American poet Jack Kerouac Essay Example for Free

American poet Jack Kerouac Essay American poet Jack Kerouac has been classified as the originator of the Beat Generation. He is known for his spontaneous confessional style, as well as his connection to Buddhism, Allen Ginsberg, and American self actualization. His rejection of mainstream 1950’s society is his trademark, and the core ideal behind the beat-nick culture he helped spawn. Jack Kerouac was born Jean-Louis Lebris de Kerouac, to French-Canadian parents, in Lowell, Massachusetts. Kerouac was raised fluent in French, and didn’t start learning English until he was six years old. While attending Boston College and Columbia University, he demonstrated extraordinary athletic ability in the game of football, until he broke his leg. After losing his football scholarship, Keroauc moved to New York. There he met the makeup of the group that would later be known as The Beat Generation poets. This group consisted of: John Clellon Holmes, Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, William S. Burroughs and Herbert Huncke. He left the company of these men to join the United States Navy in 1943, from which he was discharged during WWII, for the psychiatric measure of having an indifferent disposition. This is suspected by many to be the spark that inspired him to write his first work The Town and City, as well as On The Road. Many of Kerouac’s works were often rejected upon first submission to publishers. He was often overlooked, due to his experimental style, and socially conscious views. Not to forget, his excessive tendency towards drinking. This obsession with alcoholism is eventually the cause of his death in 1969, when he dies of internal hemorrhaging due to cirrhosis. Jack Kerouac has a very distinct and original style. Upon first evaluation of his style, his work might be deemed as cliche, or showy self loathing libation; but it must be remembered that, Kerouac was one of the first to adopt his free flowing form of poetry. He is also noted for connecting his poetry to the beat-nick poets. Kerouac is most commonly referred to as the King of the Beats and the Father of the Hippies. This is largely due with the fact that his poetry is most immediately inspired by Jazz music, specifically bebop by Thelonius Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker. He compiled this Jazz influence with a love of Buddhist studies, specifically Gary Snyder. The name he dubbed his new found form is Spontaneous Prose. It is often compared to the literary technique known as stream of consciousness, which is often deemed as a literary mirror of a writer’s thought process. While writing, Kerouac took the first thought or line that came to his mind and went with it. This technique is most recognizable in his novels Visions of Cody, Big Sur, Visions of Gerard, On the Road, and The Subterraneans. The core concept this method revolved around is a breathing technique very similar to that of Jazz, or Buddhist meditation. It is most evidently represented by a dash mark in place of a period. The practice of improvising words based on implied or inherently inferred meanings was another aspect of Spontaneous Prose. . The core concept this method revolved around is a breathing technique very similar to that of Jazz, or Buddhist meditation. In his statement on Belief Technique For Modern Prose, in his top five pieces of advice Kerouac says, 1. Scribble secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy 2. Submissive to everything, open, listening 3. Try never get drunk outside yr own house 4. Be in love with yr life 5. Something that you feel will find its own form (Kerouac) This is more the literary technique of an experimental thinker than actual literary scholar, or poet, during this era. Despite this, his style later becomes the format taught to most contemporary writers aspiring to be professional. Kerouac never really edited his poetry. In fact, the majority of his work was edited by fellow Beat Generation pioneer Donald Merriam Allen, who also served as an editor for Ginsberg. Acclaimed photographer Robert Frank made a short film personifying many Beat ideals called Pull My Daisy, in which Kerouac is scene reading his work in the films opening. The film itself is also based a play written by Kerouac. The Beat Generation is an uprising that formed mostly on some of America’s best-known college campuses in the mid to late 50’s. It influenced students in the early 60’s to seek hard hitting answers to some of the complex questions posed to their generation. Addressing ideas like the coexistence of wealth and poverty, along side with racial prejudice resulted in the beat-nicks forming what would