Chloe Hutt Vater Ms. Droge Honors English 11E January 8, 2015 Beat Generation Poets The Beat Generation created a new way to look at life that still exists today. The Beat Generation took place prominently in New York City and San Francisco during the 1950s. This was a time where many post- World War II writers and activists explored different aspects of humanity and new ways to express themselves. This cultural phenomenon included rejection of typical standards, alternative sexualities, use of drugs, innovations in style, an interest in God and religion, and a rejection of materialism and crass consumerism. Famous poets that were a large part of this movement were Kenneth Rexroth, Gary Snyder, and Gregory Corso. While they have many similarities in their writing they also have several differences. The one thing that they all have in common is how they helped set the Beat Movement into motion. Kenneth Rexroth wrote many poems during the Beat Generation such as, “Airs and Angels: This Night Only” which had to do with love, compassion, and nature. Poems like this one had a sense of modernism unlike poems that had been written in previous generations. Many poems that are written today are written about the same themes that Rexroth wrote about. The Beat Generation was known for free expression and open love. This poem also …show more content…
Snyder also was a part of the San Francisco renaissance. Like Kenneth Rexroth, he did not directly associate himself with the Beat era. Snyder believed that the movement was prominent on the East Coast and did not associate California with the time period. Gary Snyder referenced nature in many of his poems. In his poem “At Tower Peak” he referred to tan rolling meadows and granite peaks. He goes on to explain that the beautiful aspects of nature will soon turn into housing developments, crowded cities and clogged freeways. The poem