1) How would you describe the speaker's tone in these two poems? How would you describe the tone of the speaker in Whitman's poems?
-The speaker in the two Levine poems are evidently of the laboring and working class. I would describe his tone as somewhat ironic. The speaker is a bit humorous (during "The Grave" he speaks of the son that quit collecting bottle caps, but not beer). A little judgmental but also understanding in his own way. At times the speaker is wallowing in his own misery, at others, he is analyzing the misery of others. Either way, misery for the masses who work. When comparing the tone/voice to Whitman's "A Song for Occupations" Whitman is not exactly placed among the working class as vividly as Levine is. Whitman chants and rallies in order to up heave the hierarchy and value of certain occupations while Levine appears be merely commenting.
2) While reflecting on the Whitman poems that we've read, and looking at these two Levine poems, are there any similar/different themes or issues that you can point out?
-For one, Whitman's focus is uniting the binaries. In order to unite, he has to represent all. Levine takes a more personal stance in his poetry, preferring to focus on more immediate subjects, such as himself. However, in Levine's "My Graveyard" poem, he draws similar images of the wild, naked, and untamed man that Whitman invokes in his "Song of Myself".
3) What do you think are some of the conclusions/final sentiments that the speakers in Levine and Whitman's poems come to in the end?
-Whitman seems to be trying to carve an American identity through poetry while Levine is proposing acknowledgement for the innumerable masses that are swept under the rug of labor.
4) What direction(s) do you feel Whitman and Levine look towards (past, present, future)? Why?
-For Levine, the future is bleak. Whitman is more optimistic.
5) What image of America do you get from the poems of Levine and Whitman?
-They both prefer to speak for the common working man. For Levine, there is a necessity for the American man to do labor, not only to live, but also to understand what it means to be American. For Whitman, an American is an American and each American has the right to belong to the poetry for America.
-They both prefer to speak for the common working man. For Levine, there is a necessity for the American man to do labor, not only to live, but also to understand what it means to be American. For Whitman, an American is an American and each American has the right to belong to the poetry for America.
I definitely agree that Levine is attempting to be the voice for the working class that is often times swept under the rug. Do you think a poet as optimistic as Whitman would be able to have authentic voice in the America that exists for Levine?
ReplyDeleteObligatory Hanley-esque Comment:
ReplyDeleteExcellent + (snippet from your blog post) + ellipses = Excellent nuanced description of Levine's tone... while his poems do contain a lot of 'misery', the speaker is not incapable of dry humor.
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As a working man himself, Levine definitely understands the kind of 'work' that degrades and numbs countless people. At the same time, the brother of the speaker in "My Grave" goes "in search of a task that befits a man".
I wonder what kind of work 'befits' a man/woman...