Well all three caught hold of the basic concept; a spider, building its web. But personally, I feel the one who got the deeper meaning was the second narrator. Through how she chose to present it by blurry lenses, she accurately grasp the concept of 'isolation' and loneliness. 'filament, filament, filament, out of itself', the other two chose to present by drawing lines coming out of the spider. Note how she presented it, through a person walking. She draws a parallel between the spider and *us*. In short, the bigger idea behind the poem was a sense of loneliness and 'lost' the poet (or persona) felt, which I believe only the second animator presented fully. I feel like she has the least credit because hers seem 'boring' at the superficial level. Sorry for this long 'essay' if you read in full, thanks for your time :)
Hmmm. This is an interesting view, and I see where you're coming from, but the first and third do exactly as the poem does: they shift the responsibility of interpretation onto the reader. You understand that the words representing a spider convey this idea you're talking about; so too can you understand that the visual representation conveys it.
I agree wholeheartedly, but I also believe that there is something else being explored here. More or less I see Whitman exploring the individuality of the soul, comparing to to a spider spreading its filament to the world as a tool for exploration. The soul and mind do the same, using its filament tools (our senses) as a means to explore this endless realm we exist within. Our souls along with Whitman long for a greater understanding of it all, alike a spider spreading its filament for a deeper understanding.
I read your comment in full because I was drawn to it, Because it explained in such a way that I could not want to look away, And to some extent I guess, I found myself agreeing, for more reasons than just that it made sense, I guess it spoke to me, Telling me something I have yet to fully understand, but now see that it is there, waiting....... Thank you.
I liked the third one best. I feel like it communicated the meaning of the poem very well via the analogy of the spider then coming back to the human soul. Or perhaps it just took me 3 times to hear the poem to get the gist of it.
Oh my god. This is the best thing I have ever seen on this channel. Poetry was never really one of my favourite things, but I know that it's because I don't always understand everything. However, these animations make me think twice about the poem, even though I'm not a native English speaker. Youngsters would love learning literature with things like this.
I like the first one, as it really expresses what the poem means to me. I think the poem is about finding stability, meaning, and a place in this vast, vacant, and dark world. We try to cling onto something with the finest thread-like hope, to give us the sense of stability, meaning, and position. The first animation forms a somewhat human-like figure in the center. Nearing the end, the 'connections' made by the webs are stronger. It really expresses how the soul, the body, seeks outwards.
I liked the third one because it looks the cutest and is something I would have done, but the second one was the most interesting because it was the only one that didn't take it so literal
The second one is in one sense the least original because it uses a series of clips on an old style camera, but its the only one who didn't take the spider part of the poem literally (not to say you should or should not its just the only one who didn't). But I think the second one is my favourite because it felt the most human, not just because it literally showed people but it felt like it was about people more than the others and seeing that sort of camera work makes it feel like home videos, or just people filming emotionally warm moments, even if they seemed mundane. Thus it made the poem feel more like a thinly veiled poem about people as it is. The others took it to literally I think, making it too abstract and just showing the most literal visuals of what is said but not what's being communicated through the words. So I think they miss the point more and possibly have less creativity because of that lack of interpretation of what the poem might be trying to say.
luke Hodge Yes, but at the same time the second approach leaves less to the imagination of the viewer. It shows the interpretation of the animator, that's not really a bad thing, but I prefer the other approaches more because they are closer to the poem and I'd rather figure out the meaning on my own. I also don't like the style of the second one.
MatijaxD I know what you mean, but I feel if the animators aren't adding anything beyond articulating just what's written then they don't serve much artistic purpose.
The 3rd one is the one that really spoke to me the second one disinterested me and the 3rd one actually helped me understand the poem with the motions of the waves and stuff :P
First one is my favorite. I found the second very bland and uninteresting, both visually and from the speech... Third one is very nice. Edit: I just realized I watched the video and wrote the above while being watched by a spider. So meta! XD (didn't kill it btw; I like spiders)
Francine I know a lot of ppl hate spiders quite viscerally, but personally they're the only bugs I tolerate in my house, because they trap and eat those damn mosquitos. I just clean up their old webs and leave em alone. Admittedly, there's no venomous spiders in Quebec, though.
