This is the Beat Generation

In which time did the Beat Generation emerge?

• 1900-1920

• 1920-1935

• 1950-1960

• 1960-1970

All of the following are Beat Poets, except...

• Gregory Corso

• Lawrence Ferlinghetti

• T.S. Elliot

• Allen Ginsburg

• William Burroughs

Why did these revolutionary poets adopt the name "The Beats?" What do they mean by "beat?" (check all that apply)

• Defeated, tired

• Violent

• Rhythmic

• Beatific: Seeking spiritual peace

• Hammering

He would rather eat a tender cow

than a tough policeman

though either might do

And he goes past the Romeo Ravioli Factory

and past Coit's Tower

and past Congressman Doyle

He's afraid of Coit's tower

but he's not afraid of Congressman Doyle

This excerpt from "Dog" by Lawrence Ferlingetti best shows which of the following themes common to the Beats?

• Alienation from mainstream society

• Freedom and independence

• Criticism of racial inequality

• Innocent imagery used to convey rebellious ideas

He would rather eat a tender cow

than a tough policeman

though either might do

And he goes past the Romeo Ravioli Factory

and past Coit's Tower

and past Congressman Doyle

He's afraid of Coit's tower

but he's not afraid of Congressman Doyle

What style of Beat poetry is BEST expressed in this passage? (click all correct answers)

• Enjambment

• Complex rhyme scheme

• Reference to specific people and places

• Personification

• Stream of consciousness

What was the main cause of the repressive and conformist political climate of the 1950s?

• Concern that Nazis would resume power in Germany

• Fear of Communism spreading in America

• Racism against African Americans

• Vast expansion of new products, which led to consumerism

What city became the main home of the Beat movement? (Hint: Ferlinghetti's book store is located here)

• New York

• Denver

• Los Angeles

• San Francisco

Which religion became a fascination for many Beat poets?

• Zen Buddhism

• Judaism

• Islam

• Christianity

The Beat spirit was not only reflected by literature, but by what kind of music?

• Rock 'n Roll

• Classical

• Jazz

• Country & Western

Only the most bitter among them would call their reality a nightmare and protest that they have indeed lost something, the future. For ever since they were old enough to imagine one, that has been in jeopardy anyway. The absence of personal and social values is to them, not a revelation shaking the ground beneath them, but a problem demanding a day-to-day solution.

This passage from John Clellon Holmes' "This is the Beat Generation" characterizes Beats as HOPEFUL / HOPELESS, because...

(choose one, and complete this sentence in your own words)