| English students visit North Beach for a poetic experience (4/08) | | Print | |
| Written by Eliza Hidalgo | |
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An English teacher and students from two American Literature classes took a field trip to North Beach last Thursday to learn more about poetry by experiencing it for themselves.
"While there we explored the tapestry of American literature," English teacher Nicole Henares said. "I wanted the students to see how San Francisco fits into this tapestry and I wanted them to experience everything we have read about for themselves." In particular, the field trip explored the Beat Movement, a late 1940s to 1950s San Francisco-based poetry movement led by American poets such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg that emphasized non-conformity and authenticity. Henares and her students took a walking tour of North Beach beginning at Washington Square. While exploring North Beach, they noted down everything in the environment, from what they saw to what they heard. According to Henares, as a follow-up assignment, students will write a descriptive essay in “spontaneous prose,” a style of writing developed by Kerouac. "We observed our surroundings and with the information we will try to model Jack Kerouac's On the Road," junior Diana Golduber explained. The students visited the Beat Museum, which pays tribute to the Beat Movement and the poets who inspired it. The museum displays the work of various Beatniks and tells the history of the movement. The classes also attended a workshop led by San Francisco poet laureate Jack Hirschman at the Beat Museum. Students enjoyed the hands-on experience with literature. "It was something brand new and, we got to learn about the history of American literature," junior Mick Del Rosario said. |
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to listen.
