Exploring Orientalism within the Beats movement

Exploring Orientalism within the Beats movement:

An Analysis of Beats in Tangier

Movements are essential to the human species, as we develop and evolve through time we pass through many revolutionary movements. As the movements change along with them the humans evolve. Edward Said is a human in which has created an amazing revolutionary movement within his own existence. That is to say that Said through his personal experience has given birth to an original and different movement. As many of us come from mixed background, Said comes from just that, and as the two geographical atmospheres in which he was born share a very common dilemma in their relationship to Said and one another.As Palestine was “removed” from existence and there people eradicated from their own homeland, Said found himself as an outsider not only in his own country, but upon arrival in the U.S.The peculiar resemblance between Israel and America is a discourse in which Said is much invested, not only on the personal level but on an academic and scholarly one as well. Said describes and coined Orientalism as the study of the Orient. The orient being the east and the depiction of the eastern civilizations, Egyptians, Arabs, etc., and as this depiction grew through the writing and art work of Europeans, so did the fable of the Eastern psyche.Said describes the Easterner or the East as the Orient and explore these ideas and themes of their depiction within European import philosophy, art, novel, and other art forms. The question in which I would like to explore within this paper is the idea of Orientalism and its grave implications throughout America and within the Beats movement. As these Orient based art forms have informed on much of American society and Eastern society as well, it is important to focus on Said as a main source as he lends a unique perspective on these ideas.

I consider Paul Bowls as someone who was involved with the Beat movement and its progress as a revolution.As he wrote within Tangier he informed on much of what could be considered an Orientalist point of view. Said defines an Orientalist as, “Anyone who teaches, writes about, or researches the Orient-and this applies whether the person is an anthropologist, sociologist, historian, philologist- either in its specific or its general aspects is an Orientalist and what he/she does is Orientalism” (Said 2). Working under this definition everyone who did any type of diverse writing or research would be considered an Orientalist. I have found myself thinking of Said as an Orientalist.There are of course many factors of Orientalism as outlined by Said, yet in order to understand this complex term it lends credence to examine Bowels as not only an Orientalist, but as a Beat Generation Orientalist. As Paul Bowels did write his first novel in Tangier out of a very Beat genre and attitude, he did have tendencies to challenge, indirectly, the “authoring” aspect of Orientalism. I think in order to understand his concepts and preceptions of the East, to the West, we must understand what Tangier represents to the writers and the implications of this idea and how that impacts our understanding.

America’s culture has always been formed around being American and representing the American dream. The only problem with this concept is that of its contrary aspects, as it describes liberty and freedom for all, it subsequently turns and hunts others down. Making the dream an unattainable fable, this dangles in the faces of those non-white peoples, who built the dream for the whites. The idea of romanticizing and interpreting other cultures outside of the U.S is just as old as the American dream, and Tangier is no exception. I think is

Said states, “Orientalism is not an airy European fantasy about the many generations, there has been a considerable material investment. Continued investment made Orientalism, as a system of knowledge about the Orient, and accepted grid for filtering through the Orient into Western consciousness, just as that same investment multiplied the statements proliferating out from Orientalism into the general culture” (Said 6). This grid is displayed in many of the Beat writers work and actions, not only through their intellect but through their lives. This Orientalism whether conscious or unconscious is irrelevant, the idea that these poets work through this system is the key material fact in which Said counters and investigates. One idea presented to me within the classroom was that Americans and many other cultures, when faced with adversity or hardship reach or look outward into other cultures or societies, to seek guidance with getting through it all. This claim was applied to the Beat Generation in their relation to Tangier and writing within this Orientalism. As this could be a valid point it does not change the fact that the Beats participated in a system that was subsequently damaging and unhelpful to the Orient or Eastern Culture. The romanticizing and authoring which took place under this Orientalist grid was not a new move for the Americans, as going to other places and essentially misinterpreting it to American mainstream culture is an age old discourse in America.

After the American invasion in Iraq, a gloomy presentation of the orient was seen. The lack of civilization with suffering citizens was what perceived in many Americans’ minds. Their violent way of expressing discontent or fight against oppression has earned name a negative coverage footage of individuals with barbaric characteristics ever since. The western perception about the east showed the level of hopelessness that is found in the orient, a show of how desperate are in need of deliverance.

In the 1950’s, a group of American writers known as the beat generation came to prominence. The beat generation emerged with a profound interest of the orient. They were intrigued by their (east) practices which inspired them to do some extensive research. Their form of writing was mainly to reveal the presence of hope from the forsaken east region. The beat movement was championed by number of factors such as rejection of academic literature and a search for neo-romantic spiritual belief different from what Christianity could offer.This lead to the shift of interest in the religious practices of the east as a source of freedom. The spectacular growth of interest in their spiritual beliefs and practices was seen as a shift that would lead to the alteration of religious views of future Americans. Their several travels to the east in search of something different from the contemporary American lifestyle indeed made them to be recognized and regarded as orientalists by Edward said.

