Wow, the conversation has really started! We had an engaging discussion yesterday at rehearsal about the poems and the poets' backgrounds, during which some different ways of looking at America emerged. Here are some notes:
- During the discussion, Marielle took issue with Allen Ginberg's first line: "America I've given you all and now I'm nothing." She wanted to know where Ginsberg got off saying something like that. What had he given to America? From the evidence in the poem, it seemed like all he did was sit around and smoke marijuana all the time. Marielle articultaed the position that there was opportunity all around us in America and that people just needed to make the choice to take adantage of it.
- Several people talked about the obstacles that get put in the way of that kind of achievement. Nowadays it seems that you need a BA to get a good job, said Cynthia, and college isn't free. And even a college degree is no assurance that you can find good employment. And some people get an advantage over others because they went to private schools or because their parents were successful.
- Tabitha changed the terms of the discussion and called into question the very way that success is measured in America. Citing the work of the philosopher Herbert Marcuse, she expressed that mainstream America defines success purely in economic terms, as if people were like businesses. What about people like Ginsberg who don't want to conform to that set of standards? What place is there for them in American society? As Ginsberg says, "Businessmen are serious / Movie producers are serious / Everyone's serious but me."
- Windia expressed very well the conflict between the opportunities offered by the "American Dream" and the restrictiveness of it. To achieve that dream, you have to fit a certain "image." According to Windia, America says to us, "If you're willing to be the way I draw it out for you, you're lucky. But if not, you're out."
It's really exciting that we have so many different opinions emerging within the group. Giving expression to contradictions is exactly what this process is supposed to be about. Does anybody else out there want to add a comment or respond to any of this??
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To comment on what Tabitha said, I think a true success is being able to get up every morning and do what you truly love while being able to make a living out of it, as opposed to feeling like a "slave", hating your job and working hard just to survive. Whatever you do should come from your soul and not just from the thinking of how to pay your bills.
I like what you're saying, Kristina, and I wish that we lived in a world where everyone could feel satisfied about the way they earn a living. Do you think that is something that a government can guarantee for people? Can it take steps to make it more likely that people will be satisfied? Remember that the Declaration of independence talks about the right to "pursue" happiness, but it doesn't guarantee that we'll get it....
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