, Research Paper
Jim Morrison; From Boy to Legend
“hope is just a word
when you think in
Table Cloths
Laughter will not end
her funny feeling
or assuage our
strange desire
Children will be born”
Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison is often thought of as a drunk musician. He is also portrayed to many as an addict
and another ‘doped up’ rock star. These negative opinions project a large shadow on the many positive
aspects of this great poet. Jim’s music was influenced heavily by many famous authors. You must cast aside
your ignorance and look behind the loud electric haze of the sixties music. You must wipe your eyes and
look through the psychedelic world of LSD. Standing behind these minor flaws, you will see a young and
very intellectual poet named Jim Morrison.
Jim Morrison’s distraught childhood was a contributing factor to Jim’s fortune and his fate. As a
young child, Jim experienced the many pains of living in a military family. Having to move every so often,
Jim and his brother, and sister never spent more than a couple of years at a particular school. Jim attended
eight different schools, grammar and high, throughout his schooling career. This amount of traveling made
it hard for a young child to make many friends. In high school, Jim had an especially hard time. The only real
friend he made was a tall but overweight classmate with a sleepy voice named Fud Ford. Although there
seems to be many negative aspects of Jim’s child hood, many positive did arise.
The traveling done by the Morrison family brought Jim through may different experiences and
situations. For instance, while driving on a highway from Santa Fe with his family, he said he experienced
the most important moment of his life. The Morrisons came upon an overturned truck of dying Pueblo
Indians. This moment influenced Jim and later became the basis of many of his songs, poetry, stories, and
thoughts. Jim Morrison’s estranged childhood was the root underneath his bizarre personality. The negative
effects of his upbringing helped to mold Morrison into the person he would later become. Jim Morrison’s
strange sense of humor and sickness were just fractions of his very intellectual mind. Jim and his family
moved to Alemeda, California. This is where he would start first year and a half of his high school journey.
Morrison’s creativeness and infatuation with Mad Magazines led to the horrification of many.
When he would arrive late to class, he would tell elaborate stories to the teachers about being kidnapped by
gypsies. Jim’s subtle and bizarre personality was now starting to form. His wild imagination began to
produce hundreds of sexually explicit ideas in the form of pictures and make believe radio commercials. The
deranged pictures that Jim created, were ones with quite an abnormality. For instance, the picture Jerry
Hopkins describes, a man with a Coca-Cola bottle for a penis, a mean looking can opener for testicles, one
hand held out and dripping with slime, more of that slim dripping from his anus. All of Jim and Fud’s
focuses again were sexual, but they were imbued with sophistication and subtle humor unusual for someone
only fourteen. No doubt, Jim’s sexually demented mind was now partially formed. The once young and
innocent Jim Morrison was now older and more harmful. Late in his sophomore year, Jim moved to
Alexandria, Virginia. Here he met Tandy, his first girlfriend. Jim now ill-mannered, constantly horrified
others, especially Tandy. He would make public scenes by kissing her feet or asking her to do ridiculous
acts out loud. Tandy though, was not the only one subjected to Jim’s “Tests”, his teachers suffered as well.
Jim was now looked upon as the ring leader by his peers. Everybody wanted to be like Jim, they all
competed for his attention. Right down to his expressions, his peers mimicked all of his actions. But Jim
never led them like they wanted to be led.
Morrison once again started taking death defying risks that he would also subject his brother to.
He forced Andy to walk along an edge that hovered fifty feet above the ground. All of the risks that he
subjected others to were ones that he was never afraid to complete. When graduation came around, Jim
decided not to attend. Later on his parents succeeded in enrolling Jim at St. Petersburg Junior College in
Florida. The instability and rootlessness of Jim Morrison’s child hood, helped build a character that later
became the emptiness of this great poet. It was also in high school that the intellectual side of Jim’s unique
mind started to emerge. The same year that he moved to Alameda, Jim stumbled across a new novel by Jack
Kerouac. On the Road held Jim captive for hours upon hours. He also started to copy down paragraphs he
liked into a spiral notebook that he would carry around with him from that day on. The more Jim read, the
more he started to drift away into the infinite world of poetry. He also read Lawrence Ferlinghetti, along with
other favorites Kenneth Rexroth and Allen Ginsberg. Young Morrison was greatly fascinated by Dean
Moriarty. Jim began to copy Moriarty word for word, right down to his “hee- hee-hee-hee” laugh.
