Tripmaster Monkey

The passage I am examining comes from chapter 9, "One-Man Show" on page 308. The performance of Wittman's play has just ended and he is now addressing the audience alone on stage. Wittman reads some reviews of the show that call it 'exotic' and 'east meets west'. Wittman takes offense to the reviews saying, "There is no East here. West is meeting West. This was all West" (Kingston, 308). Wittman is likening his own identity to that of the play, and knows that people see him just as they see his play, East meeting West. We know, however, that Wittman, like his play, is all West. He was born, raised and educated in the West.

Wittman cannot escape the perception people have of him. Througout the novel, Wittman wrestles with his identity, as it is brought up in different situations. Early in the novel Wittman is at an event for Mattel, in which he thinks to himself, "Wherever I go, I do the integrating." (Kingston, 57). Later in the novel, Wittman is thinking about a Kerouac poem and realizes, "Shit. The 'twinkling little Chinese' must be none other than himself" (Kingston, 69). In both instances, Wittman is alienated. He is alone at the party and in the eyes of a writer he respects, he is merely a "twinling little Chinese". The passage on 308 is the culmination of Wittman's frustration with the way he is perceived as East, or different and exotic.

Final Project Questions

1. Bob Kaufman, he is a lesser explored beat poet. I am just interested in his poetry.

2. Can be identified as a beat writer along with Kerouac and Ginsberg. Howl, Dharma Bums, Ferlinghetti's poems and Tripmaster Monkey are all relevant to Kaufman's writing.

3. Kaufman's "Solitudes Crowded With Loneliness". Maybe more to come.

4. Something to the effect showing that Kaufman is the quintessential beat, or the embodiment of the idea of "beat".

5. Kaufman is definitely studied to a lesser extent than his beat peers. I do not know how much information I can gather about him at this point.

The Dharma Bums

My understanding of who a Dharma Bum is comes from a handful of ideas presented throughout the novel. One passage in which Japhy say's, "Dharma Bums refusing to subscribe to the general demand that they consume production" (Kerouac, 97), portrays a Dharma Bum as an individual who doesn't conform to mainstream consumerism, someone who is not tied down by material things like TV sets or fancy cars. Without looking any further than the title of Dharma Bum, it is understood that Buddhism and its teachings play a role in the philosophy of a Dharma Bum. The idea of freedom also plays an important role in the definition of a Dharma Bum. Ray Smith muses , "Better to sleep in an uncomfortable bed free, than sleep in a comfortable bed unfree" (Kerouac, 123). Dharma Bums seek to be free beyond the traditional idea of freedom. A traditional American lifestyle where people are "supervised" as they, "sit with a hundred other patients in front of a nice television set" (Kerouac, 121) is not fit for a Dharma Bum.
At the end of the novel a clear picture of Smith's view of society is presented. As his time on Desolation ends he laments, "Now comes the sadness of coming back to the cities...all upsidedown in the void" (Kerouac, 244). Nature is glorified and civilization is looked down upon as inferior. This is similar to Snyder and Brautigan's writing, where nature is seen as a haven in this world of industrialization. The mood of the novel changes as the location changes. When Japhy and Ray are backpacking, the general feeling is positive and the characters are in good moods. When the setting changes back to the city, there is a yearning to go back out into nature, and the characters are not as happy.

Question: Throughout the novel, religion is brought up in many ways. Can nature be looked at as a religion of its own in the novel?

Earth Day and the War Against the Imagination

In Synder's essay, "Earth Day and the War Against the Imagination", he describes several ecological and social problems, from deforestation to loss of local culture, which he attributes to overpopulation, unequal distribution of wealth and the industrial economy. Snyder goes on to write that out-of-control growth is problematic. Business people, he writes, "argue that economic growth and development or inevitable" and say, "it's selfish to try to put the brakes on growth". (Snyder, 61). Snyder answers this, writing, "It is not selfish for any community or neighborhood to try to find ways to check unwanted growth and expansion in its own backyard" (Snyder, 61-62). Furthermore, Snyder writes that this economic growth and ecologic detriment are allowed to happen because people profit from it. Snyder calls for people to answer this system with a message to corporations saying, "this is unacceptable. Quit doing it or find a radically different way" (Snyder, 63). Despite all the detriment and problems Snyder sees, he also sees a possibility for change through unwavering political activism. Snyder calls us all to be, "tough but good-natured Green or Rainbow warriors, make cause with wild nature, and have some ferocious fun while doing it" (Snyder, 64).

