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you should have at least 4 responses of your classmate
1.Baudelaire and Whitman differ in their perspectives of urban life and their views on nature. Whitman was fond of nature and used it as a main theme in his literary works. For example, in Song of Myself, there are numerous references to the sea, animals, and, in particular, grass which symbolizes nature and life. On the other hand, Baudelaire showed no interest in discussing nature. For example, in the Norton Anthology, Baudelaire says, “I feel myself incapable of feeling moved by vegetation” (467).
As for the city, one commonality between the authors was the illustration of the flaneur strolling around in the city. As for the distinctions, Whitman explained the juxtaposition that exists within urban areas. As noted in the Whitman PowerPoint, Whitman highlighted the “beauty in urban decay” and showcased the corruption that existed within it. On the other hand, Baudelaire focused more on the unpleasant aspects of the city. As explained in the Norton Anthology, Baudelaire displayed, “crowds and prostitutes, boredom and hypocrisy…ugly materials” (466). One can observe that Baudelaire’s main focus was on the urban decay rather than the beauty. One reason for this was because of his outlook on life and this can be further observed through his poem Spleen.
Baudelaire ‘s poem displays the authors negative and dispirited view on life. For instance, “indifference expanding to ennui” (lines 17). The term ennui captures the sense of the poem as it is defined as melancholy or a paralyzing boredom. From these descriptions, one can define the term Spleen as a dispirited life or distaste in life. In addition, as described in “A Bitter Sense of Paradise,” Baudelaire’s poem connects back to the flaneur who is mindlessly exploring the city without anything to do. This can be seen when Baudelaire says, “where batlike Hope goes blindly fluttering” (line 6). The batlike hope resembles the city stroller who is moving with no direction.
2.Charles Baudelaire is known as the founder of French symbolism and is often associated with the artistic decadence and aestheticism of the later nineteenth century. Baudelaire is often credited with expressing one of the first modernistic visions, a vision of the sordidness, sensuality, and corruption of city life. Baudelaire was a believer in original sin and was deeply repelled by the commercialism of the modern world, which he regarded as a fallen world. Baudelaire gave us a concise definition of modernity in one of his most famous quotations: Modernity is transient, fleeting, contingent. It is one side of art, with the other being eternal and unchanging. However, Baudelaire uses nature to reinforce romanticism since it emphasizes emotion and individualism as well as the glorification of all things in the past and nature.
From the title of the poem, we can get an understanding of where Baudelaire comes from and who he seems to be by the way he associates himself and his home with the spleen or emotions. The title of the poem seems to have a big importance. The spleen is an important organ that filters the blood from harmful things. In the poem, Baudelaire’s “spleen” no longer functions properly because the “poisoned element” has gotten to him. Baudelaire uses first person and then transitions to talking about himself in third person. He seems to just be telling a story about his life. Baudelaire is old and unhappy with his life. He has wealth but it seems like he has done everything to the point where he feels like he cannot be happy anymore. In the last sentence, he talks about how he is becoming old and forgetful. He is, unfortunately, losing some of his mental capability, specifically his memory.
Throughout the poem, the tone is depressed and hopeless. The word “rain-country” started the poem with a gloomy tone. Also, when the poet says that “nothing cheers him up” he sounds hopeless in trying to find happiness. The speaker claims, “Our tyrants’ solace in senility, he cannot warm up his shot corpse. Whose food is syrup-green Lethean ooze, not blood.” There is a metaphor for how the speaker’s glorious bed will soon become his deathbed: “His bed of fleur-de-lys becomes a tomb.” Also, Fleur-de-lys are French decoration or symbol that is sometimes associated with the French crown. This is a metaphor for how his glorious bed will soon become his deathbed.
3.Baudelaire’s philosophy on modern life in the city would be that he wanted to establish a theory of beauty as the age, its fashion, its morals and its emotions. What he wanted to recreate in his poetry was the fleeting nature that he found in the modern city. In his writing of “Song of Autumn” the modern life in the city was filled with beggars and prostitutes during the romantisicm movement and with this he connected poetry with what he saw. He placed a great emphasis on the objects of observation that were the modern city and modern experience. His response to nature would be that he thought nature was beautiful especially when he goes into detail about the different seasons of summer, winter and autumn in his writing. He believed that nature had a great influence on oneself. He uses emotions to get a feel through nature as the seasons change and so does how he feels during the three seasons mentioned.
The title of this poeme “spleen” has a great importance, The spleen is an important organ that filters blood from harmful things and in the poem the speakers “spleen” no longer functions properly because “poisoned element” has gotten to him. The spleen, which filters pathogens out of the body is a perfect metaphor for the poisoning that is occuring in the speakers life.It might also be significant because the spleen was once considered a vestigial organ which is an organ that has no purpose anymore but remains in the body because there is no harm. The speaker is like the spleen because he is rich but has been forgotten and his life has no purpose but in reality his life is important and his wealth but like a broken spleen is poisoning him.
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