The Literary Genius and the Downfalls of Success
The Literary Genius and the Downfalls of Success Of all authors who would eventually be labeled as "Beat Writers," three emerged as arguably the most prolific and inspirational. They were a shy, Jewish boy from New Jersey, an ex-high school football player from Massachusetts, and a wise heroin addict who would grow notorious for shooting his common-law wife in the head while drunk. They were three exceptionally different humans, who never could have imagined their writings achieving a popularity and notoriety that would merit seizures of their books by the F.B.I., and obscenity trials. What were these writers trying to do? In the anthology, Beat Down to Your Soul, (Charters, Ann. ed. 11th Ed. New York: Penguin, 2001) we are introduced to these literary legends, and offered some insight into their work and lives, both literary and socially. We get a glimpse of some of their works, from Ginsberg's monumental poem Howl, to articles pertaining to the Beats, offering explanations for their "madness." As Kerouac himself put it, "The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, b
Unfortunately, "anti-war" is now almost synonymous with "anti-American. Human beings with the obligation to think clearly, think for ones self, and to explore the good and bad of society. " (Mitgang)In some eyes, the unwanted attention he (and the hero of On the Road, Neal Cassady) received, can merit the blame for turning Jack into such an angst ridden recluse. We are still a world run by paranoia. First and foremost, the final draft was written in a three-week flurry, with the author doing drugs and drinking coffee to keep his momentum going, as if he worried that stopping for just a brief moment would derail his entire creative train. Even amidst their trials, their imprisonments, their confines in mental institutions, and their decent into drug and alcohol downward spirals, they created a legacy, and a new vision from which the lucky ones still view the world. A reporter named Gilbert Millstein with The New York Times wrote:"Just as, more than any other novel of the Twenties, The Sun Also Rises came to be regarded as the testament of the 'Lost Generation,' so it seems certain that On the Road will come to be known as that of the 'Beat Generation. Ginsberg soon discovered that he had an F. html)So what was it about these three certain literary works, specifically Howl and Naked Lunch, that the government was so concerned about? What made them such a threat to the youth of America? Was it their frankness about such taboo topics in the 1950's such as sex and drugs? Or was it their encouragement, unintentional or not, to urge the people to begin questioning? This was shortly after the "McCarthy Era," a time in which people were being ostracized and personally attacked for actions or ideas that may have been interpreted as anything Un-American.
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Acceptance Essays