In my opinion, the poem is about a painfully lonely being. The spiders threads not catching in the void are an analogy for unsuccessful attempts to reach out. I perceive the first illustration as best of the tree in not only visualizing that metaphorical connection, but also in keeping up with the pace of literary tension towards its climax. Im generally not into poetry this one got me.
Isn't curious how everyone seems to prefer the third one? Have you consider: does a male voice make a difference, is it all about talent, style of artist including the medium and the intonation. Is it only cultural that we all like the same third one!?? This video open more questions than it answers
I think this video was meant to ask questions. I also think that the voice makes a difference, but not because it's a male voice. The first voice was too booming and the words were very separate from each other, which made it difficult to enjoy the poem. The second voice wasn't as clear and the quality of the recording was lacking, but the way she placed emphasis on the words made me like it even though the video was the worst.
The animation of the 3rd one (the first one's animation was good, but I like the 3rd's interpretation of the poem more), + the narration from the first one (so much passion and emphasis on all the right words) = perfection
I liked the second. All three gave the poem totally different outward aspects which I internalized very differently. The first was a personal revelation. The second a wandering trip the third a drop in the ocean. I love this video!
The first one was animated and read very expressively. The second one was just a lazy, disinteresting and rather vacuous entry. The third one was very creative and stylised.
you didn't give them the same poem, poetry changes and takes on new meaning depending on who's reading it, this leads to different tempo and inflection etc. and thus the same poem read by different people may not give the same inspiration, a better test would have been to give them identical recordings, that way you'd have the added bonus of being able to play the 3 pieces side by side (by side)
Yes it was the "same poem", but the way each was read, it was read in a different tone: the first, more upbeat, the second, lighter but like the first, with a woman's voice and the third was smooth in a male's voice. The tone changes one's perspective on things like poetry.
No, I understand your point, that was the whole point of my comment. I agree that they should've given each animator the same reading of the poem, but maybe they just gave each person a copy of the poem and they has each animator read it, to show how they understood it.
There are many comments which say that they like the second one least because it's lazy and boring but I believe it was the one which moved me the most. The narrator sounded so normal and daily times to times but behind that I heard a lot of pain (yeah, for me it really was like she was about to cry). I also liked that it was the one which was the least a visualisation of the poem. Maybe it was the one which understood the poem the most, which explored a real meaning in it. All the filmed pictures could try to express the message which was discovered or they could just be chosen following the feeling the person had while reading it. They could also just express any feeling, they could be chosen at random and without deepness but only emptiness. I like this unsureness, I like this mistrust, I like that it is meaningful without trying to be meaningful, and maybe the creativity and unconventionality, the braveness made me be so moved und attracted to it. Or maybe it was just one nuance in the voice, which remembered me to something, maybe it was just the mood I am in today or the feeling that a beloved and admired person would like it the most. But actually I think it doesn't matter which one is the best. This project and also the viewer's disunity shows that there is nothing like a correct interpreatation, that there are just individual meanings.
Interesting experiment, love when different forms of Art are brought together, the result is just briliant!! Create a visual story out of words of a poem..god, i wish i was an animator myself!! :D such a creative, free work they have done, good job guys!! ♥
I love the reading of the first one. To me it conveys a romantic individuality that makes it a different kind of powerful. It read as if the speaker were addressing the poem to someone, as if a higher being to his son, until the final few words where the speaker realizes that this tireless pursuit of looking for connection also speaks about themself and they cry: “O, my soul”
the poem is about interpretation itself. the filaments the spider launches are just different perspectives of the same subject, every individual clings to their own views and tries to make meaning out of it. we labour, suffer and experience differently than others - the different ways we see life itself to make ourselves feel morally upright and objective is just a futile attempt like the spider shooting its web out hoping to stick a landing
i just stumbled upon this video. it brings me joy and good memories- a teacher of mine showed us this same video and somehow it sparked something in me. i'm so glad it found its way back to me :')
1 and 3 both have a nice aesthetic interpretation, though the narrator for 1 could ease up a bit imo; though i appreciate the effort for poetic emotion
I thought the visuals and voices were a little distracting, so I looked up the poem to read it directly. The ending was a little cryptic at first, but I think I understand that the poem is saying that no matter what direction you take in life, there is no destination, only a journey, and it's up to each of us to decide how to deal with that realization.
