American Lit. Course Reflective Essay

Samuel Burgess

COL Ball

American Literary Traditions

4/20/14

Sparking Counterculture and Appreciating Life Beyond Our Man-Made Walls: How Great American Authors Challenged Everyday Perceptions Of American Life

As we have analyzed foundational American authors that define the country’s culture such as Whitman, Kerouac, and Dickinson, I have come to learn that these writers all devoted their careers to advocating similar principles. These authors, in their own distinct ways, preach revolutionary ideas of both countering popular culture and escaping into the timelessness of America’s natural elements. Through his celebration of the beauty and allure of nature Walt Whitman encourages readers to experience firsthand the wonders of the outdoors. In On The Road, Jack Kerouac breaks away from the mold of conformity that encompassed the U.S. in the 1940’s -50’s, while reveling in the experiences of finding one’s-self emotionally in open air. In her concise, yet vivid poetry, Emily Dickinson elicits awe with her philosophical references to the beauty and organic piety of nature.

In class this semester, we analyzed the captivating poetry of Walt Whitman through his poem “Song of Myself” in the collection Leaves Of Grass. After reading selected passages of the poem, we had the opportunity to experience the phenomena Whitman so readily endorses in his poetry as we attempted to “read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of [our lives]” thanks to a field-work assignment. My hands on experiences are recorded in my essay “Losing Preconceptions: A Spiritual Endeavor”. Through this eye-opening excursion, I felt as though I was walking in Whitman’s shoes as I took in the warm glow of the sun, the contagious and exciting buzz of the town, and the energy, strength, and grace of God’s creatures. This project helped me see through Whitman’s eyes and truly appreciate what has been man’s blessing hundreds of thousands of years ago just as it is today: mother nature.

I came to realize the depth of our blessing beyond the classroom window as I recollected my experiences outdoors in contrast with a small gray cubicle under cold fluorescent light from which I wrote. I believe Whitman speaks to his reader and puts forth a compelling argument asserting nature’s capacity to nurture mankind. However, as with Kerouac and Dickinson, Whitman’s ideas were not accepted with open arms when his collection of poems was published in 1855. The subtle remarks on sensuality were seen as inappropriate uses of overt sexuality by literary critics of his period. Whitman’s works never received the appreciation they deserved until much later in American history. Therefore, Whitman is a prime example of a foundational American poet who urged readers to escape and experience nature despite the fact that Whitman’s openness to sexuality and other factors may have put him ahead of his time.

I am grateful our class had the opportunity to learn about Jack Kerouac and his friends of the Beat Generation. I had no previous familiarity with the movement, and before reading On The Road, I mainly thought of Kerouac’s period alongside Norman Rockwell’s presentation of the wholesome suburban family life of the 1940’s-50’s. Through my research paper on the author and his impact on America titled “The Legacy of The Beat Generation”, I gained rich insight into how Kerouac helped inspire some of his fellow American’s. He did this by encouraging them to break from the pressure to conform that they may have felt and to heed the call of the open road, and by doing so, to experience all life has to offer.

The Beat movement came at a time of conformity in the US, when there was a move towards suburbia and men were obsessed with ideas of moral righteousness. These static times spawned the restless adventures and experiences of Jack Kerouac and his friends, also known by the pejorative term “beatniks”. Kerouac and his friends inspired alternative values in their time by ritualizing practices such as being open and honest with their feelings and being willing to share them with each other freely.  In On The Road we learn that part of the Beat Generation for Kerouac and his friends entailed a move from modernity and technology to the freedom of nature. From the untamed regions of the west Kerouac sets his eyes on, to the alien mountains of Mexico, Kerouac shows a great fascination and appreciation of America’s natural elements.

Even though Kerouac and his friends received criticism in his time, he found open ears in future generations who took the reigns from the author as new efforts arose such as the Hippie movement of the 1970’s. The jar that holds the progressive practices of Kerouac and the Beat Generation has overflown into contemporary American culture and affects every citizen. My research from my virtual scrapbook has shown me the carryover through modern practices such as the predominant acceptance of homosexuality. As I learned through my research paper and my Virtual Scrapbook, homosexuality in Kerouac’s time was seen with a zero-tolerance policy. In modern America, homosexuality is an everyday practice and has been accepted culturally and legally which can be seen in the federal legalization of gay marriage. I have also come to realize how contemporary American society teaches its youth the value of finding themselves, and how these values have stemmed from Kerouac’s examples. This is done through personal pilgrimages such as studying abroad or taking time off after high school rather than immediately marrying and finding a job after high school. In this way, I believe the virtual scrapbook and research paper assignment has shown me how American culture has advanced through the practices of the Beat Generation. Additionally, the features of “beatnik” life such as the presence of homosexuality in their movement and their desire to find themselves through travel instead of conforming to societal norms defines counterculture. These practices define going against the grain and I believe they are the reason we see certain progressive practices in America today.  

Our class discussions regarding Emily Dickinson have shown me the originality and artistry of the introverted poet. Dickinson’s analogies to, and descriptions of nature are vivid and philosophical. Dickinson preached a move away from the institutionalized worship of God and the creations of man, and rhetorically beckons the reader to exalt the majesty of our Father in heaven, through nature. Emily Dickinson also explores existential questions that have challenged societies understanding of the world through her poems dealing with life and death. The poem analyses we paraphrased and discussed in class brought to light the complexity and deep meaning that can be buried in Dickinson’s work. These analyses challenged my understanding of poetry and made me realize I had only been scratching the surface of the enlightening reasoning of Dickinson before we held class conversations. One poem we analyzed as a class that spoke to me on a personal level is Dickinson’s poem 112. She shows the difference of religious experience between man-made institutions and nature.  As I show in my personal analysis, Dickinson lightheartedly notes that when outdoors “God preaches, a noted Clergyman, and the sermon is never too long.” I believe she points out that you will not count the minutes until the sermon ends when God is showing you the majesty if his creations in a more organic setting.

Emily Dickinson was a breath of fresh air as she ushered in a new generation for the world of poetry when her works were published posthumously. Her writing style followed a compact structure as she did not waste words. However, even with the shortened verse, her words were monumental in power. Dickinson brought to American literature a nostalgic embrace of nature and her ideas went against the pattern of her period.

Walt Whitman, Jack Kerouac, and Emily Dickinson chronologically all come from very different stages of America’s development. However, all three authors understand the magnificence, elegance, organic piety, and sheer might nature holds. These authors promote nature through their writing because they recognize nature’s potential and hope others can someday appreciate our natural surroundings. Additionally, Whitman, Kerouac, and Dickinson were all willing to advocate alternative practices and lifestyles that went against the grain of popular society. I would never have come to this historical understanding of the themes that have shaped contemporary America without the opportunity to explore these writers and their revolutionary works. Whitman, Kerouac, and Dickinson are true American idols and the impact of their works will reverberate in the annals of history.