Here's a video (and audio) of Allan Ginsberg reading "A Supermarket in California": in the pictures you can see his companion Peter Orlovsky, Jack Kerouac, and others
Here is Jack Kerouac reading about the great jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker from 1959.
Here is a scene from the film "Pleasantville" that satirizes the culture the Beat writers were trying to escape:
Here is a parody of the"beatnik" culture from the great 60s cartoon "Rocky and Bullwinkle":
So there's a lot to digest. And what we talked about in today's class. So a few questions to get the term going.
1. What stuck with you from today's discussion? What do you know understand or know about the Beats that you didn't know before?
2. Your reaction to either the Ginsberg or Kerouac poem above? Do they correspond at all with what we talked about in class today?
3. The Whitman poem we handed out at the end of class, "Beat! Beat! Drums!": given what we said in class and what you hear in the Ginsberg and/or Kerouac poems, can you see how this kind of poem would have been an inspiration to Beat writers like Ginsberg and/or Kerouac? In what ways do you hear something "Beat" in Whitman's poem?
That's it. Write a couple hundred words in all. See you tomorrow!
One of the things that stuck with me most today after the discussion in class is how little I really know about the Beat Generation. The names are all ones that I had heard before but I had always gotten mixed messages about the Beat Generation by the older folks in my family. The older they are the less they liked this group and so I hear lots about how I should read their novels from my parents and grandparents, and beyond that o hear that they were good-for-nothing drug addicts. I know now that they weren't really criminals like I had imagined them. When I was told anti-establishment and fifties I assumed they were more like greasers from S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders" when the Beats are more similar to hippies and the counter culture movement.
ReplyDeleteThe Ginsberg poem corresponded with two things that were brought up in class today. One of which was the reverence and inspiration drawn from Walt Whitman, which was shown in the poem as Ginsberg recited a fictional time in which he followed Whitman through a supermarket and into the night. The other way in which it related is that his poem poked fun at the mainstream society and brought fourth the idea of escape from such a world that they lived in.
I hear the "Beat" in Whitman's poem in the way that his poem calls for an overthrow of the society and an anti-establishment sentiment. In the poem Whitman describes a burst of music of drums and bugles so loud that it drowns out everything and people just stop. It silences the judges and lawyers, all of the positions of power, the noise doesn't even let people sleep they just have to stop what they are doing and listen. I think that the poetic idea of an overthrow of everything with something so simple as just being loud enough of a voice is something that was very fitting in the Beat Generation.
Today's class discussion was the first time that I examined and understood the Beat Generation. I had heard of the Beats from TV shows and books before signing up for the class. From these sources, I understood that the Beats were a group of authors that pushed the boundaries of literature. Apart from that fact, the Beats were a mystery to me. Today's introduction to the Beats made me excited to delve deeper into the group’s writings and lives.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stuck with me from today were the many different interpretations of the name “Beats.” Some of the interpretations had uplifting connotations, such as “strong,” while others were more dark. For me, the different interpretations helped to add to the mystery of the Beat Generation.
Jack Kerouac’s poem about the jazz musician, Charlie Parker, reads almost like a rhythmic love letter. Although not extremely radical, the poem shows many aspects of the ideas we talked about in class. The main way it corresponds to the Beats is how Kerouac describes Parker as an outsider. Kerouac describes him as unappreciated and different. Kerouac believes that although Parker is not Beethoven and plays jazz instead of classical music, he is still a spectacular musician. Kerouac perfectly describes the outsider vibe of the Beats.
Walt Whitman’s poem is all about making a beat loud enough that it stops society. This almost directly correlates with the mission of the Beats. Through their writing, the Beats attempted to change society, just as the beat does in Whitman’s poem. It is easy to see how this powerful poem could inspire a movement.
1)I came into this class with little to no knowledge of what the "Beats" was. I associated it with the following couple decades of hippies and a musical revolution. Today we talked about this common misconception, which was really helpful in my understanding. These were not in fact hippies, but in some cases, intellectual people. I also really liked the definitions that we talked about-- "Beat" versus "Beatific". These two separate definitions show the sides of this developing society. I really liked the idea of having to go through hard patches to get to divinity; in other words, you have to go through "Beat" to get to "Beatific".
ReplyDelete2) The poem, "A Supermarket in California" by Allan Ginsberg was interesting to hear. Based on what we learned today in class, this poem seems to fall into this time period. The narrator is very observant and sees everyone and how they are interacting with their environment. He addresses the specific characters in the scene directly, which is interesting. Also, Walt Whitman was one of said characters. He was a major influence on writers like Ginsberg. It was confusing to me the way that he incorporated it.
3) The main similarity that I noticed between Whitman and Ginsberg was the use of questions in the poem to create character and setting image along with the point of the narrators views. That was an interesting observation to me. I think this relates to the time because of this question of society. In both they seem to have an intolerant composure towards their given observations in society.