Throughout the rest of his years at GWHS, Jim maintained a consistent 88.32 grade average with only
minimal effort, twice being named to the honor roll. His IQ was 149. In the college boards, he scored above
average.
Statistics tell so little about him. The books Jim read reveal more. Jim was greatly inspired by the
writings of great philosophers and poets. He devoured Friedrich Nietzsche, the poetic German philosopher
whose views on aesthetics, morality, and the Apollonian-Dionysian duality would appear again and again in
Jim’s conversation, poetry, songs, and life. He read Plutarch’s, Lives of the Noble Greeks, becoming
enamored with Alexander the Great, admiring his intellectual and physical accomplishments. Jim adopted
some of the look of Alexander: The way he tilted his head a little on one side towards his left shoulder. He
read the great French symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud, whose style would later influence the form of Jim’s
short prose poems. He read everything Kerouac, Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, Kenneth Patchen, Michael McClure,
Gregory Corso, and all the other beat writers published. Balzac, Cocteau, and Moliere were also familiars,
along with most of the French existentialist philosophers. No doubt, Jim was becoming a writer.
He had begun to keep journals, spiral notebooks that he would fill with his daily observations and
thoughts. Jim’s studies, brought him across many of the dilemmas of these great writers. Through the
alcoholism of Dylan Thomas, the homosexuality of Ginsberg, and the madness and addiction of so many
more. Jim saw their pages become a mirror in which he saw his own reflection. The notion of poetry had
now taken hold on the still young Jim Morrison.
The controversial lyrics and actions of the newly forming Doors, were created by Jim’s now
corrupted mind. Now at the age of twenty, Jim was writing regularly. He has just quit film school at UCLA,
and moved to the Venice Beach area. Through his alcoholic and psychedelic hazed mind ran the songs and
lyrics of an unknown concert. As one song finished, the next one started. These songs became the Doors.
“Break on through,” was his way of expressing the opening of the doors. His songs and poems were the
historical collection of writings from great philosophers and poets alike. His notebooks and intellect are now
the basis of the Doors and the fortelling of his death. All of the past are now part of the present and the
songs all come from the same root. Jim’s adoption of Aldous Huxley’s, Doors of Perception, was now his
number one motto. The drugs taken were only to help open these many doors in his mind. Although his
mind seemed lost in the infinite drug world of the unknown, Jim Morrison was the “American Poet.” His
crave for knowledge was driven by his wondrous mind and only used drugs, not as an exit , but rather as an
entrance.
The world of Jim Morrison is not well known by many. Most see an alcoholic, others see an addict,
and yet more see a deranged waste of a person. But for those who take the time to care, those who take the
time to learn and understand will find out that behind the “American Poet,” was a young genius.
“This is the end, beautiful friend,
This is the end, my only friend,
the end,
of our elaborate plans,
the end,
no safety or surprise,
I’ll never look into your eyes again…
Jim Morrison
Другие работы по теме:
Beloved By Tony Morrison Book Report
Essay, Research Paper Everything in a novel is there only because the author chooses it to be there: characters, plot devices, structure and pacing, tone, etc. all are ways in which the author says what he/she has to say. Morrison implements different characters and ideas to enhance the slavery of the time and its lasting affects.
Toni MorrisonS The Bluest Eye Essay Research
Paper Black Beauty and The Ugly Duckling Some people will argue with you that there is always an ugly duckling somewhere in a family. I see it different, I see these people as unique. In Toni Morrison’s book, The Bluest Eye there is the issue of being beautiful and ugly. In this essay I will discuss how Toni Morrison book The Bluest Eye initiates that during 1941 white was beautiful and black was ugly in the surrounding of two families.
How Far Essay Research Paper Toni Morrison
How Far Essay, Research Paper Toni Morrison’s Beloved (1987) was her fifth novel, and consequently the most controversial work she had ever written. Morrison was working as a senior editor at the publishing firm Random House when she was editing a nineteenth century article which was in a historical book and found the basis for this story.
Beloved Essay Research Paper BelovedElements of the
Beloved Essay, Research Paper Beloved Elements of the supernatural pervade Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved. These elements include evidence of African-American folklore and tradition in the everyday lives of the inhabitants of 124 Bluestone Road. Beloved’s character is another obvious use of the supernatural: she is a ghost for part of the novel and a “ghost-in-the-flesh” for the major part of the book.
The Bluest Eyes Essay Research Paper 2
The Bluest Eyes Essay, Research Paper “The Bluest Eyes” Toni Morrison was an African American woman that had gone through almost forty years of suppression. In an excerpt from her novel The Bluest Eyes, she tells the story of a young girl named Claudia who receives a white baby doll every Christmas. Claudia does not like the doll so she decided to tear it apart like every other “white baby doll” that she has received.
