To paraphrase what Kerouac says in the first stanza of the "195th Chorus" his poetry is raw and unrefined (to those with a conventional mind set) but underneath there is still something of literary value. However, understanding Mexico City Blues can be extremely difficult. Kerouac's ideas sometimes flow from one chorus into the next, and occasionally go off on tangents only to return to the original topic in a later chorus. These poetic jams are the spine of Mexico City Blues. It is the poetic jam beginning with the "33rd Chorus" and ending in the middle of the "36th Chorus" that struck me with the most power.
             In order to facilitate the task of offering my opinions upon these choruses I will utilize a block by block approach. The "33rd Chorus" begins:
             The first section of this poetic jam depicts a typical beat attitude. People should not be satisfied to dwell within the walls of society nor deal with the unneeded pressures of ordinary life. Thus, people should take the metaphorical leap and separate themselves from society.
             "An explorer of souls
             "A lowdown junky" -
             "Who has discovered
             that the essence of life
             is found only in the poppy plant
             This section introduces a speaker by setting off the lines with quotation marks. The speaker becomes the main force of the poem and his thoughts carry the reader through this chorus and to the end of the next chorus. He admits that he has become addicted to opium. Looking back to the previous section, the "vast cavern" could be opium, the "jump" his first experience dealing with opium and the "other field" his addiction. Thus, it would be the speaker's addiction that necessitated his separation from the rest of society. However, his separation from society has allowed him to become "...