My Thoughts on Wednesday 5/26/2021 :)

"My Love" by E. E. Cummings

I've studied a few of Cummings pieces and I've generally enjoyed them so I was a bit disappointed that I didn't like this one as much. It is most likely due to personal bias as I feel most love poems are the recycled pieces of those already written, especially when they're as direct as this one. This is an obviously well-written poem however I found it difficult to find anything in this poem that could not be found in many others. I did appreciate how Cummings commented on his love's mind as well as her beauty, which displays his more modern take on love poems.

"Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm going to be honest, I only read about half of this essay, it felt so repetitious that I just couldn't get through it. I think it generally aged pretty poorly and exposed the blissful ignorance that white men exissted in in the 1800s. Emerson's opening point of saying your ideas and opinions first so others don't steal them only works if you are a white man. He is blatantly ignoring the countless ideas and inventions created by women and POC that are acreditted to white men. He is acting under the assumption that the world is fair and equal which further exposes his ignorance. His ideas of individuality and self-reliance are dangerous not because it is dangerous to think for yourself but because it is dangerous to not. If one follows Emerson's advice are they thinking for themselves or following Emerson's instructions? Thinking for oneself does not imply individuality and self-reliance which is the largest flaw of Emerson's essay. Being self-reliant means making decisions that align accurately with your virtues and nature by seeking out accurate informations for yourself instead of listening to one man who claims to know what's best for you.

In addition, studies have repreatedly shown that the reason women live longer than men is because they are part of tight-knit communities where they can share their stresses and victories with trusted friends. Toxic masculinity, and Emerson's essay, encourages men to operate by themselves continuously. To not talk about their problems, or cry, or share, this built up stress is a contributing factor to the shorter average lifespan of men. (Source: For the Love of Men by Liz Plank).

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I didn't have time to read The Birds right now but if I do I will edit my thoughts in to this post.