Positive Psychology: In Search of Walt Whitman, Part Two: The Civil War and Beyond (1861-1892)

Sunday, May 1, 2022

In Search of Walt Whitman, Part Two: The Civil War and Beyond (1861-1892)

https://youtu.be/QOHL8NEQCyM

Visit the film's website at http://www.waltwhitmanfilm.com to learn more about this documentary, download a discussion guide (for educators), purchase a DVD, or contact the filmmaker.

Or discover the myriad video platforms the film is on: http://waltwhitmanfilm.com/where-to-w.... If you are a student, consider entering an essay contest that offers a scholarship to study the arts or humanities. Go to http://waltwhitmanfilm.com/essaycontest to learn more.

This engaging film tells the story of Walt Whitman’s remarkable life (1819-1892), the turbulent era in which he lived, and the timeless poetry he created.

In Part Two, the poet moves to Washington to care for injured Civil War soldiers but is disillusioned by the Gilded Age after the war. He recovers from a debilitating stroke to live out his days in Camden NJ, where he continues to write poetry.

Includes such renowned poems as “When Lilacs Last in the Doory’d Bloomed,” “O Captain! My Captain!” “The Wound-Dresser,” “Prayer of Columbus,” and “Goodbye My Fancy.” This is an East Rock Films production.

East Rock Films is an educational film organization that seeks to inform and inspire viewers by bringing to life famous writers, artists, and their works.

Positive Psychology given credence by Academia:

Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.

Commentators on the subject Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, note that:

"The field of positive psychology at the subjective level is about valued subjective experiences: well-being, contentment, and satisfaction (in the past); hope and optimism (for the future); and flow and happiness (in the present).

At the individual level, it is about positive individual traits: the capacity for love and vocation, courage, interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, future mindedness, spirituality, high talent, and wisdom.

At the group level, it is about the civic virtues and the institutions that move individuals toward better citizenship: responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility, moderation,tolerance, and work ethic."