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| Welcome to the Poetry Newsletter. I'm spidey , and I'm your guest-editor this week. I'd like to discuss a group of poets referred to as The Beats. |
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The Beats
Perhaps you've heard of a group of poets referred to as, "The Beats." Who are they? What unifies their poetry under a single category?
 Who
The names most commonly associated with the Beat Movement:
Jack Kerouac
Allen Ginsberg
William Burroughs
Charles Bukowski
Gregory Corso
Michael McClure
Peter Orlovsky
Gary Snyder
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
The "Beat movement" was an American poetic movement during the 1940s (the above, most-noted Beat poets resided in and around New York City), a literary rebellion similar to the Dadaist poets. It was a rebellion against traditional poetry, instead reaching for, what Kerouac defines as "a vision gleamed from the way we heard the word beat, meaning down and out but full of intense [spiritual, beatific] conviction."
The NYC Beats focused on the gritty aspects of life in a very personal, subjective way. The Beats saw themselves as "beaten down" but also looking up, in hope.
 Characteristics
 speech rhythms - Poetry of this type focuses very much on rhythm, breathing, and speaking.
disordering of conventional syntax - Beat poetry often goes against normal syntax (ordering of words) which can affect the 'sound' or rhythm of the poem.
focus on spontaneity - Not is there focus on seemingly spontaneous topics, the Beats wrote spontaneously with no rewriting or editing.
open form - Beat poetry does not adhere to any regular form, rhyme scheme or meter. It is true open form, free verse.
subjectivity - Beat poets believed each poem was personal or subjective to the writer. Instead of focusing on universal themes (like love or the human spirit, etc.), topics and themes were personal and subjective to the poet.
rebellion against the conformist 1940s (in both topic and style) - All of the above characteristics were not the norm during this time period. The Beats wrote poetry in an active rebellion against the traditional style that was popular at the time amongst poets and writers.
 Examples
Lastly, I'll leave you with a few examples of Beat poetry. Decide for yourself their unifying characteristics.
A sample of Allen Ginsberg's "America"
America I've given you all and now I'm nothing.
American two dollars and twentyseven cents January 17, 1956.
I can't stand my own mind.
America when will we end the human war?
Jack Kerouac's "211th Chorus" from Mexico City Blues
The wheel of the quivering meat
conception
Turns in the void expelling human beings,
Pigs, turtles, frogs, insects, nits,
Mice, lice, lizards, rats, roan
Racinghorses, poxy bucolic pigtics,
Horrible unnameable lice of vultures,
Murderous attacking dog-armies
Of Africa, Rhinos roaming in the
jungle,
Vast boars and huge gigantic bull
Elephants, rams, eagles, condors,
Pones and Porcupines and Pills--
All the endless conception of living
beings
Gnashing everywhere in Consciousness
Throughout the ten directiosn of space
Occupying all the quarters in & out,
From supernicroscop no-bug
To huge Galaxy Lightyear Bowell
Illuminating the sky of one Mind--
Poor! I wish I was free
of that slaving meat wheel
and safe in heaven dead
Gregory Corso's "The Mad Yak"
I am watching them churn the last milk
they'll ever get from me.
They are waiting for me to die;
They want to make buttons out of my bones.
Where are my sisters and brothers?
That tall monk there, loading my uncle,
has a new cap.
And that idiot student of his--
I never saw that muffler before.
Poor uncle, he lets them load him.
How sad he is, how tired!
I wonder what they'll do with his bones?
And that beautiful tail!
How many shoelaces will they make of that!
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Poetry inspired by The Beats:
A few contests & activities focusing on poetry:
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As a guest editor, I don't have any feedback in which to reply, so instead I'll ask some questions: Who is your favorite Beat poet? What do you like about their poetry? How do you seek to express yourself in your own poetry? Do you feel it should be objective or subjective?
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Poetry: July 30, 2008 Issue [#2529]
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