A poetic experiment: Walt Whitman, interpreted by three animators - Justin Moore

[@ZachLau00]

It's cool how each time you listen to the poem you understand it a bit more and in a different way.

[@mozsmith2121]

My thoughts exactly. By the third time the light 💡 was fully turned on. Haha

[@christophersaeli5620]

tru

[@christophersaeli5620]

tru

[@christophersaeli5620]

tru

[@hamburger5888]

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 :)

[@lyrablack8621]

Not an essay, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. Thanks for sharing, I agree - "filament" can mean either "thread" or "appendage," among other things

[@hopeiswherethehomeis9606]

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.

[@naseehanoor8421]

Felt the same.

[@caloliver2923]

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.

[@nKosmos747]

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.

[@BeepDerpify]

third one is my favourite!

[@osvaldoraya6696]

Agree

[@joshuahettinger9287]

BeepDerpify Yeah.

yes

[@LiamStrand]

Ditto

[@iceisisisig]

Same

[@subwayvesubscriber]

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.

[@gwynethcordero8277]

Agree!

[@kthvguccikookiesprinkledwi4701]

Exactly what I wanted to comment..

[@09kaustubh]

😊 poems don't have a gist.

[@christophersaeli5620]

perhaps

[@adotam]

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.

[@whyth5244]

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.

[@memobenitez2508]

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

[@manifold.curiosity]

This is fantastic. I'm so glad someone took the initiative to make this.

[@NamaSayaAkmal]

plot twist : the viewer is the actual experimented subject

[@user-dq3rd8fz2v]

my sentiments exactly.

[@Xolette]

How interesting! Third one is my favorite.

[@Bram06]

Very interesting experiment, i like the 3rd one best imo

[@lukehodge9026]

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.

[@lizcalva914]

luke Hodge well said.

[@matijatu]

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.

[@lukehodge9026]

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.

[@tpespos]

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

[@falafoxcode]

luke Hodge THIS!

[@kiranb.nongrum1734]

The second one was amazing, unique in it's own way...

[@nimsilva27]

i agree- i loved the second one too

[@MalaysianTropikfusion]

You guys should definitely do more of these poem interpretations. Loved it!

[@quentinlynch]

Good idea! I liked the third reciter's and the second animator's interpretation the most.

[@shimone5198]

It was so emotional that it was recommended again after a few years :')

[@whit2642]

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!

[@aalthani1206]

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

[@JimiDunlop]

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.

[@Zaldermenia]

Amazing work all around; bravo to all the animators and reciters!! Please, do more like these Ted-Ed

[@Frogasmol]

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)

[@julespoon2884]

Frogasmol I liked the second one though, it's interpretation is however, much more abstract.

[@Frogasmol]

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.

[@Frogasmol]

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.

[@Frogasmol]

Honestly can't blame you. There is something creepy about extra limbs.

[@tengun]

+Frogasmol I interpret the second one as the point of view of the spider clinging on my clothes. Errr, creepy!

[@LuckyDucky0110]

please do more of these. that was just so surreal that I searched youtube to try and find something similar to this!

[@JarayePoptrunk]

Love this ... The way the mind works ... Great experiment

[@azureNotsure]

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”

[@LiamStrand]

I love Rives, his poetry/voice is spectacular.

[@suigetsuhozuki1]

Very nice :) I like the first interpretation very much.

[@HelloitsNani]

Wow really cool! All three very amazingly interpreted but I would have to say the third one was my favorite

[@NazHussein99]

This is so great! Amazing way to present poetry!

[@cojin01]

the first interpretation never fails to make me cry :')

[@nickjbland]

The third one was closer to what I imagined hearing the poem

[@flyod26]

The last one was great! I've always loved Whitman, but this video made me appreciate him and his work more.

[@Stigmadiablo]

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

[@deenafahed2721]

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.

[@microwave9679]

Nope.

[@microwave9679]

Thinking brings fear

[@Msskellington12]

loving the second one..

[@annakline1210]

3rd one is my favourite. I felt like the movement of the lines really captured the freedom and flow of Whitman's poetry

[@araujoizar]

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...

[@blanmorrison1794]

I feel that the interpretation of the first and third were similar, while the second one was MUCh more metaphorical.

[@josephjames3320]

0:25 1rst 1:25 2nd 2:22 3rd

[@jakeself1911]

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.

[@Nanda__Panda]

The last animation complemented the poem beautifully

[@leonas9843]

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.

[@dantewalters7749]

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.

[@cojin01]

indeed...

[@fossilfighters101]

Agreed.

[@hunterpeterson6122]

Dante Walters You mean "uninteresting" I believe. Disinteresting means unbiased.

[@thewrens_]

The first feels like looking into the soul. The second like looking into the heart. The third like looking into the mind.

[@rabia1180]

please do MORE poetic experiments PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEE

[@savynaselvarajan6854]

whitman was a revolutionary ahead of his time. glad that this was intepreted well!