I prefer the second one. The others are great too, but somehow the second one touched me in a different way and lead me to what I would call understanding of the poem. Great idea!
Looks like I'm the only one who loved the second one. The first and the third just interpreted visually what is written, not what the poem meant. Why would a poet write about a spider? There's nothing interesting about a spider in itself. Walt is writing about a lonely soul that wants to connect, in my opinion. Sure, there are just splash of boring videos of our everyday life in the second animation. The animator didn't interpret directly what he thinks the author wanted to communicate, but she helped me easily feel the emotion in the poem. For example: "It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them", yes, I really think speeding cars is the best interpretation. Or a crowded busy street of New York filled with grumpy tired lonely people in hurry. I don't know. But Looking at a spider and abstract figures doesn't really call any emotion in me, just fun to watch.
You(the Spider) stand in the middle of the measureless darkof the unknown world, constantly trying to grasp it by the filaments (sensors) which you send out. The impressions provided by these fillaments are categorized by spheres(concepts) which can be the bridge between you and your aim.
I found this after having just created an interpretation of the same poem myself, if anyone would like to see it on my channel. I love how all the animators and narrators expressed the poem in a way that gave it a different angle. Thanks for sharing
For me this poem I like a mirror. As a soul IS, after all , lost. Until the bridge forms... We wander into the vastness of space Only to make-believe meaning in this chaotic world
aquawu It's about the endless possibilities in life and the desperate, tireless souls toiling to build a bridge between the present and the desired future, whatever that may be.
It's cool how each time you listen to the poem you understand it a bit more and in a different way.
My thoughts exactly. By the third time the light 💡 was fully turned on. Haha
tru
tru
tru
Well all three caught hold of the basic concept; a spider, building its web.
But personally, I feel the one who got the deeper meaning was the second narrator. Through how she chose to present it by blurry lenses, she accurately grasp the concept of 'isolation' and loneliness. 'filament, filament, filament, out of itself', the other two chose to present by drawing lines coming out of the spider. Note how she presented it, through a person walking. She draws a parallel between the spider and *us*. In short, the bigger idea behind the poem was a sense of loneliness and 'lost' the poet (or persona) felt, which I believe only the second animator presented fully.
I feel like she has the least credit because hers seem 'boring' at the superficial level.
Sorry for this long 'essay' if you read in full, thanks for your time :)
Not an essay, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. Thanks for sharing, I agree - "filament" can mean either "thread" or "appendage," among other things
Hmmm. This is an interesting view, and I see where you're coming from, but the first and third do exactly as the poem does: they shift the responsibility of interpretation onto the reader. You understand that the words representing a spider convey this idea you're talking about; so too can you understand that the visual representation conveys it.
Felt the same.
I agree wholeheartedly, but I also believe that there is something else being explored here. More or less I see Whitman exploring the individuality of the soul, comparing to to a spider spreading its filament to the world as a tool for exploration. The soul and mind do the same, using its filament tools (our senses) as a means to explore this endless realm we exist within. Our souls along with Whitman long for a greater understanding of it all, alike a spider spreading its filament for a deeper understanding.
I read your comment in full because I was drawn to it,
Because it explained in such a way that I could not want to look away,
And to some extent I guess, I found myself agreeing, for more reasons than just that it made sense,
I guess it spoke to me,
Telling me something I have yet to fully understand, but now see that it is there, waiting.......
Thank you.
third one is my favourite!
Agree
BeepDerpify Yeah.
yes
Ditto
Same
I liked the third one best. I feel like it communicated the meaning of the poem very well via the analogy of the spider then coming back to the human soul. Or perhaps it just took me 3 times to hear the poem to get the gist of it.
Agree!
Exactly what I wanted to comment..
😊 poems don't have a gist.
perhaps
Oh my god. This is the best thing I have ever seen on this channel. Poetry was never really one of my favourite things, but I know that it's because I don't always understand everything. However, these animations make me think twice about the poem, even though I'm not a native English speaker.
Youngsters would love learning literature with things like this.
I like the first one, as it really expresses what the poem means to me. I think the poem is about finding stability, meaning, and a place in this vast, vacant, and dark world. We try to cling onto something with the finest thread-like hope, to give us the sense of stability, meaning, and position. The first animation forms a somewhat human-like figure in the center. Nearing the end, the 'connections' made by the webs are stronger. It really expresses how the soul, the body, seeks outwards.