be considered the American New Left. An example of this is the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS); which founded at the University of Michigan in 1960, it became one of the key organizations formed in reaction to Beat ideals. The core belief of this student body was that Americans should practice direct democracy as apposed to representative democracy. This stemmed largely from the strict nature of Universities during that time in which students felt they were just numbers in a system dictating their existence. These students were also known for being supporters of the Black Power movement. These groups are also historic for being the most visible resource for developing protests against the Vietnam War. This New Left was the child that the Beat Generation gave birth to, and its influence on American culture can be credited for many of the sociological changes in our society today. Jack Kerouac, along with the rest of the beat-nick poets, can be credited as well. They were the flame that sparked this generational chain reaction. In sum, when I read Kerouac’s work, I can’t help but notice that many ways his style has been adopted by American culture. The ideal of the creative minded young artist bathing in libation and pondering death and social inadequacies is the main image adopted by the majority of Rock n Roll groups today. The majority of these bands probably don’t even know of Jack Kerouac. I’m not saying he was the first poet, or artist, to get drunk and create; but, I do acknowledge the ability of his free will to inspire so many others around him to create the cause to social change. He is pioneer and a leader, because he is fallowed beyond the grave. Work Cited Anderson, James C. Robert Frank. Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005. Jack Kerouac. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 30 Jan 2007, 22:03 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2 Feb 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_Kerouacoldid=104426491

Andrew Carnegie: The Man Behind the Steel :: American History Essays

Andrew Carnegie: The Man Behind the Steel I chose to right about Andrew Carnegie for the two following reasons. The first being his Scottish heritage, and second being his close ties with the city of Pittsburgh. I happen to have some Scottish blood in me but more importantly I am from Pittsburgh. Andrew Carnegie’s story of rags to riches is slightly more inspiring than that of Henry Clay Frick, his partner. As a Scottish immigrant Carnegie made his ways through the ranks of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Upon passing on an offer for the superintendent of the Pittsburgh division of the Pennsylvania Railroad; Carnegie and his brother Thomas purchased an already running mill (Burgoyne 6). From here Carnegie built up the largest and most lucrative iron and steel works in the world. His character was often challenged by certain individuals and defended by others. It is common knowledge that Carnegie viewed himself as a man of the people since he came from humble beginnings. Conversely labor historian Harold Livesay was quoted in saying, â€Å"that certainly by the standards of ethics and conduct to which we would like to hold businessmen today, he indeed operated extremely ruthlessly (www.pbs.org).† Carnegie’s character, views on labor and actions regarding Homestead will be discussed more in depth further. The Homestead Strike of 1892 is known as one of the bloodiest and most bitter labor strikes in American history. Many though would consider it to a necessary progressive movement even taking into account the many lost lives. In order to understand what exactly occurred in Homestead during the summer of 1892 it is first necessary to understand the town of Homestead itself. It is important to point out the fact that without the mill there would be no Homestead, therefore making the mill the nucleus of the town. The mill was located along the Monongahela River in the south of Pittsburgh. Not having seen the mill myself I’m sure that it would have been a beacon to Pittsburghers, encompassing 600 acres of the river’s bank (Burgoyne 1-2). The entire of economy of Homestead was centered on the mill with all other businesses depending on the revenue dispersed by the mill. Store owners, bartenders, and seamstresses all alike depended on paychecks from the mill to spend at their respective proprietorships. There for the lockout of the mill did not simply affect the mill workers but rather all 12,000 residents of Homestead (Burgoyne 1). As for Andrew Carnegie, well he became the richest man in the world. In the year 1900 Carnegie sold the company to J.P Morgan for $480 million.

