Companions

The readings for these weeks all have a common theme in connection and companionship. Walt Whitman's “One-Self I Sing” and “I Sing the Body Electric” as well as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein all speak how people connect with one another and the connection of the body as a whole. Through the story line of Frankenstein it can be seen that people need to find a companion in life. Everything cannot function on it's own and it is part of our human nature to look for a partner. These aspect also applies to Whitman's works. They speak of community and how one body part cannot function by itself but it is rather the body as a whole that makes up the soul. Throughout these three works the importance of society and the role of companionship is evident.
In Walt Whitman's “ I Sign the Body Electric” the speaker lists and explains how the body is made up of many different parts. After further inspection of the poem and noticing lines such as “O I say these are not the parts and poems of the body only, but of the soul..” it can be seen that these multiple parts make up one soul. They work together as a whole and are companions to one another. Whitman makes the point that the body and the soul would not be able to function in life if all of the body parts were not together. It is necessary that they become a union and work with each other.
The other poem by Walt Whitman “Ones-Self I Sing” starts off by saying he is “a simple separate person” but he is still part of something bigger. He is part of a larger community a group of people brought together. Later in the poem Whitman notes the equality between men and women, a companionship that is evident in everyday life. This idea relates to the theme of the importance of companionship evident in his other poem as well as in Frankenstein.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein takes the reader on a journey through the life of a scientist who has created a monster. This monster has not only became a companion for Dr. Frankenstein unwillingly but is searching for someone in his life. As he observes families and the world around him he begins to experience the same feelings as a human would, he is searching for love. These feelings are becoming overbearing for Dr. Frankenstein. Victor's life is now being overtaken by the monster who is threatening him to create him a companion. This is not just the story of the creation of a monster but rather something with deeper meaning. It is a story of companionship and not being alone throughout life.
My event for this week was my trip to the City Council Education Committee Hearing. It took place at City Hall Council Chambers in Baltimore. I took a shuttle down to the hearing with about twelve other students. This hearing was very interesting. The point of it was to save Community Schools from funding cuts. These community schools serve not only the students but their families with multiple services during and after school. Community schools are connected to local partnerships that provide services that without their help would not be achievable.
The experience of traveling to the hearing and listening to the hearing has a strong connection to the readings from this week. All of the readings this week spoke of companionship and the search for a partner in life. For example Frankenstein was a story about a monster's search for his life partner and his desire to acquire one. These community schools need partners to survive in the world. They use the services provided by the partners to serve the community and make the school better as a whole. If funding is cut then these schools will have an unsuccessful search for partners due to the fact that financially they will be unable to support the services they used to provide. I was able to see the search for companionship in literature as well as in the world today.