Lowell Celebrates Kerouac

            

            Learning about Jack Kerouac has completely changed my views on Lowell.  His story tells a lot about the history of this great city, and I cannot believe I have not learned about him until now.  It was also awesome to see how important Kerouac still is to the people of Lowell.

            Kerouac was a very interesting man to say the least.  He grew up in Lowell on the second floor of 9 Lupine Road.  Throughout his childhood, Kerouac moved to various different houses in Lowell.  My class and I had the honor of going on a Walking Tour through Lowell.  We got to see many of these houses that he grew up in.  It is amazing that they still stand, just the way he describes them in his novels.  As our tour guide read an excerpt at each location we stopped at, you could see the clear resemblance, and that really struck me.  Every description he read matched what we were standing in front of.  For a month I have been walking by these different locations with no knowledge of their history or significance.  I’ve eaten at Suppa’s Pizza so many times, not knowing that just two buildings down is where Kerouac lived for years.

These are just a few of the houses Kerouac grew up in.

             The Kerouac Walking Tour started at the Franco American School, down the street from our campus.  Behind the school there is a beautiful Grotto and the twelve stages of the cross.  Kerouac talked of these figures in his novels.   I think that these are very interesting landmarks in Lowell and it is disappointing that they are hidden away behind the school.  In one of his novels, he mentioned kneeling at the first stage of the cross and being able to see a particular funeral home in the distance.  Standing at the first cross, I could actually see the funeral home.  I found this to be exciting.

The funeral home can be seen in the distance.

The Grotto

12 stages of the cross

This is a street corner that Kerouac writes about

            We also went to the Moody Street Bridge where we heard another excerpt from the guide.  I have walked past this bridge so many times since I have come to school.  Each time I think of how ugly it is, and I was excited when I heard that it would soon be demolished.  The bridge was described in great detail in Kerouac’s novel Dr. Sax.  After hearing the stories of Jack’s personal experiences on the bridge and seeing how proud and excited the people of Lowell are about it, I do hope that the bridge is saved after all.  It adds so much character to the city and it would be a shame if it actually gets removed.

            Last weekend the Lowell Celebrates Kerouac organization put together a festival in honor of Jack Kerouac.  There were many interesting events constantly going on, and I had the pleasure of going to one.  Last Thursday, my friend and I went to the Traditional Lowell Celebrates Kerouac kick-off music-and-readings event.  It was at Cappy’s Copper Kettle, a bar on Central Street downtown.  We weren’t all that sure if we would get into the event once we realized it was at a pub, but all of the people were very welcoming and we had no problems.  It was a very old fashioned looking bar.  There was a small stage in the back corner of the bar where people were singing.  There was also a pool table where the young men played games all night.  These men reminded me so much of Jack, who spent his nights drinking and playing pool with his friends.  It was cool to be sitting in a bar like that as I listened to excerpts from Kerouac’s novels; it was all very fitting.  It also was interesting to me how different the many people were.  There were some young people, some old, all gathered happily together to celebrate Kerouac’s life.  The atmosphere in that bar was very enjoyable, and gave me more of an understanding of Kerouac’s lifestyle that he wrote so much about.

            In between the music and the readings, a member of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac was honored.  Our tour guide from the walking tour was actually honoring this man.  He was commended for his dedication to the organization.  Seeing these men on stage, all dressed in different Jack Kerouac T-Shirts was just awesome.  They are all working hard to preserve Lowell’s history, and we should all be grateful for that.

            I really enjoyed learning about Jack Kerouac.  I love how his novels were about personal experiences.  Even more, I love how I can relate to these stories and experiences as I walk through Lowell.  I now have a much deeper understanding and appreciation for the city of Lowell.  It is so amazing to me how much this one man was able to shape this city.

 

 

             

Boott Cotton Mill Museum

On Wednesday September 25^th we were given a tour of the Boott Cotton Museum.  The museum was able to open my eyes to what life was like for girls in the 1830s in a way that nothing else could.  The building looks just like any other run down mill in Lowell, except the inside has been preserved to look just like it did in the 19th century.  We walked into the first floor where there was a room full of looms.  This is shown in the picture below.  The first thing that struck me was the terribly loud noise, and that was only with the back row of machines running.  I cannot even imagine the painful noises created when all of the machines were running in a terrible sort of harmony.

