Comments on: Whitman, Hawthorne, Thoreau and July 4th http://www.jordancornblog.com/whitman-hawthorne-thoreau-and-july-4th/ Just what you've been waiting for ... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:34:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: JordanCornblog http://www.jordancornblog.com/whitman-hawthorne-thoreau-and-july-4th/comment-page-1/#comment-392 JordanCornblog Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:41:03 +0000 http://www.jordancornblog.com/whitman-hawthorne-thoreau-and-july-4th/#comment-392 Wow, Alice - this is awesome! I agree that Whitman would say the same or worse about the current occupant of the White House ... and am whole-heartedly with you in your wish for peace. And I have a question ... would you ever consider being a guest blogger here? Wow, Alice – this is awesome! I agree that Whitman would say the same or worse about the current occupant of the White House … and am whole-heartedly with you in your wish for peace. And I have a question … would you ever consider being a guest blogger here?

]]> By: Alice http://www.jordancornblog.com/whitman-hawthorne-thoreau-and-july-4th/comment-page-1/#comment-391 Alice Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:23:43 +0000 http://www.jordancornblog.com/whitman-hawthorne-thoreau-and-july-4th/#comment-391 I do love convergences. All kinds of small world coincidences perk my interest and curiosity. And when they are in my own backyard, so to speak, all the better. Which brings me to Hawthorne's New Hampshire connection, a lifelong connection that began when he and Franklin Pierce as young men first met in route to Bowdoin College to begin college. So began the closest of friendships, one that netted Nathaniel patronage jobs that kept food on his family table as well as numerous trips to Concord, New Hampshire and vicinity to talk over old and new times with friend, Franklin. It was on one of those trips that Nathaniel died unexpectantly in Plymouth, New Hampshire, a sad convergence between him, Franklin and our state to be sure. Franklin's friendship even continued after the loss of his old friend when he paid for Nathaniel's son, Julian, to go to college. I can't close without sharing a less loving convergence I happened upon--this one between Walt Whitman and Franklin Pierce who was, apparently, not a favorite of Walt's or, come to think of it, of later historians who typically rate our favorite son as ONE of--if not THE worst-- presidents of our country. Here I'm told is how Walt portrayed Nathaniel's dear friend and the political world in which he traveled--quite a divergence (get it?) from Nathaniel's opinion to be sure: Whitman believed the federal government was an array of "robbers, pimps . . . malignants, conspirators, murderers . . . infidels, disunionists, terrorists, mail-riflers, slave-catchers . . . body-snatchers . . . monte-dealers, duelists, carriers of concealed weapons, blind men, deaf men, pimpled men, scarred inside with the vile disorder, gaudy outside with gold chains made from the people's money and the harlot's money twisted together . . . the lousy combings and born freedom sellers of the earth." Whitman was especially unimpressed with Franklin Pierce, who, Whitman claimed, "eats dirt and excrement for his daily meals." Ouch! I don't think Walt visited New Hampshire, but he was the truest kind of patriot, and I expect he would share similarly choice sentiments about our present president who, to my mind, has easily overtaken Franklin Pierce's spot at the bottom of the list of America's most wanting. Happy 4th. May it help to (somehow)converge with peace. I do love convergences. All kinds of small world coincidences perk my interest and curiosity. And when they are in my own backyard, so to speak, all the better. Which brings me to Hawthorne’s New Hampshire connection, a lifelong connection that began when he and Franklin Pierce as young men first met in route to Bowdoin College to begin college. So began the closest of friendships, one that netted Nathaniel patronage jobs that kept food on his family table as well as numerous trips to Concord, New Hampshire and vicinity to talk over old and new times with friend, Franklin. It was on one of those trips that Nathaniel died unexpectantly in Plymouth, New Hampshire, a sad convergence between him, Franklin and our state to be sure. Franklin’s friendship even continued after the loss of his old friend when he paid for Nathaniel’s son, Julian, to go to college. I can’t close without sharing a less loving convergence I happened upon–this one between Walt Whitman and Franklin Pierce who was, apparently, not a favorite of Walt’s or, come to think of it, of later historians who typically rate our favorite son as ONE of–if not THE worst– presidents of our country. Here I’m told is how Walt portrayed Nathaniel’s dear friend and the political world in which he traveled–quite a divergence (get it?) from Nathaniel’s opinion to be sure:

Whitman believed the federal government was an array of “robbers, pimps . . . malignants, conspirators, murderers . . . infidels, disunionists, terrorists, mail-riflers, slave-catchers . . . body-snatchers . . . monte-dealers, duelists, carriers of concealed weapons, blind men, deaf men, pimpled men, scarred inside with the vile disorder, gaudy outside with gold chains made from the people’s money and the harlot’s money twisted together . . . the lousy combings and born freedom sellers of the earth.”

Whitman was especially unimpressed with Franklin Pierce, who, Whitman claimed, “eats dirt and excrement for his daily meals.”

Ouch! I don’t think Walt visited New Hampshire, but he was the truest kind of patriot, and I expect he would share similarly choice sentiments about our present president who, to my mind, has easily overtaken Franklin Pierce’s spot at the bottom of the list of America’s most wanting.

Happy 4th. May it help to (somehow)converge with peace.

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