The Doors Essay Research Paper 2
The Doors Essay, Research Paper “Each generation wants new symbols, new people, new games. They want to divorce themselves from their predecessors.” The 1960’s marked a new generation in music. There were many new groups earnestly touting a fusion of music, drugs, and idealism that they hoped would reform and redeem a troubled age.
Toni Morrison And Sula Essay Research Paper
Toni Morrison is one of the most prolific authors of African American women novelist. She mostly focuses on issue of gender and community as in the story of Sula. Her contributions to African American literature are awarded many times in twentieth century.
Superman Essay Research Paper During a time
Superman Essay, Research Paper During a time of struggle (the Great Depression) only one man could keep the world content, Superman. Superman was a legend in the making as he kept readers focused on his comics instead of what was going on in the world. He was the start of a new way of writing, fiction (comics).
Bluest Eye Essay Research Paper The Bluest
Bluest Eye Essay, Research Paper The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, was written during the Black Revolt of the 1960?s. At a time when Negroes were not going to allow themselves to be segregated
Beloved Essay Research Paper Critical AnalysisBeloved in
Beloved Essay, Research Paper {Critical Analysis} Beloved in Light of Flannery O Connor s Essay Flannery O Connor lectures, in her essay on the virtues and vices of writing a novel. In her essay, she describes those certain characteristics in good literature. Toni Morrison s novel, Beloved can be examined in light of Flannery O Connor s ideas on the characteristics of good literature.
Racism Related To The Novel Jazz Essay
, Research Paper Racism Related to the Novel Jazz In the novel Jazz, written by Toni Morrison, racism was a strong issue that was presented in the novel. The novel relayed the issue of racism to its beginnings and to how it is today. Although, at that time black males regaurded jazz as the essence of the Harlem Renaissance, the age of the New Negro, for many black women it represented the disenchantment of urban life.
Jim Morrison Essay Research Paper You could
Jim Morrison Essay, Research Paper You could say it’s an accident that I was ideally suited for the work I am doing. It’s the feeling of a bowstring being pulled back for 22 years and suddenly being let go. I am primarily an American, second, a Californian, third, a Los Angeles resident. I’ve always been attracted to ideas that were about revolt against authority.
Toni Morrison Essay Research Paper Toni MorrisonToni
Toni Morrison Essay, Research Paper Toni Morrison Toni Morrison?s cultural heritage continues to shape her life and writing. On February 18th, 1931 (Shockley 112), baby Chloe Anthony Wofford was born in Lorain,
The Bluest Eye Analysis Essay Research Paper
The Bluest Eye In a film interview, Morrison has stated, “I suppose The Bluest Eye is about one’s dependency on the world for identification,self-value, feelings of worth.” Toni Morrison has been consistently insightful and helpful critic of her work. With regard to herfirst novel, she has indicated that her plan was to take love and the effects of its scarcity in the world as her major themes,concentrating on the interior lives of her characters, especially those of an enclosed community.
Faust By Goethe 1749
– 1832) Essay, Research Paper The legend of Faust is older than Goethe’s version, dating back to the early years of Christianity. The English poet Christopher Marlowe wrote his own version of the play several centuries
Drugs And Alcohol Essay Research Paper Alli
Drugs And Alcohol Essay, Research Paper Alli Kelly Drugs in Society Drugs and Alcohol in the Life of Celebrities So you think most celebrities have such “perfect” lives? You are wrong. Many celebrities appear to have “perfect” lives with all the money, popularity and friends they have. But for many celebrities money, popularity, and friends just isn’t enough.
Like Father Like Son Essay Research Paper
The book called Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, deals with many real life issues, most of which are illustrated by the relationships between different family members. One archetypal relationship that Morrison includes in her book is the father:son relationship. Although it is obvious that Morrison does talk about this topic, it is not so obvious what she is trying to say about it.
Theme Of Healing In Beloved Essay Research
Paper Theme of healing in Beloved November 02, 1998 Healing in Beloved The theme of “healing” is ever present in the novel, Beloved by Toni Morrison. Many forms of “healing”
David And Legend Essay Research Paper The
David And Legend Essay, Research Paper The legend of David and Goliath is a very familiar one to many people. It is an oral legend that has been told from one generation to the next. It has been mostly assumed to be a fictional story. The question is how do we know it is fiction. This is the problem historians have when using the tool of oral bards or legends.
