Adriana Ramirez
March 17, 2017
English 146
March 14 & 16 Assignment
1. As an experiment to understand the aesthetic of the Beats, choose a long passage in On the Road and a dozen lines from Allen Ginsberg’s “A Supermarket in California.” Compare the sound and pace of both passages. Describe the similarities you hear. What might account for these similarities? In which ways might Howl and On the Road celebrate life?
A passage adapted from On the Road reads: “My first impression of Dean was of a young Gene Autry ---trim, thin-hipped, blue-eyed, with a real Oklahoma accent –a sideburned hero of the snowy West. In fact, he’d just been working on a ranch, Ed Wall’s in Colorado, before marrying Marylou and coming East” (334). A passage adapted …show more content…
The tone throughout is mournful, with the title itself indicating protest crying out. The vision Ginsberg might be representing in Howl is for people to express their thoughts and ideas freely, especially against capitalism, exploitation, repression, subjugation, etc. This is different from Sandburg and his writing in that Ginsberg believed the best minds of the 50s were creating a movement like none before. The inhabitants of the city are individuals who challenged mainstream culture and societal customs. They often challenged culture and society in obscene and vulgar ways. Ginsburg and Sandburg depict pretty accurate representations of the city and its resident in their writing. Despite Howl’s mournful tone, I think that Ginsberg does a stellar job at expressing an optimism centered on social acceptances. The purpose for their actions was done with the intent to change way of life to one that is calm and tranquil for all. There are some references to Christ in the writings that are compared to the Beats as well. The Beats Generation was rejected, but just as Christ was resurrected, there is hope that the Beats will also experience some kind of acceptance. 3. Compare the Ginsberg’s and Kerouac’s various descriptions of the Beats. Ginsberg famously characterized the Beats as “destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, / dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, / angel headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night.” Does a similar portrait emerge in On the Road, or are we given vastly different visions of the same group? NOTE: the Carlo Marx character in On the Road is based on
March 17, 2017
English 146
March 14 & 16 Assignment
1. As an experiment to understand the aesthetic of the Beats, choose a long passage in On the Road and a dozen lines from Allen Ginsberg’s “A Supermarket in California.” Compare the sound and pace of both passages. Describe the similarities you hear. What might account for these similarities? In which ways might Howl and On the Road celebrate life?
A passage adapted from On the Road reads: “My first impression of Dean was of a young Gene Autry ---trim, thin-hipped, blue-eyed, with a real Oklahoma accent –a sideburned hero of the snowy West. In fact, he’d just been working on a ranch, Ed Wall’s in Colorado, before marrying Marylou and coming East” (334). A passage adapted …show more content…
The tone throughout is mournful, with the title itself indicating protest crying out. The vision Ginsberg might be representing in Howl is for people to express their thoughts and ideas freely, especially against capitalism, exploitation, repression, subjugation, etc. This is different from Sandburg and his writing in that Ginsberg believed the best minds of the 50s were creating a movement like none before. The inhabitants of the city are individuals who challenged mainstream culture and societal customs. They often challenged culture and society in obscene and vulgar ways. Ginsburg and Sandburg depict pretty accurate representations of the city and its resident in their writing. Despite Howl’s mournful tone, I think that Ginsberg does a stellar job at expressing an optimism centered on social acceptances. The purpose for their actions was done with the intent to change way of life to one that is calm and tranquil for all. There are some references to Christ in the writings that are compared to the Beats as well. The Beats Generation was rejected, but just as Christ was resurrected, there is hope that the Beats will also experience some kind of acceptance. 3. Compare the Ginsberg’s and Kerouac’s various descriptions of the Beats. Ginsberg famously characterized the Beats as “destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, / dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, / angel headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night.” Does a similar portrait emerge in On the Road, or are we given vastly different visions of the same group? NOTE: the Carlo Marx character in On the Road is based on