I found Whitman at the promenade in Ikea at Red Hook, Brooklyn. I found Whitman here because the boats in the background really appeal to me. In the poem “Mannahatta”, Whitman speaks about the steamships and shuttles and the ones in the background reminded me of what he wrote. The background had no skylines like today’s Manhattan and I felt like the scenery was like Manhattan during Whitman’s times, where when you looked out from Brooklyn to Manhattan, the tall buildings werent’ built yet. The water taxi’s also arrives and departs here which is another reason why I found Whitman here, the water taxi’s are like the modern day shuttle ferries from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
]]>When I started to read Franklin Evans, the term “temperance” kept coming up, but I was not clear of what it meant. When I was reading the introduction to Franklin Evans, in the Whitman and Social Reform section, I read that Whitman was asked to compose a temperance novel for the New World. I had no idea what a temperance novel was either. The first lines were “Due largely to Whitman’s capacity for self-mythologizing, readers today may know more about the events leading to the writing of Franklin Evans than about the novel itself.” I concluded from this that the term temperance was used for events or happenings that occurred during the era that Franklin Evans was published. Also in the same section, it is stated that “Temperance fiction was highly formulaic, abounding with sensational scenes of sin, corruption, and violence.” I had an idea of what a temperance novel was afterwards but in my head I had doubts that Franklin Evans incorporates those themes or anything similar in the book because Whitman’s Leaves of Grass was absolutely the opposite of a temperance novel. And then once I started to read the novel, I was getting the sense that the writing was indeed different. This novel is about a young man, Franklin Evans who travels to America in search for the New World. Yet once he arrives, series of events happens to him, for example, like when he goes bankrupt and starts engaging in drinking. Although Whitman jokes about how he wrote this temperance novel in a matter of 3 days while he was drunk off cocktails, as stated in the introduction, “Franklin Evans is not so different from the figures of failed reform that populate American media today: those who cannot stop eating, cheating, or defrauding stockholders.” I feel like this is true because even today, these events are still happening.
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The tour was a great experience for me, I learned alot about the Park and it’s history and it was great to go see the actual building Whitman once resided at because it is the only building that is still in standing today.
]]>source: http://www.endlessbookshelf.net/bklynhistsoclib.jpg
Last week, our class met up at the Brooklyn Historical Society to learn about how we can find the history of certain places and buildings. We were taught by Elizabeth, the librarian that guided us, on how to do house and building research. I learned that there are so many ways we can dig up the history of just one building. There are historic atlases which are fire insurance maps and it shows Brooklyn block by block. Then there are land conveyances, which are documents that show the seller and buyers information of the building that was being sold. At the Brooklyn Historical Society, there are so many information providers such as Brooklyn directories, image database, architecture books. There is not only 1 Brooklyn directory; there are 3 types you can choose from for your research. You can search by Name or Address or even by Blue books which is a collection of social directories. We also have access to the Brooklyn & Long Island Scrapbook Collection and Real Estate Brochure Collection. The Brooklyn and Long Island Scrapbook Collection is a collection of newspaper articles from the 1860’s to the 1960’s. The articles are put into microfiche today. Microfiche is like a small sheet of microfilm that can store pages to preserve them. The Real Estate Brochure Collection holds real estate brochures, mostly is organized by neighborhood that advertise new apartment buildings from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.
This was my first time visiting the Brooklyn Historic Society and I was very particular fascinated by the architectural designs of the library located on the second floor. It looked like everything was made out of wood, and the stacks on the shelf I can tell was very old books. It looked very vintage but at the same time, it appealed like a grand library to me. When I was walking around the library, I can tell it holds a lot of history. This was a great experience for me; I learned a lot of new things, new methods of researching and also new sources that I can research from.
]]>The pictures I took only shows minimal scenery of what the Brooklyn Promenade has to offer, but we can still see the Manhattan skyline and clear skies.
Manahatta
by Walt Whitman
(1819-1892)
I was asking for something specific and perfect for my city,
Whereupon lo! upsprang the aboriginal name.
Now I see what there is in a name, a word, liquid, sane, unruly,
musical, self-sufficient,
I see that the word of my city is that word from of old,
Because I see that word nested in nests of water-bays, superb,
Rich, hemm’d thick all around with sailships and steamships, an
island sixteen miles long, solid-founded,
Numberless crowded streets, high growths of iron, slender, strong,
light, splendidly uprising toward clear skies,
Tides swift and ample, well-loved by me, toward sundown,
The flowing sea-currents, the little islands, larger adjoining
islands, the heights, the villas,
The countless masts, the white shore-steamers, the lighters, the
ferry-boats, the black sea-steamers well-model’d,
The down-town streets, the jobbers’ houses of business, the houses
of business of the ship-merchants and money-brokers, the
river-streets,
Immigrants arriving, fifteen or twenty thousand in a week,
The carts hauling goods, the manly race of drivers of horses, the
brown-faced sailors,
The summer air, the bright sun shining, and the sailing clouds aloft,
The winter snows, the sleigh-bells, the broken ice in the river,
passing along up or down with the flood-tide or ebb-tide,
The mechanics of the city, the masters, well-form’d,
beautiful-faced, looking you straight in the eyes,
Trottoirs throng’d, vehicles, Broadway, the women, the shops and shows,
A million people–manners free and superb–open voices–hospitality–
the most courageous and friendly young men,
City of hurried and sparkling waters! city of spires and masts!
City nested in bays! my city!