Jim Morrison
– “American Poet” Essay, Research Paper The Art of Emotions Poetry is a diverse form of communication and there are vast arrays of elements that make up this very unique and specialized form of writing. Poetry is the art of apprehending and interpreting ideas by the faculty of imagination; the art of idealizing in thought and in expression. “For poetry is the blossom and the fragrance of all human knowledge, human thoughts, human passions, emotions, language.” (Coleridge) Like poetry, music is an avenue for the author to release new struggles that can be set free through no other means than verse.
Walt Disney Essay Research Paper This book
Walt Disney Essay, Research Paper This book is about the life of Walt Disney, an American legend. The Arthur begins the tale with a view of the family before Walt Disney’s birth
Misnaming Motifs Essay Research Paper Misnaming Motifs
Misnaming Motifs Essay, Research Paper Misnaming Motifs in Song of Solomon by: Toni Morrison Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is a brilliantly written novel that accurately depicts racial and social tensions between blacks and whites. Morrison chooses the setting of Shalimar, Virginia and Danville, Pennsylvania, during the late 1930 s through the 1960 s, where she covey s her story through the third person as an omniscient author.
Mythology Essay Research Paper What is mythology
Mythology Essay, Research Paper What is mythology? Mythology is like a fib that started many years ago in the olden days. It is still around due to people still continuing to use a myth as the truth. They seem to not know the difference between a myth and a legend. People these days are so naive it is ashame to know the rate of people that actually believe those myths.
What Makes A Good School Essay Research
Paper What Makes A Good School? According to Morrison, author of Teaching in America, schools are organized and linked to society. In chapter 3, Morrison explains the role of schooling in society, how public schools are organized, what it is like to teach in different kinds of schools, what makes a good school, and how schools are changing.
Legend Of Faust Essay Research Paper The
Legend Of Faust Essay, Research Paper The Legend of Faust In this paper I will be writing about the legend of Faust which gained recognition back in the 16th century by numerous authors.
Slave To Pain An Essay On Beloved
Essay, Research Paper Slave to Pain Sethe, now free from slavery has become a slave again, but this time instead of being a slave to a white master she is a, slave to her own pain. The sources of her pain are numerous, including the stealing of her milk, the murdering of her child, Beloved, attempting to kill the rest of her children, and two of her children leaving her because of it.
Jim Morrison Essay Research Paper Jim MorrisonAmerican
Jim Morrison Essay, Research Paper Jim Morrison*****American singer and songwriter, born in Melbourne, Florida, and educated at the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1966, he formed a group called the Doors with Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Robbie Krieger. The group became known for its extravagant performing style, combining sensual movements and a hard-hitting sound, amplified to huge proportions.
Beloved Essay Research Paper Beloved by Toni
Beloved Essay, Research Paper Beloved by Toni Morrison In Toni Morrisons novel, Beloved, the main character Sethe, is a former slave who chooses to kill her baby girl rather than allowing her to be exposed to the
Jim Morrison Essay Research Paper Jim MorrisonThe
Jim Morrison Essay, Research Paper Jim Morrison The bizarre and exotic lifestyle of James Douglas Morrison all began on 8 December 1943 in Melbourne, Florida. Jim was the child of Steve and Clara Morrison who went on to have two more children, a sister named Anne and a brother named Andy. Morrison’s father, Steve, was an Admiral in the US Navy and due to the ever-changing locations his work demanded, the Morrisons constantly moved from house to house and state to state.
Song Of Solomon Essay Research Paper The
Song Of Solomon Essay, Research Paper The Icarus Myth in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon Throughout literature it has been common for authors to use allusions to complement recurrent motifs in their work. In Toni Morrison’s Song Of Solomon, Milkman learns that his desire to fly has been passed down to him from his ancestor Solomon.
The Real Arthur Essay Research Paper The
The Real Arthur Essay, Research Paper The Real King Arthur Arthur had been identified as the son of British king Uther Pendragon, who was the son of Constantine. Whatever else Arthur is, he is a composite figure of many different legends and beliefs. Some have even related his adventures to Greek mythology.
The Tone Of Jazz Essay Research Paper
The Tone of Jazz The tone of a literary work can be described as the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject. In Jazz, Toni Morrison seems to portray her characters in a serious and even at time’s depressing manner. She is able to describe these morose characters through her poignant use of style. Jazz is written in an unformal manner, i.e., lacking correct grammatical structure in many cases.