Post #6: "Yuppification"

In class professor Wilson suggested that rather than San Francisco being a hallow city, it’s more of a spectral city. I completely agree with that because the city does have a lot of history and just because it’s been covered up or replaced by consumerism and capitalization, the stories are still there; people who experienced those historic events are still there to tell them. Take for example the Haight-Ashbury. In the 1960’s it was home to the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, homeless wanderers, had a huge hallucinogenic drug scene and was a prime spot for hippies during “the summer of love”. Today, capitalism has made its way into the neighborhood but only slightly; mainly the stores are still small business owned. I think, as a tourist destination, there will be a “yuppification” of that area because, since it’s a tourist spot, it needs to appeal to a more average person, but that doesn’t take away what the Haight-Ashbury stands for or what it’s been home to in the past. I bet a lot of those small businesses rely on tourists to shop there anyway. And as said before, although there’s a Gap on the Haight, there are also the free spirited people that have always inhabited the Haight-Ashbury, Amoeba music, and the Booksmith.

Essay Proposal: topic E

a) I am interested in pursuing topic E, focusing on the Golden Gate Park. I just learned some cool things about the park and am interested in finding more about it. I spent a lot of time at that park and have a lot of good memories form it as well. Golden Gate park has a lot to offer year round and I’d like to expand on some of those events.

b) A few of Ferlinghetti’s poems are set in the park and also Brechin talks about the park and the Midwinter Fair, something I’m interested in expanding on. I haven’t done much research but I know that the park has held many festivals that I’m sure a few writers or beat poets have taken part in.

c) I’ll have to read into Brechin more and do some online research about all the events that are held in the park, why and what they stand for. Also, I need to find out the history of the park and why it was built. I know it’s man made and replaced sand dunes. In addition, I want to find out why certain things are in the park like the windmill and the polo fields, the merry go round and the Shakespeare garden. I’m not sure what other materials I’ll need to read, maybe City Lights has a book on the park.

d) Golden Gate Park has played a big role in defining the contado of San Francisco. It has been a hub, and still is to this day, for many of the city’s unique qualities such as its numerous festivals and what they represent, its peoples’ diversity and culture (I want to bring include the fact that it’s a green area and that SF has become a leading green city)

e) There’s a lot I have allowed myself to focus on, mainly because I have difficulty filling a page. I want to incorporate the idea of the contado and how what the park has to offer and the different events it holds amplify and exemplify San Francisco’s contado; the whole left coast perception. I want to begin with the history of the park and then focus on certain aspects of it (things that are actually in the park like the tea garden, the botanical gardens, and things the park houses like the renaissance fair) that determine San Francisco’s left coast image, and people like Ferlinghetti write about it. Right now it all sounds vague, scrambled and huge but I will narrow it down to be more precise.

Post #5: Dharma Bums

This was mentioned in class today but at the beginning of Dharma Bums it’s really hard to notice the congestion the city brings in Ray’s life and in the lives of his friends around him. His life in the city just seems normal, the typical way he lives, nothing really problematic, it just is. The way he hops on a train to get up to San Francisco just seems so normal for him. It’s not until Ray, Japhy and Morley drive up to Yosemite to climb the mountain that suddenly there’s a change of pace. There’s a definite switch that liberates them and brings them a sort of easy peace. It’s as if the country enabled them to reach a level of Buddhism that the city prevented. The rural country, with nature all around them, allowed them to have a clearer state of mind. The difference between country and city was especially evident when the boys came down from the mountain and Ray was faced with the harsh realities of his friends. His friend, Rosie, was stressed and paranoid to the point of suicide. I don’t now much about Buddhism but I’m pretty sure those are all opposite emotions a Buddhist tries to achieve.

I think this was mentioned in class, that not all the events in Dharma Bums are real, which is really hard to imagine. Kerouac’s writing is so pure and real that it seems impossible to write unless actually experienced. The way that Dharma Bums is written, even more so than On the Road, it seems like Kerouac had a notebook on him all the time to capture each conversation. That’s what makes this book so amazing is that he had the talent to come up with these situations and conversations even if they weren’t real, but the sound real!

Post #4: Alcatraz is not a Island

“…but we were able to raise, not only the consciousness of other American people, but our own people as well…” Dr. LaNada Boyer Occupation Leader (from the PBS site)

Dr. Boyer’s quote stood out to me because it emphasized how the Indian peoples’ occupation of Alcatraz raised the awareness of other Indian people. I remember from the video that Indian people from all over the place, the U.S. and Canada, to support this seemingly small cause. But was even more interesting is that a lot of parents were moved by this event and told their children for the first time that they were part Native American. The fact that these families, and especially their children, who had just learned about their heritage actually wanted to go and support this cause really says something about the bond and importance of it all. It’s one thing to create a spectacle (I mean that in all ways positive) and get the attention of outsiders because that’s what would most likely happen, it’s another thing to create a spectacle, have people accept their heritages and gain support from them, your own people.

At first it was kind of creepy but I really liked the poem/song the woman was reciting in the transitions of the documentary. I've studied only a little bit of Native American literature but it seemed fairly similar. It brought together the meaning and importance of Native American culture. It showed that the people who were occupying Alcatraz weren't just a group of angry people but a family with a rich past and culture.

