In Review: American Literature Series - Thoreau and Ginsberg

I waited until the last minute to do my blog post today because, honestly, I was afraid I couldn't find words powerful enough to describe the passion with which I completed my literary analysis on Thoreau and Ginsberg. I consider myself pretty adept in getting across my passion through my words, so you can image how much this project must have moved me to feel that kind of fear. But, here I am. I talked a lot with a good friend today about how you can't quit your passion just because you are afraid. So, here I am - hoping that I can do justice to the legacy of these two men that have become none other than stepping stones on my spiritual journey.

In my paper, I talked about the ways in which writers like Thoreau and Ginsberg helped to change the notions of freedom in America throughout history. Freedom has always been a concept which I have analyzed intensely. If you think about it, freedom is not a static thing that either exists or doesn't. Like so much in life, it exists on a continuum. Because our nation is still so young, we have a long time to go before we can realize the end of the spectrum which has been in people's hearts and souls since the earliest settlers came. Among others, literary greats have helped to write America into existence. Of all concepts, the artists out there have helped us understand, freedom is prominent among them.

My thesis for my paper is Thoreau’s “Economy” and Ginsburg’s “Howl” reveal the changing and varied perspectives of freedom that have been present in America since the time of European colonization and examine the concept of personal freedom in contrast to the broader sense of national freedom. That's right, people like Thoreau and Ginsberg - misfits, rebels, freaks, outcasts, crazies, outlaws...the list could go on and on...they have helped others realize a brand new sense of freedom. I can simply say I think they have given us the freedom to just be ourselves. That's the hardest thing to be - with the exception of a few rare places/communities on earth - I think this must be universally true. People give you shit if you don't fit a mold. Fuck molds! This is also why Thoreau and Ginsberg were such transcendental writers (despite the modernist period Ginsberg actually wrote from).

No, it's not the fact that Thoreau and Ginsberg were so well educated, that they became a success in their field with lots of letters after their name, or became rich through their writing careers. In fact, Thoreau's writing career, by most American standards, was a failure. No, it's because their names and their souls live on. Their souls are with the American conscience as we still try to figure out what the fuck to make of this nation - how to be American, yet be a unique individual. We need these gurus, these spirit guides to tell us how to turn inside and find our own answers.

Thoreau and Ginsberg, for somewhat different reasons, have become a integral part of my own spiritual journey. Thoreau's notion that being a philosopher hold more genuine value than being a scholar. His reliance on himself for a set of ideals, and his standing by what he believed in. Ginsberg's simple assertion that madness is very real in all of us. The truth that it is in our societal structure, and thus, it is in each of us as individuals, yet individuals get punished for it, while government is condoned for it. Like Thoreau, his being true to himself. Both men remind me of Janis Joplin (and countless others) who just let their souls lead the way. This is why these men are so special to me. They have taught me about the kind of freedom I want - the freedom to push hard toward my dreams for who I want to be, no matter what the costs. And part of that means to simply keep writing, even when I am afraid I won't deliver the intensity I intend to.

~ Peace and Love, Tracey

© Tracey Love, 2015. All rights reserved.