I liked the third one because it looks the cutest and is something I would have done, but the second one was the most interesting because it was the only one that didn't take it so literal
The second one is in one sense the least original because it uses a series of clips on an old style camera, but its the only one who didn't take the spider part of the poem literally (not to say you should or should not its just the only one who didn't).
But I think the second one is my favourite because it felt the most human, not just because it literally showed people but it felt like it was about people more than the others and seeing that sort of camera work makes it feel like home videos, or just people filming emotionally warm moments, even if they seemed mundane. Thus it made the poem feel more like a thinly veiled poem about people as it is.
The others took it to literally I think, making it too abstract and just showing the most literal visuals of what is said but not what's being communicated through the words. So I think they miss the point more and possibly have less creativity because of that lack of interpretation of what the poem might be trying to say.
luke Hodge well said.
luke Hodge Yes, but at the same time the second approach leaves less to the imagination of the viewer. It shows the interpretation of the animator, that's not really a bad thing, but I prefer the other approaches more because they are closer to the poem and I'd rather figure out the meaning on my own.
I also don't like the style of the second one.
MatijaxD I know what you mean, but I feel if the animators aren't adding anything beyond articulating just what's written then they don't serve much artistic purpose.
The 3rd one is the one that really spoke to me the second one disinterested me and the 3rd one actually helped me understand the poem with the motions of the waves and stuff :P
luke Hodge THIS!
How interesting! Third one is my favorite.
Very interesting experiment, i like the 3rd one best imo
This is fantastic. I'm so glad someone took the initiative to make this.
You guys should definitely do more of these poem interpretations. Loved it!
plot twist : the viewer is the actual experimented subject
my sentiments exactly.
The second one was amazing, unique in it's own way...
i agree- i loved the second one too
Good idea! I liked the third reciter's and the second animator's interpretation the most.
Amazing work all around; bravo to all the animators and reciters!!
Please, do more like these Ted-Ed
First one is my favorite. I found the second very bland and uninteresting, both visually and from the speech... Third one is very nice.
Edit: I just realized I watched the video and wrote the above while being watched by a spider. So meta! XD (didn't kill it btw; I like spiders)
Frogasmol I liked the second one though, it's interpretation is however, much more abstract.
Julian Poon I get what you mean and I'm all in favor of symbolism and non-literal interpretation, but the aesthetics did not connect with me, tbh.
Francine I know a lot of ppl hate spiders quite viscerally, but personally they're the only bugs I tolerate in my house, because they trap and eat those damn mosquitos. I just clean up their old webs and leave em alone.
Admittedly, there's no venomous spiders in Quebec, though.
Honestly can't blame you. There is something creepy about extra limbs.
+Frogasmol I interpret the second one as the point of view of the spider clinging on my clothes. Errr, creepy!
In my opinion, the poem is about a painfully lonely being. The spiders threads not catching in the void are an analogy for unsuccessful attempts to reach out. I perceive the first illustration as best of the tree in not only visualizing that metaphorical connection, but also in keeping up with the pace of literary tension towards its climax. Im generally not into poetry this one got me.
This is so great! Amazing way to present poetry!
Love this ... The way the mind works ... Great experiment
Isn't curious how everyone seems to prefer the third one? Have you consider: does a male voice make a difference, is it all about talent, style of artist including the medium and the intonation. Is it only cultural that we all like the same third one!??
This video open more questions than it answers
I think this video was meant to ask questions.
I also think that the voice makes a difference, but not because it's a male voice. The first voice was too booming and the words were very separate from each other, which made it difficult to enjoy the poem. The second voice wasn't as clear and the quality of the recording was lacking, but the way she placed emphasis on the words made me like it even though the video was the worst.
Nope.
Thinking brings fear
Wow really cool! All three very amazingly interpreted but I would have to say the third one was my favorite
It was so emotional that it was recommended again after a few years :')
I love Rives, his poetry/voice is spectacular.