From Edward Said’s analysis of the beat generation,most Americans including writers have been looking to European practices as the source of inspiration and sense of identity. The east were seen as hopeless in their practices, so their practices would not be mimicked. However,inthe post-world war 2 period, the beats generation writers focused their attention to the east, as their cultural practices were viewed to offer solutions to the post-world war concerns, such as racism. Indeed, the beat writers managed to shift this focus. Their perception towards the Asian conception reveal the pros and cons of the shift.

Their interest on Buddhism was overwhelming. To some of the beat generation members, their personal reasons championed their search and study. One of the beat movement contributor Jack Kerouac had some personal problems that led to his quest of eastern knowledge. His psychological problems prompted his desire for religious solutions. Jack is seen to negate his catholic teachings as they seemed to offer no solution to his personal problems despite him being a committed follower. His interest on Buddhism which was a religion practiced in the east is viewed as the only solution. He is inspired him to write his book, ‘on the road’ where he seeks to understand the religion. His quest influenced him into the Buddhist religion. The authoring of the beat generationrevealed how the religious practices from the Orient (Buddhism) placed special concerns and emphasis on human suffering. With Buddhism, the concept of internal freedom was emphasized as a source of inspiration to external freedom. According to the beat generation writers, Christianity failed to offer this form of freedom which later turned out to be an inspiration towards the address of various social issues. Racism was one of the social issues that had to be addressed. The minority black community was a victim of racial segregation and oppression from the white community. This form of freedom led to the rejection of racial rules that were passed to favor the white community.

Despite the negative publicity of the Indian community of swarming streets and third world conditions, it is evident that the communities were friendly as they interacted harmoniously with the beat generation. From their writings, the beat generation have managed to create shade some positive light about the orient. Their friendly nature and the presence of some alluring and scenic sites. This form of orientalism has also helped into creating a fascination about the Eastern countries. Many Americans havemanaged to travel to those specific countries to view the several sanctuaries of worship, the magic lantern slides and so forth.

Edward Said views orientalism to be the inception of the positive changes in America. The beat generation also wrote articles and books about the eastern religions because they encouraged the practice of socio-political actions and spiritual actions in young people. The religious thoughts and practices from the religious practices borrowed from the east were meant to influence the youth into challenging the culture of capitalism as it was seen as a free marketsociety with no interest in societal concerns. People are not united and they only seem to care about no one but their selves. As stated by Baym, “they were also observed participation in important events in ‘hippie’ culture along with Abbies Hoffman and other members of the Chicago sevens at the protest of 1968 democratic convention(baym 1998)

The studies and information derived from the East Asian religious practices helped propagate and create awareness of some of the key ideologies in the American society. They helped in understanding the importance of others and the desire to be united. The also laid a foundation on the understanding of ultimate reality. In their bid to understand the ultimate reality of the east, the beat writers make a point of visiting the Asian territories in search of answers to their personal problems. The beat writers believed in personal growth not from the material point of view. That’s the reason why the set to seek answers of spiritual void from the orient. This would be a solution to many Americans who had some personal spiritual issues which failed to be answered by the present religions in America.

Somehow, the beat writers managed to influence the American youth into youth cults and fashions from the east. According to the writings made by the beat writers such as jack Kerouac’s ‘on the road’ (1957) and Ginsberg’s book ‘howl’ (1956) inspired most youths into becoming writers and poets just to rebel against the then American constraints.

The widespread popularity of the beats concerning the strive for freedom made them to be observed in a totally new stereotype of men with goatees and barest playing bongos and women being free spirited wearing black leotards and dancing(bay, 1998). This contributed to their images being seen in many TV commercials and programs and cartoons. Their literature also greatly influenced the high school and college students in the early 1960’s.

To some extent, their love for the east was also faced with some pullbacks, such as isolation. Jack is seen to have some solitude relation with nature after getting into Buddhism. This separation which at first he thought to offer solution to his problems seemed not to despite the sweetness that seemed to emanate from the religion. The beat generation writer is seen to curse his indulges in this form of religion since the solitude embraced in it is unbearable. Finally his attention to Buddhism declines and his desires wane. “So I’m not a Buddhist anymore, am not anything anymore” he claims.

Work citedBaym, N. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. W. Norton And

Company, New York. 1993. Print

Economou, G. Beat Generation: Critical Essays, World Literature. Today.

Duke University Press, New York. 2003. Print

Weinreich, R. 2002. The Beat Generation is nowabout Everything, New York

College Literature 13(2): 53-55. 2002. Print