After the Battle

A jumble of limbs and skin, not that I knew it, I was just another fragment of the landscape, a surface of khaki and blood, surrounded the shore, clouded a dusky pink where a ship sat deserted and alone. Sand gatherings were sleek as they followed the wind and flustering specs as sharp as glass, were deciding where to settle, inspecting every body, join it for a while, but would soon be gone. Now my clothes are crusted with blood, a gunshot so neat can rip through your body; like a mole it burrow's within the depths of flesh, blood and bone, stopping at nothing to pass to the other side. A gunshot so destructive, can take no longer than a fraction of a millisecond, to puncture your heart, to suck the air from your lungs and leave the blood to empty your veins hour after hour. Hour after hour†¦its time to bleed. I could no longer feel the bitter sting of the burning sand on my open wounds, nor the suffocating inner walls of the tunnels, carved by a bullet, still seeping. All I could feel was a general ache, the fact that I'm still alive, seems inadequate. I feel like a tap that has been left on, drip, drip, waiting for my life, to be effortlessly, cut off. I could well be melting and the taste of the fluids dripping from my face is recognisable, I am drowning in my own blood, sweat and tears. Hesitating to open my eyes, I think of a rusty gate as the weight is so difficult to lift, secured with glue-like mucus, sharp and jagged in some places, my eyelids seem to be made of metal, brittle and disabled by age and rust. How long had I been here? Had I grown old in this battle? I feel altogether robotic, like a machine that had been broken, no longer a human but just another tool for those who are better than I am, either them or the person left in me gave me the strength to open my eyes, as that gateway is like lifting numerous tonnes of weight. But to my dismay all I saw were gashes of light that came to me like a stampede, the sand was on me and everywhere, each grain an annoying little bee, my eyes become a hive of little sand and blinding white, just being in existence. I sharply shut them again, I'm back in my own little world, but is that place really where I'm needed? Again, the shutter doors must open, the jagged edge is now broken, it seems a great weight off my mind when the entrance is clear, the gate is now satisfactory and lifts quite swiftly, I am free, freed into what? I'm stumped between a prison and a mass A and E. Everything around me is death, leads to death or inspires it. Ghoulish faces looked at me from all around, but with no expression. Their features lie beneath the murky layer of dust and dirt. One who was settled very close to me, has deep red stains all around his mouth and nose, it is visible to see the dried out tracks where blood had quickly escaped through his lips and nostrils, and even faint fingerprints where he must have rapidly checked the bleeding. He had been shot only once, in his neck, one move for one life and that touching of his face was likely to be the last move he ever made. His right hand lay on the sand, next to his neck, his fingertips too, tinted with his own blood. I suddenly realise that something was holding me up, I couldn't understand why I hadn't known this before, as it was far too close to my skin considering my vest, shirt and thick jacket, soon my awareness makes it somewhat painful. The sharp jagged material had formed a spear, and it took a moment to think about getting myself out of this awkward position. The gunshots in my leg and side were holding me back, but I had to use anything else I had in the world to push me away from this pain. †¦I can see my wife, that blinding white is now lighting up her big brown eyes, those same eyes that believed so much in me all that time ago, stand right before me as if they never left†¦ If this was all I had, it had to be enough to get me through this day; I must survive, if only for that. Stand up. I hesitantly move my boot soles onto to the flattest sand I can find, even now my leg is vibrating with pain, but I must go on. Stand up! Come on man! You are weak! You're no use to any of us down there! I won't ask you again boy! My knees unbend themselves and some miracle had led me to my feet, from where I immediately fall into the almost alight sand bed, it agitatedly buzzed around me, stinging and biting on any flesh available. But it was the distinct scream that will always haunt my mind, I didn't before this imagine I would ever fear my own voice, as it shattered the silence I lay hoping and praying it would not wake anybody up, I preferred to be alone. Or close to it, as my gaze now met that of another pair of eyes drained of all emotion. I looked at him, I wanted him to look unhappy, I wanted to feel sympathy, but it looked at me with pride, it had died in honour, it had done his duty, so nothing mattered. I reached out and gently pulled his eyelids over those misty eyes, and already began to miss him. I looked over him towards the admirable surroundings, where I always wanted to come, huge cliffs towered above me, crowned with beautiful plants, the vague outlines of which I saw swaying, almost dancing beneath the beautiful sunlight. The heat had done nothing but added to my pain, but the sky now glowed, its rich blue tones comforted me, I had done well, this I knew as I released my thoughts into the cloudless sky, where I stayed, 'til the end.

