Beat Poets Essay, Research Paper
The "Beat Movement" in modern literature has
become an important period in the history of
literature and society in America. Incorporating
influences such as jazz, art, literature, philosophy
and religion, the beat writers created a new and
prophetic vision of modern life and changed the way
a generation of people sees the world. That
generation is mow aging and its representative
voices are becoming lost to eternity, but the
message is alive and well. The Beats have forever
altered the nature of American consciousness. The
Beat Generation of writers offered the world a new
attitude. They brought to society a consciousness of
life worth living. They offered a method of escape
from the stultifying, unimaginative world we live in,
through the exploration of one’s intellect. Beat has
had many different contemporary implications in
music, poetry and literature. Literature has been
liberated considerably. The poetic form has been
changed to inaugurate a new poetic form, an
American form. "There was less emphasis on
tradition and more emphasis on the individual
talent. (www.rohan.sdsu.edu)" One of the most
important contributions to contemporary verse was
to take poetry out of the classrooms and into
non-academic setting-coffee houses, jazz clubs,
large public auditoriums and even athletic stadiums.
Poetry is more popular and more read than anytime
in history, not only spoken poetry but also sung
poetry of a high order. "The literature, coordinated
by pop music, with a way of dressing, with a way of
life, it something that has influenced the youth of the
world not only in Western countries but Eastern
countries as well. (www.charm.net)" Music has been
influenced greatly by Beat writing. The lyrics of many
great songs have forever been changed by the
writing of the Beat Generation. "Bob Dylan’s favorite
poet was Allen Ginsberg. Ginsberg became one of
Dylan’s greatest friends. He worked on many
projects with Dylan…The band Rage Against the
Machine has many of Ginsberg’s poems and words
show up in their songs. For instance the song ‘Bulls
on Parade’ includes Ginsberg ‘Hadda Been Playing
on the Jukebox’ (www.charm.net)" Generation X
writers are compared to the Beat writers. Many
people say that the "generation coming to age has
the potential to bring a new vision to society. The
Beats thumbed their noses at the corporate world
just like Generation X does today.
(www.altx.com/io/beatgeneration.html)" Many
writers of Generation X have been influenced by the
writing like Andy Clausen, Eliot Katz, Geoffrey
Manough and Ed Sanders. There are many writers
that have been influenced but have not been
included in the Generation X section. These writers
took up the flame of the Beat flavor, keeping it
strong. James Wright was one of the writers that
kept the flame going. "He was much admired poet
of his generation…(www.rohan.sdsu.edu)" His
works have a "sense of Midwestern American
bleakness…(www.rohan.sdsu)" One of his poems
goes like this "My bones turn to dark emeralds Your
hands turn yellow in the ruins of the sun Suddenly I
realize That if I stepped out of my body I would
break Into blossom (www.rohan.sdsu.edu)" Another
such writer with Beat flavor would be Adrienne Rich.
"Rich’s work established the importance of gender
in shaping a poetic consciousness and she
became a mentor to thousands of women, enabling
them to ’speak the unspeakable,’ to authenticate
their unique experience of reality.
(www.rohan.sdsu.edu)" Beat writing has made a
great impact on the writing of today’s generation. It
has allowed people to be more open with
themselves and the people that are reading their
works. It is also allowed people to be more open
minded to new ideas that these works brought to
the surface for everybody to see. Where early
writing was stiff, beat writing allowed for the writing
to come after it to beat to a different drummer. Beat
writing has expanded the world of literature, poetry
and music to a higher level for people to enjoy. BIB
www.charm.net/~brooklyn/Topics/BeatGen.html
www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/sixties/index.html
www.rohan.sdsu
modern literature has become an important period
in the history of literature and society in America.
Incorporating influences such as jazz, art, literature,
philosophy and religion, the beat writers created a
new and prophetic vision of modern life and
changed the way a generation of people sees the
world. That generation is mow aging and its
representative voices are becoming lost to eternity,
but the message is alive and well. The Beats have
forever altered the nature of American
consciousness. The Beat Generation of writers
offered the world a new attitude. They brought to
society a consciousness of life worth living. They
offered a method of escape from the stultifying,
unimaginative world we live in, through the
exploration of one’s intellect. Beat has had many
different contemporary implications in music, poetry
and literature. Literature has been liberated
considerably. The poetic form has been changed to
inaugurate a new poetic form, an American form.
"There was less emphasis on tradition and more
emphasis on the individual talent.
(www.rohan.sdsu.edu)" One of the most important
contributions to contemporary verse was to take
poetry out of the classrooms and into non-academic
setting-coffee houses, jazz clubs, large public
auditoriums and even athletic stadiums. Poetry is
more popular and more read than anytime in
history, not only spoken poetry but also sung poetry
of a high order. "The literature, coordinated by pop
music, with a way of dressing, with a way of life, it
something that has influenced the youth of the world
not only in Western countries but Eastern countries
as well. (www.charm.net)" Music has been
influenced greatly by Beat writing. The lyrics of many
great songs have forever been changed by the
writing of the Beat Generation. "Bob Dylan’s favorite
poet was Allen Ginsberg. Ginsberg became one of
Dylan’s greatest friends. He worked on many
projects with Dylan…The band Rage Against the
Machine has many of Ginsberg’s poems and words
show up in their songs. For instance the song ‘Bulls
on Parade’ includes Ginsberg ‘Hadda Been Playing
on the Jukebox’ (www.charm.net)" Generation X
writers are compared to the Beat writers. Many
people say that the "generation coming to age has
the potential to bring a new vision to society. The
Beats thumbed their noses at the corporate world
just like Generation X does today.
(www.altx.com/io/beatgeneration.html)" Many
writers of Generation X have been influenced by the
writing like Andy Clausen, Eliot Katz, Geoffrey
Manough and Ed Sanders. There are many writers
that have been influenced but have not been
included in the Generation X section. These writers
took up the flame of the Beat flavor, keeping it
strong. James Wright was one of the writers that
kept the flame going. "He was much admired poet
of his generation…(www.rohan.sdsu.edu)" His
works have a "sense of Midwestern American
bleakness…(www.rohan.sdsu)" One of his poems
goes like this "My bones turn to dark emeralds Your
hands turn yellow in the ruins of the sun Suddenly I
realize That if I stepped out of my body I would
break Into blossom (www.rohan.sdsu.edu)" Another
such writer with Beat flavor would be Adrienne Rich.
"Rich’s work established the importance of gender
in shaping a poetic consciousness and she
became a mentor to thousands of women, enabling
them to ’speak the unspeakable,’ to authenticate
their unique experience of reality.
(www.rohan.sdsu.edu)" Beat writing has made a
great impact on the writing of today’s generation. It
has allowed people to be more open with
themselves and the people that are reading their
works. It is also allowed people to be more open
minded to new ideas that these works brought to
the surface for everybody to see. Where early
writing was stiff, beat writing allowed for the writing
to come after it to beat to a different drummer. Beat
writing has expanded the world of literature, poetry
and music to a higher level for people to enjoy.
Bibliography
www.charm.net/~brooklyn/Topics/BeatGen.html
www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/sixties/index.html
www.rohan.sdsu.edu