[@diehuldige4732]

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.

[@agniagniagni13]

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

[@yaw1492]

I like the second one best it has the most absorbing visuals

[@MarkFlavin1]

Stunning I would love to see more like this.

[@GeorgeLimaaa]

#2 was very nice

[@stocktonjoans]

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)

[@zakoxhelo5118]

***** It is the same poem....in fact, that was the point of the video. Perhaps you should watch again!

[@emilybudhram8141]

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.

[@zakoxhelo5118]

Emily Budhram Correct. The entire point of it.

[@stocktonjoans]

everyone missing my point entirely

[@emilybudhram8141]

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.

[@jatin8443]

All TedEd animators are fabulous

[@Kitsune-ld8ry]

Third is amasing... I want to see more works of this animator

[@TheLisergicQueen]

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!! ♥

[@mehakraza9416]

the last one somehow felt more impactful despite its visually simplistic style, or maybe because of it.

[@constanzaacuna4203]

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 :')

[@fatihahfauzi447]

The third one brought tears to my eyes

[@tophuonglinh1236]

first one is my fav because he drew it with so many details. I can't understand the other two

[@angelj5700]

I prefer the second over the others, because of how simple yet beautiful it is

[@CyberTwigs]

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

[@sarahh7594]

I really liked the third one

[@OlivierRovelli]

I really like the narration of the first one. so intense.

[@blackhawkchalk]

1:43 to 1:47 is a clip from Howtobasic. It's unmistakeable

[@susiechoi2495]

The first one had the best speech. It was so dramatic and full of emotion compared to the other two bland ones.

[@avivastudios2311]

I had the same thought. 😁

[@ngourab98]

The third one seems the best to me, although the other two are also great.Good job.

[@gnomee9447]

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!

[@anacockerill1862]

All three interpretations are interesting and the idea is great! it seems that we, the viewers, are also reached by the filaments and we become part of the experiment. ;)

[@delongtsway953]

I like the second one. It was different.

[@MrAnimebuster]

I enjoy more the third one, his voice was calm and positive. The first and the second one put some pressure on us ..

[@postmodernshaman5929]

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.

[@spongebob8157]

Number one was definitely my favorite.

[@cojin01]

the ecstatic emotion of the first one...

[@theobuniel9643]

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.

[@phaoyu1]

Its just a spider somewhere in an isolated pointy space spinning its web trying to catch something.. Guess it caught someone's soul.

[@mariposawolf3849]

Have y'all heard the choir version of this poem? This freaking beautiful

[@susanmayer7658]

Very interesting! Cool

[@kennys2806]

Leaves of Grass. To my Other Favorite W.W It's an Honour Working with You. Pondly G.B

[@akhileshsajwan9248]

You are goddamn right

[@ShawnRavenfire]

This is the second time in twenty-four hours that someone has mentioned this particular poem. Synchronicity?

[@dropintospace]

Shawn Ravenfire It will be on Jeopardy! tomorrow

[@poetrummager8423]

Entrancing. I think all three did amazing work, but I must say that I absolutely loved the third animation. 💕

[@abdullahmoiz8151]

it is because of this guy Heisenberg was discovered

[@byelevenseas]

The subtle beauty of the words are lost without cadence. I'd choose the third.

[@clarizzecaracuel8704]

What a wonderful treat for me! Very insightful😊

[@Vexsus22]

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

[@TheThreatenedSwan]

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

[@Saurabh_Tewari007]

I was watching the video and suddenly a spider came and sat on my Text book what a weird coincidence Or is it? * Vsauce music intensifies

[@gentlemandemon]

I really liked the style of the first one. The second was visually disinteresting, but I felt it was the best companion to the poem.

[@LeMoFirst]

Great video, please do more of them! :D

[@delsolcourier4785]

Honestly the most important bit of this poem is the words. The only person that reads this IMO correctly is the first person.

[@fossilfighters101]

Wow that first one was powerful.

[@stenka25]

Thank you.

[@hannahbanana2759]

more of these please :)

[@Adri-ef6is]

Why did this make me cry is my question

[@vortech0581]

There are things learned about this video 1: anyone can see anything differently. 2: Make the path that’s right for your own soul.

[@cosmic_lotus_eater]

is it just me or not one interpretation was relative to the poem? maybe that is the beauty of it

[@Weepysponge]

we read this poem in school!

[@hamburger5888]

Aliya's Ideas how did you find this poem? As in did you like this?

[@souravdey7174]

Third one is very imaginative

[@Theraot]

Did they try to leave the best for last, or I'm thinking that out of confirmation bias? Because I think that the last one was the best, and I think that was intentional.

[@KiriRose]

eny one els watching this having spider phobia and being fastened at the same time?

[@zirquera12]

i connected with the third one. it caught me by its web.

[@takenby_cj]

i'm more the third, but all of them are amazing!

[@BobWila]

2nd entry's my choice.

[@eroncruz1208]

Wow, just wow.