What I Have Learned/ What I Want to Learn

Sexuality, Race, & Subjugation:

     Although several of the texts we have already studied contain instances of homosexuality/bisexuality, I don't understand the way these scenes are portrayed. In On the Road, homosexuality/bisexuality is presented as part of a double standard. Kerouac shows a sense of disdain for many of the gay individuals he encounters on his travels, yet Allen Ginsberg (who was homosexual) remains one of his greatest friends and most trusted literary advisors. Similarly, Neal Cassady often uses derogatory language to condemn those who are not straight, yet he has no qualms about seducing (and most likely having sex) with a man in hopes of receiving money in exchange. Even, William Burroughs, whose writings from Queer and Junkie openly portray a biographic sexual relationship between himself and "Allerton," a sense of prejudice still exists. There is often a distinction between people Burroughs calls "gay" and those that he calls "fag." This differing use of language is never made clear, but the "gay" group seems to be more acceptable and elevated than those who are referred to with offensive labels. I'd like to know where the Beats viewed themselves on this scale, as well as why these methods of separation were created at all.

     Similarly related is the conflicting views of race, especially in relation to African Americans. Throughout On the Road, Kerouac esteems black jazz musicians, elevating them to the status of a deity. However, Kerouac also expresses a racist attitude toward blacks, going so far as to say that African Americans are genetically programmed to work in the fields. After reading Leroi Jones's plays, I'm also interested in seeing a perspective on race from another black author, or simply a white person whose views are different from those of Kerouac and Cassady. Jones presented more of a black nationalist viewpoint, so it would be an interesting contrast to read a piece dealing with integration.

     The treatment of sexuality and race across the Beat writings we have read are issues I have been trying to  reconcile since the beginning of this course. This particular subject it is one of the many that exposes the disparity between philosophy and action within the Beat movement. Although the Beats seemed to be acting out against social expectations and traditional codes of morality, they still impose their own beliefs onto others and create a microcosm of society. There is still a stratification of groups, and I would appreciate a more thorough understanding of why the Beats replicated the very structure they rebelled against.

Gender:

     The view of women presented by Kerouac and Cassady was quite misogynistic, as women were primarily discussed in relation to sex, desire, or as part of a marriage. Women never seemed to act on their own accord, or express any sense of autonomy. However, the writings by female Beats portrayed women as creators, individuals, and less obsessed with grandiose themes and experiences. Selections like di Prima's poem "Song for Baby-O Unborn" portrayed a woman in the "traditional" role of a mother in a domestic setting, but di Prima also asserted that she would raise her child in her chosen lifestyle, rather than try to emulate a societal standard. After reading so many texts by men, it was refreshing to see a female perspective on gender. In the future, I think it would be worthwhile to explore direct female responses to/critiques of the male Beats, if such writings exist. 

Art & Anne Waldman

     Several of Anne Waldman's poems discuss the process of artistic creation, as well as the motives behind and importance of such action. As we discussed in class, "The Lie" puts forth the idea that all "Art begins with a lie." Despite imitation and falsehood, art is still capable of inspiring a very real emotional reaction, as "The audience wants to cry / when the actors are real & passionate." It is possible that an audience does not recognize any sense of deceit, or they are simply willing to look past the performance and be affected by the theme of a work. One can disregard the lie in favor of the larger ideas and messages that art contains.

     The theme of creation extends into "A Phonecall from Frank O’Hara," in which Waldman expresses a sense of confusion and displacement in her life and seeks some form of escape. She claims that living in San Francisco has resulted in her "spirit faltering, grown duller." Waldman also states that she wants "to be free of poetry's ornaments, / it's duty, free of constant irritation." Waldman may be feeling a sense of dissatisfaction and insecurity over her art, or perhaps she recognizes poetry's root is in a lie and does not want to maintain the burden of this expectation.

 During a phone conversation with Frank O'Hara, he tells Waldman:

     ‘While frank and free/call for musick /

     while your veins swell’

     (he sang, quoting a metaphysician)   

     This quotation is taken from the poem "Mortification" by George Herbert, who was a 16^th/17^th century poet with ties to the metaphysical movement. (The complete work can be found here). O'Hara's exact words were:

When youth is frank and free,
And calls for musick, while his veins do swell

     O'Hara paraphrases Herbert's  words rather than delivering the passage directly, thus adding a new meaning the this idea. The most significant difference is O'Hara's alteration of the pronoun, as he replaced 'his' with 'your.' Rather than delivering a quotation without context, O'Hara personalizes his message by directly linking "Mortification" to Waldman (with the use of 'your').

Again, O'Hara directly addresses Waldman when he asks:

     "Don't you know the secret, how to   

     wake up and see you don't exist, but   

     that does, don't you see phenomena   

     is so much more important than this?   

     I always love that.”

     The use of 'this' and 'that' in this passage is quite vague, which led me to multiple interpretations of the secret O'Hara describes. My initial reaction was that the word 'that' refers to the poem O'Hara quoted, or poetry in general. O'Hara seems to be saying that even though George Herbert has been dead for several hundred years, his poetry still exists. Even if O'Hara did not quote Herbert's words exactly, the idea of musical language arousing a sense of freedom and a visceral reaction in the blood/veins is still relevant and is capable of inspiring further poetic expression in O'Hara. O'Hara also states that the  "phenomena is so much more important." This suggests that the poem itself is much larger and more significant than the actual poet, as we retain the words but may not know what the artist was thinking or intending at the time of creation.

Frank concludes by saying:

How can you if   

it's sad & dead?” “But that's just it!   

If! It isn't. It doesn't want to be

Do you want to be?” 

      I believe that Waldman is ultimately saying that it does not matter if the origin is in a lie, or if a poet dies, as the poem will never be "sad & dead." O'Hara tells Waldman that poem has its own identity, and can resist an unfulfilled existence. O'Hara asks Waldman if she wants to be "sad & dead," which is presumably how she would exist without poetic expression. The last part of the poem shows a nostalgia for and desire for a return to the creative energy and freedom of New York, as "it was the life!" that allowed simple experience to be elevated to a phenomena.