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In This Connection of Everyone with Lungs: Poems, by Juliana Spahr, I, along with the rest of our classmates have clearly recognized a Whitmanian influence in this work. Even the title itself adheres to Whitman’s belief that as a nation we are all somehow connected, whether biologically, spiritually, or sometimes both. I was really struck with […]

This Connection of Everyone with Lungs,  Juliana Spahr’s 2005 collection of poetry has been described as “part planetary love poem, part 24/7 news flash” [1] . The opening lines of “Poem Written After September 11/2001” start at the most fundamental level–the cellular level.  She writes, “There are these things: / cells, the movement of cells […]

There’s no doubt that Spahr was heavily influenced by the work of our dear Walt Whitman in both content and form after reading her poem, “Poem After September 11, 2001”, which comes from her book of poetry entitled, “The Connection of Everyone with Lungs.” Spahr’s poetry in this book attempts to cope with the tragedy […]

The first aspect of Lerner’s writing that reminded me of Whitman is simply how unique his style and form is for his day and age. There’s no doubt for each man’s respective time that they are regarded as being individually brilliant. Whitman is considered the father of American poetry because of the ideas he introduced […]

I was really drawn to a particular quote in Lerner’s “The Dark Threw Patches Upon Me Also”. In this particular quote, Lerner describes our obsession with keeping track of time: We often say twilight but mean dusk, or check our watches without noting the time, two of the minor practices that make us enough of […]

“Those first days of the residency, days that were nights, I would sit at my desk and read Specimen Days, his bizarre memoir, for hours.” Throughout 10:04, Lerner’s narrator alludes to Whitmanian ideas and even Whitman himself. By the time he travels to the residency, the narrator explains how he spent most of his time reading Whitman’s […]

While reading Ben Lerner’s 10:04, I found that there were many aspects that were undeniably Whitmanian. The places in which it is possible to find Whitman’s influence are numerous.  Right off the bat, the narrator even states that he wishes to write in a way that makes him “a would-be Whitman of the vulnerable grid” […]

In the opening episode of 10:04, the author/narrator discusses a conversation with his agent in which he plans the development of his novel: “I’ll project myself into several futures simultaneously…I’ll work my way from irony to sincerity in the sinking city, a would-be Whitman of the vulnerable grid.” Like Whitman, Lerner’s novel (and that of […]

“Everything will be as it is now, just a little different.” This line, repeated throughout 10:04, reveals a theme shared by Whitman in Crossing Brooklyn Ferry – the theme of human experience. Both Lerner and Whitman opine the relationship between human experience and human connection. As Whitman looks at the Brooklyn Bridge and considers all the people […]

Like Walt Whitman, Lerner hones in on the resonance of individual sensations, the importance of physical touch and of nature, and the interconnectivity of humans. However, in doing so he provides a postmodern, humorous approach wherein he utilizes heightened terms to toy with literary craft. This seems to both praise the Whitmanian tradition, as well […]