1. What stuck out to me the most was how the word "beat" can have so many different connotations. It can have a negative and positive meaning. It is interesting to me how The Beats have all those meaning in different ways. Having that in mind really makes me acknowledge how different this group of writers were for their time. Now, besides knowing The Beats were big on sex and drugs I know they were intellectuals contradicting what most people think of when they hear drugs. The Beats inspired the hippie movement but did not consider themselves so. What was cool was the fact that The Beatles drew inspiration on their name from The Beats.
ReplyDelete2. "A Supermarket in California" showed much of what we were talking in class. His style of writing flows well. I enjoyed reading the poem, it felt like I was there wherever he was.Throughout the poem Ginsberg questioned what was around him and what he was doing, a common theme throughout our discussion. He is, in that way, questioning norms. The tone of the poem is gloomy and dark, because of how he's describing his surrounding towards the end. He is attentive to his surroundings, noticing the smallest details.
3. Right off the bat, the poem points out beat as a sound, music from the drums. I think that symbolizes the disturbance of societal norms because after the first line Whitman goes on to question how things are done. Much like The Beat Movement. The poem at first states the norms of society and then later begins to question why people do what they do. At the last paragraph Whitman changes his tone by no longer questioning the norm but by stating that we should break the rules. We should thump the drums.
1) The first thing that I found extremely interesting was how everyone had a different meaning/ understanding of the word "beat". But I also really liked how despite the fact that a lot of the definitions and words contradicted each other, in the end, they were able to be pulled together into. For example, I grouped them together with the stereotypical hippie. Coming into this class, I didn't know a lot about The Beats and my perception of them prior to today was totally wrong. Although I still do not know much, I learned a lot from our first class and I'm excited to continue my understanding of them and how the time period affected them.
ReplyDelete2) I really enjoyed the Charlie Parker reading because of the Jazz music alternative to it. Like we discussed in class, the music that The Beats were very fond of was jazz. The reading most definitely set the tone. This all relates to what we discussed briefly in class today about the influenced of black artists, musicians, writes, and the Harlem Renaissance.
3) The poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!", is very similar to what John was talking about today during class. Not only that, but it parallels with some of the descriptions we had written on the board. The way in which the poem quotes "burst like a ruthless force" and in class one of the words described was "intense". The overall tone of the poem is almost like an awakening which is very much like one of the missions that The Beats worked towards
My main learning from class today was recalling that the Beats saw themselves as outcasts for society -- rebels, even, against a system they thought was oppressing them, or at least was overrated. I mainly characterize the beats as a generation of people who felt lost in the hustle and bustle of American life, and wanted to simply find meaning; this is only half the story. The beats felt not only lost but cast out, and a good percentage of their writings dealt with this feeling.
ReplyDeleteKerouac's poem is an excellent representation of the Beat connection to music. Using simple language, he elevates Charlie Parker to the status of a religious figure: "Charlie Parker looked like Buddha." He then continues, with spiritual reverence, to describe the talent Parker possessed and the magic he was able to create with it. Kerouac describes the same phenomenon Ginsberg's "angelheaded hipsters" and the Beats incredible were constantly searching for: a greater spiritual meaning within their culture, waiting to be realized.
Whitman's poem, though likely about war, could be easily compared to the Beat outlook on society in general: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Not only does it signify nothing, Whitman says, but it silences the voices of the pure and good: brides, priests, and children. The Beats would agree that if all the unnecessary clutter and noise of society were eliminated, perhaps we could really get going on finding true meaning within it instead of simply becoming distracted.
1. Before class today, I didn’t know anything about the contradicting definitions of what it meant to be a “beat.” Some people believed it mostly meant to be beat down by society, to be tired, and to be an outcast, while others thought of it as being strong and beatific, meaning blissfully happy. It is very fascinating how these seemingly opposite meanings are intertwined. Typically, when you think of the 1950s, which is when the Beats did most of their writing, you picture what our society would consider to be an “ideal American” family, which is happy, heterozexual, healthy, attractive, white, conservative, and upper middle class. The women were expected to stay at home, ware pretty dresses, take care of the children, bake, sew, and clean. The men were expected to go to work, make money, and be the “man of the house.” Their job would be stable and probably uncreative. The goal was not to enjoy their job; rather, it was simply to make money. During the 1950s, obtaining this “ideal American lifestyle,” which is impossible for most people to achieve, was seen as the ultimate goal; it was seen as far more important that just being happy.
ReplyDeleteThe beats felt like this path that they were “supposed” to follow was too narrow. They were tired of trying to conform to society's ideals. They wanted to diverge from the path they were expected to follow and become individuals. The beats felt “beat down” and oppressed and were tired of the societal norms that they were expected to obey. They refused to adhere to cultural norms, which made them outcasts. Because of this, it may seem like the beats couldn’t have been beatific, but really that is why they were beatific. Being an “ideal American,” and simply following societies hierarchy can only bring you a shallow, superficial, and contrived type of happiness. By not simply doing what everyone else does, the beats were able to be true individuals and find genuine happiness.
