity said that, "He dared something for humanity." She also says that she wishes, "that all Sam Brigg's negroes would run away." Perhaps she is only saying this because she was caught up in the moment of Briggs' violence and that was her gut instinct. Later on when Dick is speaking of stealing on of his father's slaves she replies, "What nonsense! You must be losing your wits... what you are talking about is merely absurd." It seems that she only speaks for the moment--what she feels for the then and there.
In contrast with Charity, the Colonel seems to want to keep his slaves happy, at least the ones he likes, but at the same time, keep them well under lock and key. He tries to convince himself that his slaves are genuinely happy being enslaved to him. He even goes as far as to say that, "Just think of their [The abolitionists] locking the poor, faithful nigger up, beating him, kicking him, depriving him of his liberty." The Colonel almost truly believes that his slaves would rather live with him under the yoke of slavery (his “liberty”) than live a life of freedom. It is unquestionable as to whether the Colonel sees humanity in his slaves. When he cares for Grandison after returning from his time of captivity, there is a genuine compassion in his eyes--it almost brings him to tears. This however does not overcome the Colonel’s need to keep the slaves under his tight fist--making sure that he lives up to his outward and visible sign of wealth.

Drifting to Freedom

Throughout the novel, the Mississippi River represents for Huck and Jim a sense of freedom--not just a physical sense of freedom but a deeper freedom that has broken their obligations to live up to the expectations of those in the outside world. The river gave them a chance to genuinely explore who they were apart from the "sivilized" society imposed by those back home. The Mississippi forced them to make decisions that would further chisel away all the domesticated cladding that was hiding their true nature. Not only did it free Huck from the authoritarian Miss Watson, but it also revealed to the reader the compassion, intelligence, and utter humanity within Jim.
However, the river is not just a place of soul searching; it is also a place of solace and solitude. Huck describes the river as having, "nothing to hear nor nothing to see--just solid lonesomeness." Because it was so imperative for Huck and Jim to hide from the outside world, it forced them to grow closer to each other and to rely deeply on the friendship that had formed between the two. This friendship can be seen in Jim's response to the separation in the fog when he states that his, "heart wuz mos' broke bekase you [Huck] wuz los'." When Jim and Huck are on land, this deep friendship is in some ways truncated because of the pressure to conform to mainstream society.
It is apart from the river when Huck regresses back to dictating his actions in order to live to the standards of others--namely Tom Sawyer. Huck states that, "Tom told me what his plan was, and I see in a minute it was worth fifteen of mine for style, and would make Jim just as free a man as mine would, and maybe get us all killed besides. So I was satisfied, and said we would waltz in on it." It is away from this flow of freedom that Huck becomes sucked back into living his life based upon the feelings of others. After all is said and done, Huck ultimately chooses to leave this "sivilized" society in order to make choices on his own and to carry on the spirit of the Mississippi. He says, "But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before." Huck understands the pressures that were placed on him and his willingness to give into those pressures. He constantly yearned for the freedom and individuality that ran so deep and wide along the depths of the Mississippi.

Time Heals

When Dickinson writes, she packs every line with such depth of meaning. In, "After great pain, a formal feeling comes," her imagery and metaphors are so tactfully chosen and placed. This poem goes into detail about how one naturally chooses to deal with their experiences of pain and suffering. It explores how time and progression through life have a slow, but definitive effect on one's perspective of the experiences he has undergone.

When she speaks of the, "Feet, mechanical," going round, one can almost see the "feet" of a clock slowly turning. As this clock turns and life progresses on, one's "regardless" begins to grow for the pain he has encountered. The memories begin to fade and the experience has been transformed from something traumatic to a lesson learned. When Dickinson speaks of a, "Quartz contentment," perhaps she is speaking of a contentment that is commonly found as quartz is such a commonly found stone. This contentment slowly begins to deepen and root itself into the heart of one who has faced hardships until it becomes something solid. Dickinson's language is so metaphoric that many times it is hard to pin down what she is trying to say.

In the last stanza, she has written of how, "Freezing persons, recollect the Snow--/ First--Chill--then Stupor--then letting go--." This phrase is so applicable to one's life. It speaks of remembering those hardships we have faced and the "chill" that follows thereafter. We are then, in a way, dumbstruck which causes confusion and misunderstanding. But ultimately we conclude that sometimes obstacles faced are simply part of life--and to hold on to them is to prevent ourselves from continuing on our journey. Letting go takes effort, but as time progresses, it empowers us to make that decision and to see things objectively.

