After reading the poems for this week, I noticed something unique to each category of poems. The poems from the Beats are more related to the poet’s thoughts. They are also a little more on the passive side. On the other hand, the poems coming from the NY School concentrate on a specific event; they are usually about one subject or occurrence. There are some poems in this category that are like stories and some that are about writing poems or being a poet.
One of my favorite pieces from the Beats is Gregory Corso’s “Marriage.” In this poem, the entire thought process of a man thinking about marriage is stated. After reading this poem, I thought to myself, “Wow, this is so real and true.” Common thoughts of a man meeting his significant other’s parents for the first time is seen:
When she introduces me to her parents
back straightened, hair finally combed, strangled by a tie,
should I sit with my knees together on their 3rd degree sofa
and not ask Where's the bathroom?
…
O how terrible it must be for a young man
seated before a family and the family thinking
We never saw him before! He wants our Mary Lou!
After tea and homemade cookies they ask What do you do for a living?
Should I tell them? Would they like me then? (10-13, 16-20)
In this poem, Corso emphasizes on his thoughts and feelings.
A very different type of poem, Frank O’Hara’s “The Day Lady Died” from the NY School describes a specific event (the day Billie Holiday passed away). In this poem, O’Hara lets the reader know what a typical New Yorker day in the year 1959 was like. He uses numerous references to popular culture to highlight the lifestyle and culture of his time. For example, he would “have a hamburger and a malted and buy an ugly NEW WORLD WRITING” on a typical day.
The poem from the Beats concentrates on the thoughts of the common man, while the piece from the NY School emphasizes the typical lifestyle and culture of a specific time period.
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