USS California (BB-44) during World War II

Entering service in 1921, USS California (BB-44) served the US Navy for over a quarter-century and saw combat operations during World War II (1939-1945). Dubbed The Prune Barge due to the large volume of the fruit exported by California in the early part of the 20th century, the battleship was the second vessel of the Tennessee-class and was severely damaged during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Raised from the harbors mud, it was repaired and heavily modernized. Rejoining the fleet in 1944, California took part in the Allies island-hopping campaign across the Pacific and played a central role in the Battle of the Surigao Strait. Though hit by a kamikaze in early 1945, the battleship was quickly repaired and returned to action that summer. Remaining in the Pacific through the end of the war, California later helped transport occupation troops to Japan. Design USS California  (BB-44) was the second ship of the  Tennessee-class of battleship.  The ninth  type of dreadnought battleship  (South Carolina, Delaware, Florida,  Wyoming,  New York,  Nevada,  Pennsylvania,  and  New Mexico) built for the US Navy, the  Tennessee-class was intended to be an enhanced variant  of the preceding  New Mexico-class.  The fourth class  to follow the Standard-type approach, which required ships to possess  similar operational and tactical attributes,  the  Tennessee-class was propelled  by  oil-fired boilers rather than  coal and employed an  Ã¢â‚¬Å"all or nothing† armor arrangement. This armor scheme  called for critical  areas of the ship, such as magazines and engineering, to be heavily protected while less important spaces were left unarmored.  Also, Standard-type battleships were required to have  a  minimum top speed of 21 knots and a tactical turn radius of 700 yards or less. Designed after the  Battle of Jutland, the  Tennessee-class class was the first to utilize the  lessons learned in the engagement.  These included enhanced armor below the waterline as well as fire control systems for both the main and secondary batteries which were placed on top of two large cage masts. As with the  New Mexico-class, the new ships carried twelve 14 guns in four triple turrets and fourteen 5 guns.  In an improvement over  its predecessors, the main battery on the  Tennessee-class could elevate its guns to 30 degrees which increased the weapons range by 10,000 yards.  Ordered on December 28, 1915, the new class comprised two ships: USS  Tennessee  (BB-43) and USS  California  (BB-44). Construction Laid down at the Mare Island  Naval Shipyard on October 25, 1916, construction of California advanced through the winter and following spring when the  US entered  World War I.  The last battleship built on the West Coast, it slid down the ways on  November 20,  1919, with Barbara Zane,  daughter of California  Governor William D. Stephens, serving as sponsor.  Completing construction,  California  entered commission on August 10, 1921,  with Captain Henry J.  Ziegemeier in command.  Ordered to join the Pacific Fleet, it immediately became this forces flagship. USS California (BB-44) shortly after completion in 1921. US Naval History and Heritage Command USS California (BB-44) - Overview Nation:  United StatesType:  BattleshipShipyard:  Mare Island Naval ShipyardLaid Down:  October 25, 1917Launched:  November 20, 1919Commissioned:  August 10, 1921Fate:  Sold for scrap Specifications (as built) Displacement:  32,300  tonsLength:  624.5 ft.Beam:  97.3  ft.Draft:  30.3  ft.Propulsion:  Turbo-electric transmission  turning 4 propellersSpeed:  21  knotsComplement:  1,083  men Armament (as built) 12  Ãƒâ€" 14 in. gun (4  Ãƒâ€" 3)14 Ãâ€" 5 in. guns2 Ãâ€" 21 in. torpedo tubes Interwar Years Over the next several years,  California  participated in a routine cycle of peacetime training, fleet maneuvers, and war games.  A high-performing ship, it won the Battle Efficiency Pennant in 1921 and 1922 as well as Gunnery E awards for 1925 and 1926.  In the former year,  California  led elements of the fleet on a goodwill cruise to Australia and New Zealand.  Returning to its usual operations in 1926, it underwent a brief modernization program in the winter of 1929/30 which saw enhancements to its anti-aircraft defenses and additional elevation added to its main battery. Though largely operating out of San Pedro, CA during the 1930s,  California  transited the Panama Canal in 1939 to visit the  Worlds Fair in New York City.  