The poem “Manhatta” is Whitman’s admiration for Manhattan and it shows his interest for the city.
]]>“With music strong I come, “ he wrote in “Song of Myself,”
… with my cornets and my drums,
I play not marches for accepted victors only, I play marches for
conquer’d and slain persons.
. . . . . . . .
I beat and pound for the dead,
I blow through my embouchures my loudest and gayest for them.
Within the few lines of the excerpt from Whitman’s Song of Myself poem, we see how enthuse Whitman was for the deceased crewmembers. Being the age of 10 at the time of the incident, I can only imagine what was going through Whitman’s mind. It was a tragic incident for anyone to remember, and consider this being one of Whitman’s most vivid recollections at the age of 10; it must’ve been a rather immense experience for him. Thinking back, I cannot recall a memory from when I was 10, not even how my birthday went. For Whitman, the tragic event was still in his memory.
]]>But I find it really amazing how in the randomist places, you can find Whitman because I’ve been trying to take pictures of Whitman items or things that remind me of him but I haven’t had any luck, so it was really great when i saw that street sign. It was like a sign of him telling me that he does exist.
and the the farm was nearby and heres me with all the pumpkins
And have a great columbus day everyone!
EDIT:
“In 1819, Walt Whitman was born at a farmhouse in West Hills built by his father circa 1810. The Birthplace was restored in 2001 and it is a fine example of native Long Island craftsmanship. The Birthplace is the only NYS Historic Site on Long Island listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1998, the White House Millennium Council named it an “American Treasure.” In 2007, the Walt Whitman Trail, which begins at the Birthplace, was designated a National Recreational Trail by the US Dept. of the Interior.”
source: http://www.waltwhitman.org/
The signs were actually pointing to a Walt Whitman historic site. The site is call The Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site, and it is an attraction of the birthplace of Whitman. Whitman’s father built the house himself in 1819. The historic site is located at 246 Old Walt Whitman Road, South Hungtington, NY 11743.
Here is an image of the historic site today. Which is also the house Whitman was born in.
source: www.waltwhitman.org
]]>image source: www.fultonferry.org
Here is a picture of the fulton ferry landing from 1880’s. You can see that it is very empty, just store fronts along the side and the Brooklyn Bridge in the back, along the right side of the image. There are no skyscrappers or pedestrains walking on the streets.
whereas, above is a picture of the fulton ferry landing today. there are still crowds of men and women in causal clothes, but yet they arent so curious to me, they just look like normal new yorkers looking to relax and a nice scenery, although maybe they are curious about their sorroundings. Also, we can see sky scrappers in the background as opposed to the old fulton ferry landing, where it was just clear skies. But one thing remains the same, the Brooklyn Bridge is still stands to the right of the picture.
]]>Walt Whitman’s New York
In Walt Whitman’s New York, on page 115, Whitman includes an article about one of the largest fires that occurred in Brooklyn in the early 1800’s. He states that “probably the largest and most destructive that ever occurred here up to its date, or during a number of years afterward.” This must’ve been a great fright to Whitman and everyone living in New York during that time because there was no ambulances , or fast medical help, although there was fire trucks, Whitman writes that “in those times they had only the two fire engines,” I am sure they didn’t do much to take down the fire. Whitman also states that “in 1795, the number of firemen was increased to thirty.” This destructive fire occurred in 1806, therefore there would’ve only been thirty firemen to help save the fire. Along with two fire trucks.
I think Whitman is writing about this incident because he wants us to get a sense of how astonishing this fire caused everyone to be. Not only did he include the article of the fire, Whitman also includes a list of following everything that was destroyed. The list mainly includes barns, houses and stables. This fire must’ve been one of the largest because even today I’ve not read an article on Brooklyn where the fire was so destructive that the land damaged can be compared to barns and stables.
I can see why this was a big shock at the time, because as Whitman quotes “..they had a few axes and a couple of ladders, Of course, this will seem almost ridiculous to our modern Brooklyn fire laddies, with their costly and beautiful machines.” Back in the day, fire ladders were considered modern. As compared to day, we have motorized ladders.
According to Wikipedia.Com,
A modern fire engine is usually a multi-purpose vehicle carrying professionals and equipment for a wide range of fire-fighting and rescue tasks. Therefore, most fire engines carry equipment such as ladders, pike poles, axes and cutting equipment, halligan bars, fire extinguishers, ventilating equipment, floodlights, hose ramps, breathing apparatus (BA) and general tools. Many fire appliances are based on standard truck or lorry models with heavy duty suspensions, brakes, tires, alternator, transmission and cooling systems; audible and visual warnings such as sirens, horns, and flashing lights, and a two way radio.
As compared to an old fire engine, according to Whitman,
The above engine stood about three feet in height, was eight feet in length, three in width, and two and a half in depth. It was what is termed a long-stroke engine, and worked easy, throwing a steam 60 feet, through a pipe of three-quarter inch nozzle, of six feet length. Neither hose nor suctions were used, the supply of water being furnished in buckets, by hand, poured into the box. The box held 180 gallons.
A modern fire engine compared to an old one, I look at it like, comparing a modern car to a future car that can fly and drive across water. From the descriptions of each fire engine, modern and past, we can see why the fire of 1806 was so destructive; the equipments at the time weren’t able to handle the fire, where as today, we have more enhanced fire equipments to help us in case of fires.
Here is an image of a brooklyn fire department in the 1800’s.
Here is an image of a fire truck in front of it’s department in brooklyn, today.