Friday, October 23, 2015

And there is no object so soft but it makes a hub for the wheel'd universe,
And I say to any man or woman, let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes. 

As I read this excerpt from Walt Whitman's poem I recognize how he portrays his own ideas of the soul in relation to the universe. Whitman explains the soul is what allows the universe to function. Without life the universe would have nothing to sustain. The soul is what spins the wheel of the universe thats why Whitman portrays the soul as hub to the wheel'd universe. Expanding on the idea of your soul being "cool" it's symbolized as your soul being at peace. Filling your soul with "warm" or angry thoughts or feelings effects the spinning of the universe ultimately causing the universe to provide a negative aspect of your life. Whitman describes as the universe being the highest power controlling all that it can in the world around us. And in relation between the soul and the universe and how if our soul stays "cool" we will make the most out of our existence both physically and mentally. I look at this excerpt as a great illustration of Whitman's idea of the correlation between the soul and the universe. 

Friday, October 9, 2015

In terms of shaping my identity I give enormous credit to my parents. They are the ones who have raised me and shaped me into the person that I am today. They taught right from wrong and provided all the support I needed to get where I want to go. I also give credit to my two older brothers. They both guided me through my childhood helping me each step along the way. Being the youngest you can expect that I was never the winner in a physical battle between them but in the end they made me tougher as a person. They taught me to never back down and stand up for who I am even if it's to them. These are the most influential people that have constructed my identity and wouldn't want anyone else helping me grow and develop as a human being.