Meditation

ERH322P1

BeatGenerationResearchPaper

Cutup

ERH322ReflectiveEssay

Virtual Scrapbook Reflective Tag

Through the process of creating my virtual scrapbook, I have come to appreciate San Francisco’s place in Beat culture.  Prior to this scrapbook, class discussion and sections from On the Road painted a picture of San Francisco as a the Mecca of the Beats on the West Coast.  Sal Paradise is right at home in Frisco, where his affinity for the city, the sea, poetry and wine combine in harmony.  The lights at night combined with the fog gives Kerouac a mystical impression of the city, where creates a home on the West Coast.

Through my research and accumulation of photographs and music for this virtual scrapbook, I first became roughly acquainted with the history of San Francisco and its rise to prominence during the Gold Rush in 1849.  Then I listened to a variety of music I knew was associated with the Beats (from class discussion), and settled on the cool sound of West Coast jazz musician Charlie Parker.  Parker was an influence to the Beats through his spontaneous style and open defiance of musical conventions.  He was to jazz what Kerouac and Ginsberg were to literature and poetry.  I also chose the music of the Flamingos because of their slow and dreamlike doo-wop sound, which I thought paired well with my opening photos and descriptions of San Francisco.  I was surprised by Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s role in Beat culture, via the City Lights bookstore, as a safehouse for their work.  As is the case with Naked Lunch, Howl, and even On the Road, society often is not ready to accept the prominent works of the Beat authors and poets.  Ferlinghetti and his bookstore helped to encourage the writers, as well as give them public exposure.

During this course, especially while we covered On the Road, I was compelled by Kerouac’s descriptions of San Francisco to gain a greater appreciation for this magical city.  Even though it is impossible for us today to experience the Frisco Kerouac knew, hopefully this scrapbook gives the faintest taste of the sights and sound of The City by the Bay.