Question: Brautigan and Snyder both focus on our relationship to nature. How do they differ in their approaches and suggestions for change?

Hearst Propaganda

On page 226 of Brechin's Imperial San Francisco, there is a picture of an article first published May 28, 1916 in Hearst newspaper. The article's heading reads "The Greater United States" with a sub-heading reading, "If Mexico is annexed we will have- 31 new states and territories, 15,000,000 new Americans and 767,290 square miles of picturesque, historic and rich lumber, agricultural, and mineral lands."
First off, this picture falls under a chapter entitled "The Thought Shapers", and that's the first thing I thought of when I saw this picture. To me the article falls right into the category of propaganda perpetuating the idea of American Manifest Destiny. The text I have quoted above does not mention anything about the people of Mexico, or what their feelings of being annexed are. The article is all worded positively; the people of Mexico are not taken over, they simply become "new Americans". And all the historic land in Mexico, pertaining to Mexican history suddenly becomes American. The monuments and buildings of their history become landmarks of American Imperialism. The monuments are even shown in the picture, portrayed as aspects of what a "Greater United States" would include.
Brechin spends a great deal of time discussing Hearst throughout his book, describing his efforts to expand the United States and "his policy of America First" (which I found funny how similar it is to McCain's campaign slogan "Country First"), which dictated that the US be first in all fields, including weaponry. The picture I chose to examine falls right with the picture Brechin paints of Hearst. Hearst's readers are led to believe in American supremacy, and the right to annex whatever they want. He promises new valuable land, new Americans without any trace of repercussions.

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

I read Brautigan's "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" as a sarcastic approach to his opinions regarding man and the destruction of nature. Throughout "Trout Fishing in America", Brautigan displays his feelings of the ill treatment of nature and our general disregard for its well-being. In Machines of Loving Grace, I think Brautigan sums up his attitude very well.
The poem is divided into three stanzas, each kicked off with the line "I like to think...of a cybernetic". The repeated lines set the stage for a sarcastic, imagined and absurd environment. Brautigan conjures up images of cybernetic forests, "where deer stroll peacefully / past computers" and cybernetic meadows "where mammals an computers / live together in mutually / programming harmony". The literal images are very sarcastic and unrealistic. Beneath this layer, Brautigan is sincerely calling for a world where nature is not destroyed by technology, but rather is lived in harmony with. Brautigan adds a line of urgency, "and the sooner the better!" to each repeated stanza opener. Brautigan's a sense of urgency seems to have been lost, as today we are still faced with problems of natural destruction.


Question: I am still unsure about the last lines of the poem:

"and all watched over / by machines of loving grace"

What does Brautigan mean? Is it perhaps his vision of a future where we are all watched over by machines that dominate our lives?

Ferlinghetti's "Dog"

To me, Ferlinghetti's poem "Dog" exhibits a great balance of accessibility and artfulness. The subject of the poem, a dog, presumably meant to represent Ferlinghetti himself, observes the city surroundings as he "trots freely in the street." The scenes he describe depict typical city life, from "Drunks in doorways" to "cats and cigars." In this sense the poem is rather playful, with lines like, "a real realist / with a real tale to tell / and a real tail to tell it with." The playful, almost innocent observations of a dog allow Ferlinghetti to create a reader-friendly environment.
However, at the same time Ferlinghetti is getting at his deeper, more serious views of government and protest. His main target is Congressman Doyle and the Unamerican Committee. The lines "He will not be muzzled / Congressman Doyle is just another / fire hydrant" paint a clear picture of Ferlinghetti's feelings toward Doyle. The muzzle is a thinly veiled reference to the Unamerican Committee and their actions toward protesters. Regarding the police, Ferlinghetti states that he "doesn't hate cops," but perhaps would stand up to one abusing his power, "He would rather eat a tender cow / than a tough policeman / though either might do." Overall, Ferlinghetti seems to condone questioning, if not challenging the government.

In the last section of the poem, Ferlinghetti displays his artfulness. The lines become very broken up as the dog becomes the logo for Victor Records. This last section of the poem could also be a commentary on major corporations, and technology as a whole. A line earlier in the poem may also commentate on technology as the dog is "afraid of Coit's Tower" but "not afraid of Congressman Doyle." Perhaps Ferlinghetti sees possible change in the government but not technology.

Question: What does Felinghetti mean in the very last lines of "Dog?"

"with its wondrous hollow horn / which always seems / just about to spout forth / some Victorious answer / to everything"