Post #3: San Francisco Landmarks

The Holy Virgin Cathedral

If any of you have ever traveled on Geary Street between 26th and 27th avenues and have wondered what that huge building is with the giant golden domes, that is the Holy Virgin Cathedral. The cathedral is the center for the Russian Orthodox community on the west coast. There a hundreds of Russian Orthodox churches all over the west coast but what makes this one extra special is that his Eminence Archbishop Kyril of San Francisco and Western Diocese serves here. What's so great about that? Well, he represents the entire Russian Orthodox people of the west coast and that's a big job (the head quarters being in NYC). The Holy Virgin Cathedral was built/completed in 1966 by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco and frescoed by iconographer Archimandrite Kiprian of Jordanville (in New York). Today, at the cathedral, one can venerate St. Johns holy relics. The cathedral has three alters and three choirs, the main choir is considered one of the best outside of Russia, a Russian high school and an Orthodox Academy. Many important church events have happened in this church including the glorification of two saints, St. John and St. Herman of Alaska. On big holidays like Orthodox Easter (celebrated at a different time than catholic easter), you can be one of over a thousand people in the church to pray and celebrate the holiday.

There's not too much about the cathedral online so I couldn't find any hidden histories, however, growing up, in and around this church I can say that it has offered peace to many different types of people from all around the word. The building outside can look boring and ugly but once you step inside the doors, your breath is completely taken away. The walls are covered head to toe in gold and amazingly beautiful frescoes, and if you have the patience to stand for at least a half hour during a service your ears will greatly thank you for the singing is wonderful. I know for many people, this Cathedral isn't just a church but an extended home for a very strong community that has established itself here.

Maybe imperialistic in a Russian Imperialist way, however I'd like to think of it as non imperialistic in a Brechin way because the fact that it's an Eastern Orthodox church. However, building wise, it's massive and it has these huge 24k plated gold domes, it's size alone signifies power.

So, if anyone is ever around 27th and Geary and is in a peaceful mood and wants to see some great art work, I strongly suggest taking a stroll inside the church.

Question: I know religion can be a sensitive subject but I feel that a lot of the churches in San Francisco play an important role in defining some of the people in the city culturally, ethnically etc. like the church in Washington square Ferlinghetti uses in some of his poems and its connection to the italian immigrants in North Beach. Do you agree or disagree?

Post #2: Brautigan

"Trout Fishing in America Terrorists"

I really enjoyed this story but I don’t quite get how Trout Fishing in America relates to it other than the fact that it’s what this older kids wrote on the younger kids’ backs. The phrase ‘Trout Fishing in America’ seems to symbolizes something different in each of Brautigan’s poems, so that makes it really confusing to pin point the meaning from poem to poem. In class it was brought up that the kids were acting as terrorists (plus it’s in the title) and so they used “Trout Fishing in America” to terrorize the kindergarteners. In addition to the theme of terrorism, I see this story as a way to show how susceptible people are to dictators. It started out as a dumb idea and then one kid thought it was cool and then they all kept doing it. It reminded me of a flock of followers after one idiot kid and how easy it was for that kid to get everyone to join his bandwagon, if anything I think Brautigan was saying something about how weak peoples’ individuality can be.

I know that this story is a comment on the politics going on at that time, Brautigan even starts the with an Israeli terrorist chant, “Long live our friend the revolver! Long live our friend the machine-gun!”. However, it’s really creepy that he chose to use children to exemplify terrorism. Kids seem so young and innocent to even know or realize what terrorism is.

One last thing, the way the 6th graders wrote on the kindergarteners reminded me of how the Nazis put the star of David on each Jewish person to let everyone know that they were Jewish. The 6th graders branded them and for what, to show their superiority? Or to show their dominance over them? Moreover, why would their parent’s not think to change their child’s clothes now that it was branded?

post #1: Ferlinghetti

"A Report on a Happening in Washington Square, San Francisco"

I've always felt that San Francisco has a certain way of bringing people together and this poem captures that in a perfect way; in a bitter sweet, make you smile kind of way. The poem is told by a passerby who witnesses the congratulations directly after a wedding ceremony outside of a church. There's this beautiful moment when all the guests let go of their green balloons in honor of the bride and groom and they too let go of their black and white balloons that are tied together. However, no one looks up at those balloons. The couple and their friends get on their 'cable car' that isn't actually a cable car because it's not attached to anything, "which would have restricted its destiny" This line is important because the non detached cable car symbolizes that the couple has no specific path or destiny to hold in life. The couple, like the balloons, are free to float onto whatever heights and distances they please together, while the other balloons, the guests, split up and float in their own directions. In a way, I think this is a frightening thought for most people and that's why no one looks at the balloons, what if they pop or worse, especially for the couple, separate. At the end, Ferlinghetti brings us back down and reminds us that as great as it would be to float on forever, all balloons come back down. This poem is bitter sweet because its about this beautiful, joyous moment, not necessarily with a sad ending but a realistic one that leaves one with peace. I feel that San Francisco brings people together, gives them great moments and then if they chose, leaves them with these serene memories. Ferlinghetti just so happened to capture this with a wedding and balloons.