According to Walt Whitman, the untranslatable self refers to the abstract concepts of identity and self-awareness. From what I can understand, it sounds as if Walt Whitman does not know how he fits into the world on a greater spectrum. He is aware of his existence, but contemplates his experience and reason for being. He finds that there is no single way to exist, or experience existing, and that every person is entitled to have multiple views/outlooks on life (whether one view contradicts another or not). Whitman not only questions his own human existence, but also what he knows about the universe and believes to be true. He feels that humans are constantly changing and developing intellectual beings, therefore it is impossible to fully understand oneself or anyone else. For this reason, he distances himself from categorization or belonging to any one specific niche or group. He illustrates a sense of defiance through this, refusing to succumb to the will of society by defining himself as person without outside influence. Whitman believes himself to be apart of nature, connected to the “hawk”, and almost blending their identities into one. Whitman believes that his ideas and thoughts are too much to articulate in words or use his “voice” for. Each line of the poem diverges from a central point or theme, but as a whole, I feel as if the theme that Walt Whitman is trying to convey is one regarding self-awareness and transcendence from one sense of self to another.

After reading the “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman, I believe the “untranslatable self” can be explained as the self being of a person not being able to fully convert their meanings of themselves to the outside world and anyone else in it. You can be who you are and always try to be part of the universe around you but the two will never be able to fully mesh together in a completely successful explanation of your characteristics and identity and what the worlds identity and energy is. I think this is what Whitman somewhat tried to do in his long epic poem being entirely egoistic. The poem can be read and interpreted in many different ways by people and it shows that everyone has their own meanings and thoughts that can never be entirely understood the way it is illustrated in the head of the reader. In part of being incapable of fully understanding the self being theres also the incapability of fully understanding the universe and the things consisted in it, like in the poem Whitman wrote “A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands; How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he. I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven.” He carries on with his ideas of what grass can be explained as and I feel like this shows the “untranslatable” part of the “untranslatable self” but instead this is about the universe. 

I could see this poem by Emily Dickinson related to a number of parts in Jane Eyre but the one that stuck out the most to me was at the beginning of chapter 31.  At this part of the book Jane is reflecting on her two options and is fantasizing about the latter one.  In the poem’s first stanza Dickinson talks of a nicer house with more windows and doors.  And there is no doubt that if Jane had gone with Mr.Rochester then their house somewhere in France would be a great deal nicer than the cottage she is describing at beginning of chapter 31.  The third stanza in the poem talks of the finest guests visiting.  The guests Jane and Mr.Rochester would be entertaining in Jane’s fantasy would definitely be fairer than the school kids she is interacting with daily.  Jane has to remind herself that “these peasants are of the same flesh and blood” as her.

-Robert Zink

This poem brings me straight to the end of chapter 27, “The Soul selects her own Society — Then — shuts the Door — To her divine Majority — Present no more –”After reading the first part of this poem, it reminds me of when Jane refuses to marry Mr. Rochester and move away with him. She then dreams that night of her mother telling her to not break her temptation, and leaves Thornfield on the spot, not knowing what her future has in store. This seems to happen to Jane many times in the story, she ends up going somewhere, shuts the door in which she gets comfortable then something unfortunate has to happen and she is forced to leave- Present no more. Another example from this poem is “An emperor be kneeling upon her mat” after reading this part, Mr. Rochester Jumped in my head, when he confessed his love to Jane. The rest of the poem is another reenactment of when Jane leaves the “ample nation” (Thornfield) and closed the valves of her attention like stone. Once Jane leaves Thornfield and ends up with St. John, she closes the valves and does not think about what and who she left behind at Thornfield.

Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I dwell in Possibility,” is relatable for Jane Eyre.  Personally, I think Jane would have felt this similar sense of hope and wishful thinking when contemplating if she really heard Rochester’s voice prior to deciding to check in on him.  Not only could the physical descriptions of the grandeur in Dickinson’s poem be symbolic towards desires and dreams of grandeur, but also a description of Rochester’s Thornfield and potential life with him.  As Jane embarked on her six and a half hour journey from her cousins’ to the Rochester Arms, she was reflecting on how life has changed, all while thinking about Rochester and Thornfield.  Although Jane was not explicitly describing the manor, the feelings of comfort and desire of a loving, grand home Dickinson evokes in her poem could be what Jane was feeling as she rushed to Rochester’s Arms.  Even though I do believe this scene could be related to the poem, there are some aspects that I do think Jane did not explicitly expressed, such as the desire for fair guests and visitors and to gather paradise.  These are not things that Jane has expressed, but Jane does yearn for a comfortable and loving home.

To be honest, it is my first time to read a poem in English during my life. I repeat to read Emily Dickinson’s poems again and again. All three poems are still difficult to understand what they exactly are saying. However, I like “the soul selects her own society.” It also can express the life of Jane Eyre well. Let’s look at the first paragraph. “The soul selects her own society” is like that Jane Eyre decides how to live by herself. It means that she try to tell and do what she wants as women even if her current society doesn’t accept and understand. On the second paragraph, the writer repeats “unmoved.” It’s like to show Jane Eyre’s desire and will. She is not supposed to change her mind and surrender to the society. On the last paragraph, ample nation means possibilities. And choose one of them. Then close the valve “Like Stone.” Jane Eyre have possibilities. There are diverse types of societies. Among the, she chooses one role which she wants to be. And she doesn’t care of what society treats her. Jane Eyre keeps doing her own works. She’s stood up to discrimination, unfairness, men’s, power, money, and society during life. The stone represents Jane Eyre. Stone is cannot move by itself. Stone has a storing image. Stone can be changed and moved by breaking or getting influenced by powerful natural forces. Jane Eyre’s will to change a society is like to be ready to die.