2. I thought the poem about Charlie Parker by Jack Kerouac was really interesting. My favorite line was “Musically as important as Beethoven, yet not regarded as such at all.” At the time, people only considered classical music written by white artists such as Beethoven to be “intellectual” and “important.” Because jazz is associated with black culture, it was not as valued as much as other genres of music. This ties into what we were talking about in class about how beat generation writers weren’t considered to be intellectuals just because they did a lot of drugs, didn’t follow traditional writing styles, and rebelled against cultural norms. However, what they had to say was just as smart and important as what other great American writers had to say, just like how Parkers music was just as important as classical music composed by white people
3. I think Walt Whitman’s poem is telling the reader to cause chaos, overthrow the hierarchy, and fight for what is right. The Beat generation writers wanted to create positive social change, and they wanted to cause an uproar, so reading this poem that was telling them to go out fight for what is right and cause disarray would have been really inspiring. Both the Beats and this poem were very anti establishment.
1. Before our class discussion, I did not know much about the Beat Generation. In class, I found that the different interpretations of the word "beat" was very interesting. I had no idea there could be so many different meanings of a word that the different meanings could have a connection. For example, some people, when hearing the word beat, thought of a strong person, someone who could beat something down. Others thought of a weak person, someone who continued to be beat down by society. Other interesting interpretation of the word was "beatific", which means expressing pure bliss or happiness. I found that the connection between the definitions of the word beat was fascinating. One has to feel beat down by society or outcasted in order to feel bliss or pure happiness. I learned that the Beats chose their name because like the intertwined meanings of the words, the beats were beaten down by society but they had to fight and struggle to eventually reach pure bliss. In class we talked about how the Beats refused to conform to society's expectations used writing to create new radical ideas. I found our class very interesting so far and I am looking forward to reading more writings from the Beat Generation and learning how the Beat Generation affected society.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Kerouac's poem about Charlie Parker definitely corresponds with our discussion in class today. Kerouac is talking about how Charlie Parker was not appreciated and how no one could appreciate his true talent and importance as an artist. I think that like Charlie Parker, the Beats also felt like outsiders. The Beats were not appreciated by much of society at the time because they had radical ideas that were new and different. Their ideas challenged people's knowledge and there perspectives. in addition, Charlie Parker was a jazz musician and this relates to the Beats because jazz music was often performed by blacks who were often outsiders like the beats.
3. I think Whitman's poem was a battle call to readers to fight societal constructs. Whitman uses a certain beat and rhythm in his poem to allow the reader to feel the power of the words and the words of the poem imitate a strong loud drum. Whiman's poem tells readers that they are strong and they have the power to go out and fight for what they believe in. I think that this poem definitely would be an inspiration to the Beats, because it is strongly advising the reader to take action. The poems beat sounds loud, which I associated with chaos and that the author wanted readers to cause disruption in society. I really enjoyed this poem and I think it was a good connection to the Beats.
I knew very little about the Beat Generation going into today. I knew that they were a bit radical in their writings, and that they often did drugs and drank alcohol. Today's discussion showed me that there is a entire new side to this generation. They are more complex than what I previously thought. Indeed, they are often radical and intense, but they are also tired and happy. I want to learn about all the other sides of the Beat Generation, and see how they affected the world.
ReplyDeleteI liked how Ginsberg mentions and uses Walt Whitman and Garcia Lorca in his poem because it grabs the reader's attention, especially if the reader liked one of these people. The poem wouldn’t be the same if he had used fictional characters. Also, Walt Whitman also corresponds to what we talked about in class today, since Whitman was a big source of inspiration for the Beats generation. Another way that this poem corresponds to what we talked about in class is that Ginsberg is kind of questioning the society and trying to move forward. At the end of the poem he talks about past America, and a new idea for the modern America.
Whitman uses the force and the noise of the drums and the bugles to drown out and question the current society. He questions lawyers, singers, farmers, and even the bride and groom. He inspires Ginsberg to question the values and people of the society. Ginsberg mentions wives and husbands shopping in his poem “A Supermarket in California”.
I knew very little about the Beat Generation going into today. I knew that they were a bit radical in their writings, and that they often did drugs and drank alcohol. Today's discussion showed me that there is a entire new side to this generation. They are more complex than what I previously thought. Indeed, they are often radical and intense, but they are also tired and happy. I want to learn about all the other sides of the Beat Generation, and see how they affected the world.
ReplyDeleteI liked how Ginsberg mentions and uses Walt Whitman and Garcia Lorca in his poem because it grabs the reader's attention, especially if the reader liked one of these people. The poem wouldn’t be the same if he had used fictional characters. Also, Walt Whitman also corresponds to what we talked about in class today, since Whitman was a big source of inspiration for the Beats generation. Another way that this poem corresponds to what we talked about in class is that Ginsberg is kind of questioning the society and trying to move forward. At the end of the poem he talks about past America, and a new idea for the modern America.
Whitman uses the force and the noise of the drums and the bugles to drown out and question the current society. He questions lawyers, singers, farmers, and even the bride and groom. He inspires Ginsberg to question the values and people of the society. Ginsberg mentions wives and husbands shopping in his poem “A Supermarket in California”.