0:25 1rst
1:25 2nd
2:22 3rd
The animation of the 3rd one (the first one's animation was good, but I like the 3rd's interpretation of the poem more), + the narration from the first one (so much passion and emphasis on all the right words) = perfection
I liked the second. All three gave the poem totally different outward aspects which I internalized very differently. The first was a personal revelation. The second a wandering trip the third a drop in the ocean. I love this video!
Very nice :) I like the first interpretation very much.
please do more of these. that was just so surreal that I searched youtube to try and find something similar to this!
loving the second one..
The first one was animated and read very expressively. The second one was just a lazy, disinteresting and rather vacuous entry. The third one was very creative and stylised.
indeed...
Agreed.
Dante Walters You mean "uninteresting" I believe. Disinteresting means unbiased.
The last one was great! I've always loved Whitman, but this video made me appreciate him and his work more.
you didn't give them the same poem, poetry changes and takes on new meaning depending on who's reading it, this leads to different tempo and inflection etc. and thus the same poem read by different people may not give the same inspiration, a better test would have been to give them identical recordings, that way you'd have the added bonus of being able to play the 3 pieces side by side (by side)
***** It is the same poem....in fact, that was the point of the video. Perhaps you should watch again!
Yes it was the "same poem", but the way each was read, it was read in a different tone: the first, more upbeat, the second, lighter but like the first, with a woman's voice and the third was smooth in a male's voice. The tone changes one's perspective on things like poetry.
Emily Budhram Correct. The entire point of it.
everyone missing my point entirely
No, I understand your point, that was the whole point of my comment. I agree that they should've given each animator the same reading of the poem, but maybe they just gave each person a copy of the poem and they has each animator read it, to show how they understood it.
the first interpretation never fails to make me cry :')
I feel that the interpretation of the first and third were similar, while the second one was MUCh more metaphorical.
Stunning I would love to see more like this.
I prefer number 1
There are many comments which say that they like the second one least because it's lazy and boring but I believe it was the one which moved me the most. The narrator sounded so normal and daily times to times but behind that I heard a lot of pain (yeah, for me it really was like she was about to cry).
I also liked that it was the one which was the least a visualisation of the poem. Maybe it was the one which understood the poem the most, which explored a real meaning in it. All the filmed pictures could try to express the message which was discovered or they could just be chosen following the feeling the person had while reading it. They could also just express any feeling, they could be chosen at random and without deepness but only emptiness. I like this unsureness, I like this mistrust, I like that it is meaningful without trying to be meaningful, and maybe the creativity and unconventionality, the braveness made me be so moved und attracted to it. Or maybe it was just one nuance in the voice, which remembered me to something, maybe it was just the mood I am in today or the feeling that a beloved and admired person would like it the most.
But actually I think it doesn't matter which one is the best. This project and also the viewer's disunity shows that there is nothing like a correct interpreatation, that there are just individual meanings.
3rd one is my favourite. I felt like the movement of the lines really captured the freedom and flow of Whitman's poetry
I really liked the third one
#2 was very nice
Interesting experiment, love when different forms of Art are brought together, the result is just briliant!! Create a visual story out of words of a poem..god, i wish i was an animator myself!! :D such a creative, free work they have done, good job guys!! ♥
I like the second one. It was different.
please do MORE poetic experiments PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEE
The first one had the best speech. It was so dramatic and full of emotion compared to the other two bland ones.
I had the same thought. 😁
whitman was a revolutionary ahead of his time. glad that this was intepreted well!
I like the second one best
it has the most absorbing visuals
it is because of this guy Heisenberg was discovered
I love the reading of the first one. To me it conveys a romantic individuality that makes it a different kind of powerful. It read as if the speaker were addressing the poem to someone, as if a higher being to his son, until the final few words where the speaker realizes that this tireless pursuit of looking for connection also speaks about themself and they cry: “O, my soul”
the poem is about interpretation itself. the filaments the spider launches are just different perspectives of the same subject, every individual clings to their own views and tries to make meaning out of it. we labour, suffer and experience differently than others - the different ways we see life itself to make ourselves feel morally upright and objective is just a futile attempt like the spider shooting its web out hoping to stick a landing
I really like the narration of the first one. so intense.
Leaves of Grass.
To my Other Favorite
W.W
It's an Honour
Working with You.
