Modernism video

#31 Job shadowing

I job shadowed an occupational therapist.  Occupation therapists help people carry out daily tasks that they can no longer do.  They have either been in accidents or have had a stroke that made some parts of their bodies not function correctly.  All of the patients I saw yesterday were trying to heal from a stroke.  One man's whole left side could not move.  They used electrical pulses to try and stimulate the nerves in his arms to help him move them.  Not only could he not move his arm but he was unable to speak.  He knew what he wanted to say and had the sentences formed in his head he was just unable to spit them out and have others understand what he was trying to say.  I thought the way people communicated with him was very interesting.  Different hand motions stood for different things and the therapists could tell what he was trying to say.  They were able to hold a steady conversation with him which I thought was amazing.  They were doing more than just helping him move again.  They were there for him to talk to, when I bet most people would not be able to hold a conversation with someone who could not speak well.
The therapists used different, weird, toy like items to help the people build up their muscles.  It was sad to know they were once able to do all these things and now they can't even though they know how.  But, the sadness was disguised through everything else that was going on.  The career seems so rewarding and they really do help people to be able to carry out their old daily tasks they've been doing their whole life.  Knowing how rewarding this job could be I would definitely consider this as a career.  I want to have a job that helps people and could possibly change their life.  I know this job could do just that.  The therapists said how much all of their patients have improved since their first visit.  I would really like to do this.

Favorite Whitman Poem

I did not read through all of Whitman's poems but a specific one caught my eye. The poem was called "To You." This poem was short and very simple but it had a way of making you think. He speaks about two people that are strangers. If one person wants to say hello and meet the other than why shouldn't he? And if you want to speak up to the other person then why not do it?

I think this poem holds a lot even though it is so short and simple. In society it is not the most common thing to do to just stop while passing somebody to talk to them. In fact I can't think of a time I've seen someone randomly and just decided to talk to them. But why is this? If you see someone that looks interesting or looks like your kind of person then why not say hi? Most people wouldn't because this is considered "weird." The person you start to talk to would label you as nosey or too friendly. The world should not be this way. Being friendly is one of the best things you can do and if you feel like doing something, such as talk to someone, then why not do it? I think this is what Whitman is trying to say in this poem. Society should not get to decide on what we do and what we don't do. If you want to do something even though it is not considered normal then you should just do it anyways. Do what makes you happy or do whatever you have the urge to do. I think this is what Whitman was trying to say in these few short lines.

I really enjoy this poem because the first time you read through it you don't really think much of it. But then it starts to process and you realize it really is genius. Why don't people do things that they want to do? This type of situation happens pretty much everyday.

Whitman, Walt. "To You." The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth M. Price. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

Chanting the Square Deific

This poem by Walt Whitman describes the Square Deific. The square is made of four speakers. (Huff) This poem by Walt Whitman is written in four sections and each is told by a different speaker. The point of views were from God, Christ, Satan, and the soul or Santa Spirita.

Based on the ideas of the Christian church God and Christ are one in the holy trinity. But Whitman describes in the first stanza as the merciless God being a strict ruler. He punishes the people relentlessly. God has no mercy for the sinners and they will be punished. Most think God as being forgiving but Whitman goes against this idea. The second section describes Christ or Jesus as being the gentle, nicer side of God. (Huff) Jesus brings happiness to all and helps them out with the sadness in their lives. He takes the pain away and is understanding towards those who sin. Christ is mightier than the unforgiving God because he is selfless. He is the savior and donates his own life in order to save the people, this makes him mightier. The third section is spoken by satan. This is the bad, rebellious part of the "square." Satan is the opposite of the father in the square. The last part of the square is the Holy Spirit. The Santa Spirita is all the parts of the square in one. "and though he completes the square he also contains all the other sides." (Whitman) Because the spirit is all in one it is the most powerful.

According to Whitman to find who your true self is you need to know your soul, how you think of yourself, and how others see you. In "Chanting the Square Deific" Whitman describes different religious ideas. This poem proves the Whitman did not go along with one religious idea. He holds the ideas of christianity but shifted it into a different way. He goes against the idea of the Holy Trinity and thinks the three Gods are not one all completely one. He only believes that the Holy Spirit holds the other two spirits within. Christ and God are very unlike. Since Whitman has this expressed in the poem he holds the trait "soul" which is one step he says he need in order to figure out his true self. The whole last section of the poem speaks about soul. The soul holds everyone's spirit therefore, it holds Whitman's spirit. Because of this Whitman is on his way of finding his true self.

Huff, Randall. "'Chanting the Square Deific'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Whitman, Walt. "Chanting the Square Deific." WhitmanArchive. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.

Journal # 29

Soul, how I see myself, and how others see myself all make up my true self according to Whitman. Without all three of these things you can never fully understand what you are like and what kind of person you are. To figure out myself I must analyse these three ideas and then I will be able to know my true self.

