Eric Abbey

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http//www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/images/beats.gi
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Eric Abbey 12th Grade Advanced Placement English
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Instructions on Use

• To use this project click on the buttons and
  explore.
• You must read every screen in order to complete
  the lesson.
• You do not have to read them in any order, just
  complete each one.
• Use the buttons on the bottom of the screen to
  navigate your way through.
• Be sure to explore the entire screen, there are
  multiple hidden places that you must explore.
• Everytime you see a button with an I on it, be
  sure to click and read whatever comes up.
• You may not search the internet, or go to any
  other site that is not given to you during the
  presentation.
• Have fun, but be sure to explore everything
  thoroughly.

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INDEX

• The Beats Philosophy
• The Major Players
• Alan Ginsberg
• Modern Day Poetry Slams
• Continuation

http//www.biffonline.co.uk/newimages/earlybiff/be
atniks.gif
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The Beats Philosophy

• The Beats, or beatniks, were aligned with the
  extremes of society in the early to mid 1950s.
  They played an influential role in developing
  styles that would influence countless generations
  to come. They came out of World War II with a
  feeling of individuality and a distrust of
  collectivism. They were typically white
  middle-class youths that were determined to
  express themselves and their stance on a society
  that had alienated them. They were found of
  drug use and many were arrested at one point in
  their lives. This group of people can be linked
  to what we think of as punks today. Completely
  against the established norm of society, but with
  a respect for philosophy, literature and
  psychology.

http//members.aol.com/Fredwaite/beatniks.jpg
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The Major Players

• The major writers of this time period were
  Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Alan Ginsberg and
  William S. Burroughs. All of these men were
  fascinated with the extremes that the society was
  going through. They used their experiences, in
  and out of drug culture, to write what they felt.
  The most referenced topic in all of these
  writers in journeying to find oneself. In order
  to fully understand where these writers were
  coming from you must first understand that they,
  and all of the beats, were trying to discover
  themselves in a world that they felt had lost
  them.

http//cyberpad.tripod.com/beats.jpg
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Alan Ginsberg
HOWL

• The greatest Beat poet was Alan Ginsberg.
  Through his use of sound, rhythm and language his
  audiences could feel the culture of the time.
  His most famous poem, Howl, was both
  controversial and widely praised for its use of
  poetry and language. Growing up in Paterson, NJ
  with a mother who was paranoid, he found the
  poetry of Walt Whitman in High School but
  followed his fathers advice and went into
  pre-law at Columbia University in New York City.
  There he fell in with fellow classmates Jack
  Kerouac and friends Neal Cassady and William S.
  Burroughs. Together they immersed themselves in
  sex, drugs and literature. This was the
  beginnings of the beats. He read Howl at the Six
  Gallery poetry reading in October 1955 and
  immediately became popular. He followed Howl
  with many other poems discussing his friends and
  the culture of the time.

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Modern Day Poetry Slams

• Today, the tradition of the Beats continues
  in, what is known as, poetry slams. The most
  popular and well known is Russell Simmons Def
  Poetry Jam, that is still playing on Broadway.
  These poets recite free form, generally harsh
  poems about anything with the idea being to best
  your opponent through the crowds response and
  your use of the language to express emotion.
  Poetry slams can be found on almost every college
  campus in America and in most cities. These are
  usually weekly events that draw poets from the
  surrounding areas to test their skill with
  language. An example of modern slam poets would
  be Jayne Cortez, who, with her band The
  Firespitters, has produced multiple CDs of beat
  poetry and performed at many slams.

Def Poetry Jam
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Continuation

• The Beat generation, and the writers involved,
  were influential in discussing the extreme
  feelings of the youth of the day. While they
  were mostly white middle-class men they spoke to
  a wide range of people and cultures. They have
  left us a legacy of knowledge and broadened the
  scope of American thought. With the use of
  poetry, philosophy, literature and psychology
  they reformatted what it meant to grow up in a
  postwar culture. Alan Ginsberg, with Howl,
  changed the face of poetry and allowed for a
  discussion surrounding American youth and the
  beats that has continued today. How many times
  have your parents asked you why you did what you
  did? The beats always had an answer To find the
  truth of myself.