Returning to the Pacific, the battleship took part in Fleet Problem XXI in April 1940 which simulated the defense of the Hawaiian Islands.  Due to increasing tensions with Japan, the fleet remained in Hawaiian waters after the exercise and shifted its base to Pearl Harbor.  That year also saw  California  selected as one of the first six ships to receive the new RCA CXAM radar system. World War II Begins On December 7, 1941,  California  was moored at the southernmost berth on Pearl Harbors Battleship Row.  When the Japanese attacked that morning, the ship quickly sustained two torpedo hits which caused extensive flooding.  This was worsened by the fact that many watertight doors had been left open in preparation for an impending inspection.  The torpedoes were followed by a bomb hit that detonated an  anti-aircraft ammunition magazine. A second bomb, which just missed, exploded and ruptured several hull plates near the bow.  With the flooding out of control,  California  slowly sunk over the next three days before settling upright in the mud with just its superstructure above the waves.  In the attack, 100 of the crew were killed and 62 wounded.  Two of Californias crew, Robert R. Scott and Thomas Reeves,  posthumously received the Medal of Honor for the actions during the attack. USS California (BB-44) sinking after being torpedoed at Pearl Harbor. National Archives and Records Administration Salvage work commenced a short time later and on March 25, 1942,  California  was re-floated and moved to dry dock for temporary repairs.  On June 7, it departed under its own power for Puget Sound Navy Yard where it would begin a major modernization program.  Entering the yard, this plan saw significant alterations to the ships superstructure, the trunking of the two funnels into one, improved watertight compartmentalization, expansion of the anti-aircraft defenses, alterations to the secondary armament, and a widening of the hull to increase stability and torpedo protection.  This last change pushed  California  past the beam limitations for the Panama Canal essentially limiting it to wartime service in the Pacific. Rejoining the Fight Departing Puget Sound on January 31, 1944,  California  conducted shakedown cruises  off San Pedro before steaming west to aid in the invasion of the Marianas.  That June, the battleship joined combat operations when it provided fire support during the Battle of Saipan.  On June 14, California sustained a hit from a shore battery which inflicted  minor damage and caused 10 casualties (1 killed, 9 wounded).  In July and August, the battleship aided in the landings on Guam and Tinian.  On August 24, California  arrived at Espiritu Santo for repairs after a minor collision with  Tennessee.  Completed, it then departed for Manus on September 17 to join forces massing for the invasion of the Philippines. National Museum of the US Navy / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain Covering  the landings on Leyte between October 17 and 20,  California, part of Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorfs 7th Fleet Support Force, then shifted south to the Surigao Strait.  On the night of October 25, Oldendorf inflicted a decisive defeat on Japanese forces at the Battle of Surigao Strait.  Part of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf, the engagement saw several Pearl Harbor veterans exact revenge on the enemy.  Returning to action in early January 1945,  California  provided fire support for the Lingayen Gulf landings on Luzon.  Remaining offshore, it was struck by a kamikaze on January 6 which killed 44 and wounded 155.  Completing operations in the Philippines, the battleship then departed for repairs at Puget Sound. Final Actions In the yard from February through late spring,  California  rejoined the fleet on June 15 when it arrived off Okinawa.  Aiding troops ashore during the final days of the Battle of Okinawa, it then covered minesweeping operations in the East China Sea.  With the end of the war in August,  California  escorted occupation troops to Wakayama, Japan and remained in Japanese waters until mid-October. Receiving orders to return to the United States, the battleship shaped a course through the Indian Ocean and around the Cape of Good Hope as it was too wide for the Panama Canal.  Touching at Singapore, Colombo, and Cape Town, it arrived at Philadelphia on December 7.  Moved into reserve on August 7, 1946,  California was decommissioned on February 14, 1947.  Retained for twelve years, it was then sold for scrap on March 1, 1959.