The Poem “I Dwell in Possibility” written by Emily Dickinson is a poem that I believe speaks out to everyone. It shows us that there is possibility in life, little or big, which you can take a shot at. In this poem, Dickinson emphasizes how poetry is limitless, how it has no boundaries and to the readers and the poet it is home. The second line, “A fairer House than Prose —” describes how there’s a fairer or a house much more superior than the one we’re caged in or imagine. From this poem, I see the idea that Dickinson wants the readers to break through whatever cage they’re in. Allowing the readers to use poetry to give them hope, that there are possibilities outside of their cages. The word dwell connects me to Jane Eyre because It makes me think the poet is also feeling disappointment in the world around her just as Jane is. To dwell in a possibility, one must be in desperate of an escape of some sort. This desperate need of escape is what Jane experienced, her whole life she is told what to do and doesn’t have any sense of direction or a dream that’s called a dream. As Jane may not know herself, but her actions show how she dwells in possibility. Wanting to obtain freedom and better things. One scene that simply emphasizes this could be when she posts an advertisement of herself in the regional newspaper without telling anyone at Lowood. Soon after she receives notice and is satisfied and yearning for a life of excitement ahead of her. Jane is dwelling in possibility, she’s breaking her cage to search for her possibility, freedom that she’s been longing for.

-Shan Shan Chen

In Emily Dickinsons poem, “Hope is a Thing With Feathers”, she is referring to the hope that we all carry inside us as a little bird that fly’s up or descends down according to our situations, but no matter what it will never be killed off until the moment our soul we hoist is deceased. Hope is what keeps us “warm” as what Dickinson wrote and I think she meant that its a driving force in our lives that keep us going to follow our ambitions and satisfy our goals by staying optimistic which leads to a pleasurable feeling at the end “that kept so many warm” (Line 8). I feel like this can connect very well to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre because even though Jane had gone through a lot of stormy days in her life she still had some hope to keep her going to find a more pleasing world. She always believed in the equality of men and women and strived for that day to come. A specific scene from Jane Eyre where I think connects to Dickinsons poem wonderfully is when Jane had left Thornfield after renouncing the marriage plans with Mr. Rochester and became homeless with no money, food or job. She became desperate enough to start begging people for food or for any work that was available in a little village. Soon she came to a house where she begged once again but was rejected by the lady named Hannah and laid on the doorsteps and cried “I can but die, and I believe in God. Let me try to wait His will in silence.” (Chapter 28) Jane had nothing in life to hold anymore but the hope that was still inside her. Her hope was placed in the hands of god and its the only thing she had left to believe to keep herself “warm”.

Sometimes Jane does not explicitly express her feelings, however, Dickinson’s ideas in “I dwell in possibility” can help elucidate Jane’s emotions. The first line of the poem “I dwell in possibility-” (1) can be used to describe Jane’s inner feelings towards her status in society. Rather than being labeled as a governess, Jane wishes to be in the same social level as Mr. Rochester. Jane wants to escape the social norms of reality and live through the thought of being able to enjoy life with Mr. Rochester without having to be ashamed of her class. But because she is classified as a servant, she becomes jealous of Blanche’s status. Jane believes that although Blanche may be physically beautiful, she is nothing more than a pretty face. She even begins to question why Mr. Rochester would consider marrying her. She thinks of Blanche negatively, “but her mind was poor…she was not good; she was not original..” (352). Jane dwells upon the idea that Jane herself can be a possible candidate to wed Mr. Rochester.

In lines 2-4,“A fairer House than Prose-More numerous of Windows-” allow me to make a connection with how Jane has never had a stable “home.” Throughout Jane’s childhood, she has never felt a sense of belonging. She was not welcomed in Mrs. Reed’s household, nor did she feel the warmth in Lorwood. In her first days in Thornfield, Jane felt as if Thornfield was no different. It was a place where she will soon leave.
“Superior-for Doors-” (4) can be interpreted as a different door to each stage of our lives; a door that leads to a new chapter in Jane’s life. After getting to know Mr. Rochester, that thought of leaving has changed. She becomes infatuated with him and wants to stay. She wants to settle down in Thornfield, with Mr. Rochester. “The spreading wide my narrow Hands To gather Paradise-” (11-12), can be interpreted as Jane’s ability to escape the cold reality and enjoy the beautiful things her imaginative world has to offer.

I chose hope has one of Jane scene because most of her dream and life is based on hope. Her plans and dreams was to get married to her lover MR Rochester, become successful after education, and suddenly she discovered a tragedy that ruined her future and dream about marriage. Even though she loved him she can not take any risk to fight for that love anymore. The poem has many similarity to the love that Jane felt for him and the struggle that she has been through since after the death of her uncle. Jane has many mini dream that she wants or likes to realized which is kind becoming impossible for her because of her environment and how people around her are seeing her as person. In the poem it emphasizes about how if you want something you should think about and never limit yourself no matter what, which describe Jane personality. Jane is a very motivated girl that had been through a lot of struggle in life but still being strong after all the bad things that happen to her since her childhood till now. She finally realized her hope and mini dream about marriage and being with the man that she truly love.  She finally had all she wanted wealth and got  married to the man of her dream. This poem is very related to all Jane scene because she succeed at the end which mean in order to get what you want you need to hope and have all door open.