Soul: I grew up in a Catholic family. Every Sunday we go to church. My whole family celebrates all the holy holidays that the Church says we must celebrate. God is a big part of my home life. We pray before meals and before we lay down to sleep. I believe God is around me all the time no matter where I am. Since I believe this I want to live the way God wants me to. I will follow his commandments and live every day by his word.

Self: The way I see myself may be different than the world may see me. But, I will tell you how I feel about myself even if this is not what others think. I believe that I tend to stick out in a crowd. I think I am pretty weird and I am not really into fitting in with the latest trends. I feel like not going along with what my peers think. I stay away from the dramatic people and the mean people. In high school there are a lot of bullies and I do everything I can to not be a person like that. I try to be nice to everyone and I see myself as someone easy to talk to and someone that can always be around to give advice to those who need it. I see myself as a modern day hippie. Not like a weirdo or anything like that but just a person who tries to keep things peaceful and tries to make other people happy.

Real me: Now I cannot fully answer this question because it is hard to know exactly what other people think of me. Of course, I have heard people talk about me or someone tells me compliments to my face but, the things people say may not always be good. People may think I'm weird but that doesn't phase me to much. Others tell me I am a really good friends and trustworthy. I guess it all depends on what the other person's true self is in order for them to decide what they think of others.

South Winds Jostle Them

I read the poem "South Winds Jostle Them" by Emily Dickinson. This poem is about flowers even though Dickinson never directly tell you that. She never once mentions a a flower or even a specific type of flower. But, the whole point of the poem, I believe, is to show the significance of a flower that most people ordinarily may over look. As the wind blows they "jostle" in the wind. The sweet smell attracts the bees. This is crucial because it keeps the flowers alive. You may not think of the wind as something that is important or completely necessary in life, but it is to the flower. The wind is life to this part of nature. It moves around the pollen to have new flowers grow.

Then there is the importance of not only the bumble bee but other insects as well. They smell the sweet nectar of the flower and hesitantly go in to feast. This also continues the life cycle of the flower as well as the wind. The little things that most people over look continues the life of something so beautiful that we could not imagine living with out. Of course, everyone would be fine with out some of those unattractive, stinging bugs and maybe not having wind bursts would make that much of a difference in someone's life. We most likely go outside and pay no attention to the swaying air moving the world around in a swirl. But to the flower this is everything.

Dickinson wrote about many things people over look. She does this a lot in her nature poems and this is a good example of that. How many people notice the wind blow or the bees buzzing by the flowers? Well, Emily sure did. I believe in this poem the little actions of nature represent life and death. "Dickinson is often characterized as a poet in love with death. Death is one of her most prevalent themes." (Priddy) She does not go right out and speak of life and death in this poem but I think it is definitely symbolized throughout it. It was a very common theme in a lot of her poems so I am not surprised if this is what she was thinking of when writing this poem.

For the most part this poem represents life. The flowers life and what it does to stay alive in the world. But the last couple lines I believe represent death. "I softly plucking, Present them here!" (Dickinson) After the struggle the flower may go through to keep itself going and reproduce it is plucked and it is all over. What the flower lived for is now over. It cannot spread itself. It can not make new flowers. It is dead. The speaker is thrilled about the flower and that they have collected it. But, even though the speaker seems joyful there is kind of a depressing mood hid within the lines. It is sad to know the flowers journey is over.

Priddy, Anna. "How to Write about Emily Dickinson." Bloom's How to Write about Emily Dickinson. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died

Emily Dickinson's poems can be translated to mean many different things. The meaning of the poems can change from person to person, depending on their past experiences or the way they see life. Based on how I view life I may have responded to the poem differently than someone else. Dickinson made her poems this way on purpose. She let the reader hold the true meaning. The poem was a basic guideline to the readers thoughts on the poem. She left them the responsibility of figuring out what she really meant. Her word choice had a lot to do with this.

Growing up in a religious family I saw this poem in a religious point of view. The dying speaker of this poem says, "Between the light and me; And the windows failed," (Dickinson) I think the window symbolized the stage between life and death. The light is heaven and she is striving to get there. But she had to go through the "window" to get there and she could not get through. But, the way Dickinson wrote this could be taken a different way. The light could just be the light from the sun and the window could be her eyes seeing the light. The last line says she could not see anymore which makes me thing the window symbolizes her eyes instead of the window to heaven.

The description of the speaker on their death bed is so real in my head. I can see the dying person around gasping for air. The breaths begin coming slowly like they are heaves between a storm. (Dickinson) The air around them is still and the people are silent as the person is slowly falling into death. She creates a very specific mood in the first stanza. Not all people could completely understand the feeling of witnessing someone die. So she describes the scene well and creates and image and mood to go off for the rest of the poem.

Dickinson, Emily. "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died." Bartleby.com. 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.