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American Culture In The Dharma Bums By Jack Kerouac

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It was the year 1955; consumerism was taking off, rock and roll was gaining popularity and for the first time Disneyland opened its doors in California. California in 1955 was recovering from the effects of the Great Depression and WWII. The war had opened up new economic opportunities and created a population boom for the state. During WWII, a huge influx of people migrated to the state to take advantage of the economic opportunities that the war economy provided. The 1950s was also the year the Beat Generation gained popularity. The Beat Generation, according to Wikipedia, was a group of authors whose literature explored and influenced American culture in the post-World War II era. Wikipedia also states, central elements of the Beat culture were rejection of standard narrative values, the spiritual quest, exploration of American and Eastern religions, rejection of materialism, explicit portrayals of the human condition, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, and sexual liberation and exploration. …show more content…

Jack Kerouac wrote the 1958 novel The Dharma Bums. In The Dharma Bums, Ray Smith, aka Kerouac, explores the relationship that mountain climbing, hiking, and hitchhiking had with his city life. Buddhism is also a recurring topic throughout the book; Ray Smith is constantly trying to connect his experiences with it. The Dharma Bums encompasses the portraits of the Beat Generation. The main themes associated with this book are non-conformity, simplicity, compassion, sexual conflict, improvisation and pragmatism. All these themes can be associated with the ideals of the Beat Generation. The Beat Generation rejected the conventional social norms and favored modern jazz and Zen Buddhism. The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac relates to California through its themes of non-conformity and provides an insight to the experiences of the Beat

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The Beat Generation wanted change because of this conformity, by rebelling against the rules and structure of society. In the text, Kesey implies that conformity is damaging because he believed that conformity and mental institutions negatively impact the patients by destroying their self-esteem, while many in the ‘50s and early ‘60s believed mental institutions helped someone become a normal member of society. In the novel, the aides constantly help the patients with simple tasks. In the beginning of the book, the Nurse orders that the aides help Chief shave, “And since it is

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Rock “n” Roll was an example of a turning point for America in the 1950’s. Rock “n” Roll music was the newest sound for the generation. The music made people think more about racial barriers, brought people together, and led people to have a different outlook on the generation. Rock “n” Roll is a mixture of country, pop, blues, and gospel music. Rock “n” Roll includes the elements of a few black and white American music styles together.

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All Shook Up: How Rock N’ Roll Changed America, by Glenn C. Altschuler, does a great job in discussing all of the conflicts of the time and how rock n’ roll helped or discouraged the conflicts throughout the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. Altschuler used essential sources such as newspapers and magazines, as well as other books on the issue to argue main points about the conflicts and affects that rock n’ roll had during this time period. By using and analyzing the primary sources through a social history and in a narrative format, he makes a solid reason and argument for how rock n’ roll really affected and changed America. Throughout history, music has played a huge role in changing the lives of people. However, as the time has passed music, itself,

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Radio and Television The music of the 1960s and 1970s definitely had an impact on culture and society in the United States. Protest music, specifically, brought ideas, as well as problems, to the attention of many Americans. Radio stations across the nation were a big part of the spread of protest music. Radio experienced a boom after World War II.

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DBQ # 3 World War II was a major turning point for California and we were still in the Great Depression. Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, and that is when World War II begun. The conflict took many lives and destroyed a lot of land and property for the next six years. As a result of World War II there was a change in California with the labor for women, scrap metal, and the Japanese Americans.

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Mistreatment of Women The novels The Dharma Bums, The Subterraneans, and On the Road by Jack Kerouac all connect using the feminist theory by showing the ongoing mistreatment and lack of respect for women by men. The feminist theory analyzes gender inequality, mistreatment of women, and the issue of objectifying women in society. All of the men in these novels by the name of Ray Smith, Japhy Ryder, Leo Percepied, Sal Paradise, Dean Moriarty, and Ed Dunkel objectify women and are only interested in their physical attributes. The men in these novels cheat on women, use them for personal sexual pleasure, and abandon them when most convenient for themselves.

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In this essay, we will be telling you the differences and similarities between the 1960s and the 2000s. The year 1969 was 49 years ago but that does not mean that it was forgotten, some of the things in the 1960s are still here today in 2018. Some of the activities we will be comparing is economy, president 's, education, jobs, celebrities, dances, entertainment, and music. All of this has changed overtime but are still relevant to this modern day. The 60s has had a lot of changes since the 2000s, some of the things we learned about the 60s is that for teeagers they had a lot more opportunities to work over the summer.

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Americans were able to make thousands of dollars off of gold and immagrants and foreigners from all over the world came to California. Citizens became richer and all different cultures learned to

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The ‘60s were a decade of bright colors and new trends. Hair and makeup got brighter, and shoes and accessories matched outfits! Style change from strict and conforming to free and expressive. It was a time for a total fashion transformation.

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Cultural Impact of Rock and Roll Amidst the 1960’s Jimi Hendrix formerly stated, “Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.” A generation which was earnestly devoted to peace, protest, and revolution, the counterculture amongst the 1960’s yearned for change. Rock and roll was far beyond just a genre of music; it influenced lifestyles, protests, and attitudes, thus, kindling an awakening in the youth of American culture. The distinction between parental and youth culture was a persistent root of concern, considering that teens throughout the world found a sense of belonging in this style of music.

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Similarly explainable, are the adverse effects inspired by America’s push for conformity and consumerism following 1945. Regarding these years, historical statistics suggest a triumphant American atmosphere due to a victorious war outcome and economic affluence, but these positives quickly turned to negatives for certain societal sectors. Most notably, the unit that would grow to be labeled as the Beatniks. Within this crew, alongside Burroughs, was fellow writer Jack Kerouac. Kerouac’s most publicized text, On the Road, has been saluted as the quintessential novel of the 1950s and is beneficial in the fact that it conveys something that the aforementioned historical statistics cannot, emotion.

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Rock music in the 1960s was egalitarian, eclectic, and real based on a number of reasons. To explain the 'real' piece of rock music in the 1960s, one would have to know that there was war going on overseas that didn't make sense to Americans as to why it was going on (the Vietnam war). There was also still severe inequality between blacks and whites causing protests to occur via the Civil Rights movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There was inequality between women and mens rights. These issues caused dissatisfaction to occur in the American people.

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