Pondly
G.B
You are goddamn right
i just stumbled upon this video. it brings me joy and good memories- a teacher of mine showed us this same video and somehow it sparked something in me. i'm so glad it found its way back to me :')
God, I wish I knew who recited the first version. Her voice so strong and intense! I wish I could hear something else from her...
All TedEd animators are fabulous
I love the third one the most. The reading tone packed a good amount of emotional intensity but not too much, leaving me wanting more.
The last animation complemented the poem beautifully
First one is my favorite. The narrator sounded really Gospel-y, and it's good for things to sound Gospel-y. And I love the art style too.
Number one was definitely my favorite.
The third one seems the best to me, although the other two are also great.Good job.
The third one was closer to what I imagined hearing the poem
1:43 to 1:47 is a clip from Howtobasic. It's unmistakeable
Wow, just wow.
The third one brought tears to my eyes
2nd entry's my choice.
1 and 3 both have a nice aesthetic interpretation, though the narrator for 1 could ease up a bit imo; though i appreciate the effort for poetic emotion
Third is amasing... I want to see more works of this animator
hands down #2 was defenitely the best
Disliked #1; #2 went along with my interpretation of the poem, just a bit grainy; #3 Wow! Loved the energy yet simplicity of it!
I prefer the second over the others, because of how simple yet beautiful it is
Thank you.
first one is my fav because he drew it with so many details. I can't understand the other two
Great video, please do more of them! :D
I enjoy more the third one, his voice was calm and positive. The first and the second one put some pressure on us ..
I really liked the first and thrid, the second... not so much
Loved this and the poem
I thought the visuals and voices were a little distracting, so I looked up the poem to read it directly. The ending was a little cryptic at first, but I think I understand that the poem is saying that no matter what direction you take in life, there is no destination, only a journey, and it's up to each of us to decide how to deal with that realization.
I prefer the second one. The others are great too, but somehow the second one touched me in a different way and lead me to what I would call understanding of the poem. Great idea!
more of these please :)
the ecstatic emotion of the first one...
The first feels like looking into the soul.
The second like looking into the heart.
The third like looking into the mind.
Looks like I'm the only one who loved the second one. The first and the third just interpreted visually what is written, not what the poem meant. Why would a poet write about a spider? There's nothing interesting about a spider in itself. Walt is writing about a lonely soul that wants to connect, in my opinion.
Sure, there are just splash of boring videos of our everyday life in the second animation. The animator didn't interpret directly what he thinks the author wanted to communicate, but she helped me easily feel the emotion in the poem. For example: "It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them", yes, I really think speeding cars is the best interpretation. Or a crowded busy street of New York filled with grumpy tired lonely people in hurry. I don't know. But Looking at a spider and abstract figures doesn't really call any emotion in me, just fun to watch.
What a wonderful treat for me! Very insightful😊
i'm more the third, but all of them are amazing!
You(the Spider) stand in the middle of the measureless darkof the unknown world, constantly trying to grasp it by the filaments (sensors) which you send out.
The impressions provided by these fillaments are categorized by spheres(concepts) which can be the bridge between you and your aim.
ya I like the 3 one
Entrancing. I think all three did amazing work, but I must say that I absolutely loved the third animation. 💕
I found this after having just created an interpretation of the same poem myself, if anyone would like to see it on my channel. I love how all the animators and narrators expressed the poem in a way that gave it a different angle. Thanks for sharing
For me this poem I like a mirror.
As a soul IS, after all , lost.
Until the bridge forms...
We wander into the vastness of space
Only to make-believe meaning in this chaotic world
Third one is the best
I don't... poetry
aquawu Don't...do? read? Because, you just listened...and watched :D
cmelgarejo.net I... not ... understand
k
aquawu It's about the endless possibilities in life and the desperate, tireless souls toiling to build a bridge between the present and the desired future, whatever that may be.
Josh Webb I...can't... that...understand
Third one is very imaginative
Gosh they sound like they're trying way to hard with the emotion in their voices, especially the first one, it's like she's pitifully begging
Tanya Malik you'd love this
walt witman from breaking bad? 😁
Joseph M. Well...yes :)
i love this so much, wow.
Favourite Narration: First one
Favourite Interpretation: Second one
Favourite Visual: Third one
The third one is the best!
The second one is easily the best.
Why did this make me cry is my question