In Response to Jen...

Although Whitman never directly calls his readers to a war for union, this whole poem seems to be indirectly attempting to unite the American people against division and war. Some might say that this, in and of itself, is a call toward open opposition of the war—which may include active resistance. I feel as if Whitman, at this point, is trying to spur his readers on toward action by making them resent the war that is being fought upon their lands. Jen sees this as a complete disdain for war in general, but I see it as a method of reverse psychology to inadvertently push the American people into fighting against that which divides their nation—which, at this point, is war itself.
I do, however, agree with the fact that there is no reference to emancipation in this poem. Where Whitman is very adamant against the civil war, he provides no other alternatives or means of escape. Because this poem facilitated civil unrest about the ongoing war without providing any solutions, it was probably, in the end, more antagonistic towards Whitman’s cause than it was progressive. He does not address the source of the war and nor does he provide his readers with a way to find their way out of the curse of war.
I also agree with Jen’s description of the authors’ attitudes. They seem to view the blood and suffering as something to be observed and studied rather than soaking in the true inhumanity of it all. Both Horton and Whitman seem to be simply taking note of what is happening, and although they do expose the horrors of war, it seems to be on a journalistic level rather than on a personal level. Jen made some very good points and I do stand beside most of them.

A Call for Unity... but How?

In "Beat! Beat! Drums!" Whitman is playing directly on the emotions and grievances of his readers. I see this as a means to incite a broken nation to unity by banding its people together against a common malady. There is, as far as I can see, no reference in this poem to slavery or the things of slavery. Even when speaking of farmers, Whitman states, "Nor the peaceful farmer any peace [must he have], ploughing his field or gathering his grain." This does not even acknowledge the fact that farmers, at this time, had slaves plowing their fields and gathering their grain. Neely described Whitman's writing as interpreting the Civil War as a "war for Union," rather than, "a war of liberation."
Although the poem is clearly denouncing war as an acceptable means to ending the division between the north and the south, it respectively does not offer any satisfactory solutions on how to peaceably end this disunion. It never addresses the causes of the war (i.e. slavery, difference in ideals, etc..), but rather condemns the war as unacceptable. Whitman, here, is attempting to raise awareness of the atrocities of the war and, in his readers, is trying to provoke a catharsis of the inhumanity displayed by the war. It is not his goal to burrow into its causes and foundations, but rather to display in full color its negative consequences and ramifications.
Like Whitman, it seems as if Horton also strives to unveil the, "Terrors of War," rather than actually attempting to understand what adds fuel to the fire. In, "The Spectator of the Battle of Belmont," he manifests the cruelty and bloodiness of the battle and even states that a "spirit" alone can consummately convey the barbarity displayed on this battlefield. Once again, there is no solution provided or cause targeted, but rather a condemnation of the elements of the war rather than the source of its beginnings. It can be concluded then, that Neely was correct in his assertion. The atrocities of slavery are not uncovered, nor are they even mentioned in these poems. Whitman is ultimately trying to lead a war-torn nation out of a battle on ideologies without providing his followers with any viable avenues of escape.

Beat! Beat! Drums!... Wait... no... don't do that!

I think it is interesting to see how Whitman has written this entire poem in imperative form. He, in a literal sense, is telling the drums to keep beating and the bugles to keep on blowing. He is commanding the troops to continue ravaging the cities and to make unhappy the lives of those living there. "Mind not the timid--mind not the weeper or prayer." He, by using this form of speech, is almost personifying himself as the General of all things raucous and belligerent. Whitman is placing himself into the persona of that which he despises, and magnifying the militant, mercenary ambitions that he believes to exist there.
He moves his readers by commanding his supposed infantry to destroy and to disregard all things common folk hold dear. He tells them to, "leave not the bridegroom quiet--no happiness must he have now with his bride." Whitman knows where his readers invest their emotions, and he exploits that compassion and charity by transforming it into contempt for those that threaten this lock box of love. He seems to be, however, very careful as to how far he is willing to take this role-play. He never completely oversteps his bounds and is very tactful in drawing the line to demarcate how far is too far.
Whitman was a man very in touch with the his own sentiments and was therefore able to play on the sentiments of others. Perhaps the whole meaning of this poem is summed up in the last line, "So strong you thump O terrible drums--so loud you bugles blow." This and the last line of the first stanza are the only phrases of the poem that are not compulsory or inciting. Here, we are able to see a bit of Whitman break through the persona he has drawn up in order to embody. His method of persuasion in this poem is not only well thought out, but is commendably executed.