The Beats
A detailed Summary of The Beats
David Halbertam in his book the Fifties, and John Tytell in his piece, "The Naked
Angels", both explore the existence of The Beats. The Beats were a group of men, particularly
writers and artists, who, as Halberstam states, were "the pioneers of what would eventually
become the counterculture" (the Fifties, 295). Although the Beats are the subjects for both
author's pieces, the authors take vastly different approaches on how they introduce the Beats, the
explication of the group and a detailed analysis of them and the content of their experiences.
Halberstam begins the chapter without directly telling the audience who or what
he is talking about. In contrast, Tytell begins his piece by stating exactly who and what he
intends on talking about. Essentially, Halberstam's method is to stimulate the audience's
curiosity. An example of how Halberstam is vague in identifying his subject is when he states,
"They wanted no future of guaranteed pension but instead sought freedom-freedom to pick up
and go across the country at a moment's notice, if they so chose," (the Fifties, 295). This leaves
the audience to question who the they is being referred to as. Furthermore, instead of identifying

the Beats, Halberstam ends with an explication of a few of the Beats' works. Halberstam lastly
and paragraphs become mundane and almost seem irrelevant. Although Tytell does a great job in
seeking restoration of innocence by purging guilt and shame," (Naked Angels, 10). Tytell further
Overall, Halberstam's approach on the Beats greatly contrasts from Tytell's
------------------------------------------------------------------------
beats and their literary works. For example, Tytell states, "...jazz was a call from the dark to his
tumbling down," (the Fifties, 307). This statement shows that the being of the Beats began a
did not so much want to learn, thought Hal Chase, as "they wanted to emote, to soak up the
"The Beat movement was a crystallization of a sweeping discontent with American "virtues" of
"...those who were different, those who lived outside the system, and particularly those who
Some common words found in the essay are:
Essentially Halberstam's, Naked Angels, Beats Beats, Hal Chase, Beats' Halberstam, Halberstam Tytell, Similarly Tytell, Tytell Beats, Furthermore Halberstam, Lucien Carr, naked angels, example tytell, goes extreme detail, explaining beats, extreme detail, counterculture fifties, detailed description, fifties 295, halberstam goes, lived outside, identifying subject,
Approximate Word count = 1074
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
Category: Miscellaneous
Saved Paper
Newest Essays
- My Personal Value System
- Iraq and High Energy...
- The Development of English...
- Critique of a Research...
- Visiting the Elderly in...
- Ad Critique: Peters, Jeremy...
- Catell's Structure-Based...
- Current Diabetes Epidemic:...
- Job Search: Push Pull...
- Proposal: Social...
Testimonials
-
"Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
Jack M. -
"With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
Brian P. -
"I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
Sara J. -
"I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
Rachel W. -
"I love this site!!!"
Marie N.