We then learned about the history of the mills.  I found it difficult to believe that the floors I was walking across were the same floors that the mill girls once worked their lives away on.  Our tour guide then had us students participate in an assembly line where we produced cotton towels under similar conditions that the factory workers were under.  Although this was a fun exercise filled with laughter and silliness, I couldn’t help but think that this game we were all playing was once a young girl’s life.  It was not a joke to these girls.  In fact, they had to live in constant fear of getting fired, or even worse, getting killed by the deadly machines.

The tour guide acted as the factory supervisor in the assembly line, who would be in charge of the work when the factory owner was not present.  She barked orders at us workers in such a ruthless manner.  She would increase the amount of work, decrease wages, layoff workers and play favorites.  There was no sense of sympathy in her voice; she completely dehumanized her workers. It sickens me to think that these situations were actually a reality many years ago, for girls just like me.  This activity showed us a glimpse of the daily struggles that these factory workers faced.  The working conditions were ridiculously unfair in every aspect.  It also showed us how different the lifestyles of the factory worker and the factory owner were.  The girls slaved over their machines for their measly salary while the factory owner lived a wonderful, carefree life with more money than he can imagine.

        Eddie Vedder’s cover of “Millwork” does a great job explaining the many hardships of being a factory worker.  One of the lines states, “Then it’s me and my machine, for the rest of the morning, for the rest of the afternoon, and the rest of my life.”  This is an extremely depressing line, but it unfortunately holds much truth.  This is all that life had to offer for these young factory girls of Lowell.  They could not strive for upward mobility, they just continued with their painfully boring lives.  Another powerful line says, “And I have been the fool, to let this manufacturer use my body for a tool”.  This is exactly how the assembly line made me feel.  In the factory, these girls did not have a name, they were just tools.  What is even sadder is that these girls acknowledged how poorly they were treated, but they could not do a thing to help themselves in this terrible situation.  This is because millwork was not considered a terrible situation.  These girls were supposed to feel lucky for the wonderful opportunity they were given.  It’s incredibly sad to think that young girls felt grateful for their work in Lowell and the dangerous conditions they endured. 

      I always thought that conditions such as those in the Lowell mills were nonexistent in today’s world, but I certainly was wrong.  The Nightline documentary on Foxconn revealed that those brutal working conditions are still very present today.  Foxconn is a manufacturer in China for Apple products such as the iTouch.  The working and living conditions in the Chinese factory are almost identical to the conditions that the girls working in Lowell once faced.  Most of the workers in China are teenagers coming from small villages outside of the city.  They all hope to start a better life for themselves and earn money for their families.  They are put in very dangerous situations with potential explosions everywhere.  The workers in China pay for housing in dorms with seven others along with overpriced cafeteria food.  They work all day long with only two breaks.  

What interested me was that these workers listened to computerized voiced that ordered them what to do.  In the assembly line, each worker had a specific job to do within a certain amount of seconds.  Not only are these workers completely bored, but they are also put under a great deal of pressure to keep up with the rapid pace of work.  This reminded me exactly of the assembly line I participated in at the Boott Cotton Museum.

Unfortunately for the workers of China, they are not allowed to form labor unions to protect their right and improve their conditions.  I think that this will change in the near future.  People must take action before the factory work worsens.  I think steps similar to those taken with the Lowell factories need be taken in China.

God of Carnage Response

In Yasmina Reza’s play, God of Carnage, the four main characters, Veronica, Michael, Alan and Annette are all thoroughly developed. The characters tried to behave civilized toward the beginning, but as the play went on, their true colors were revealed.  The characters are all unique in their own way, allowing the audience to feel an array of emotions toward each one.  Because Reza created such relatable, honest and realistic characters, the audience is able to sympathize with, I agree with, feel sorry for, and detest certain roles in the play.

I sympathized with Veronica Novak the most.  She seemed like a sensible character in the beginning, but as the situation unfolded, she revealed all sorts of emotions.  Veronica had no intention of starting a fight, and only wanted a genuine apology from Annette, Alan and their son.  Once she realized that she was not going to get what she wanted, she started to let herself go.  I too get very frustrated when situations do not go how I plan, and in many ways I can understand where Veronica is coming from.  She tried hard to ignore the negative comments that were getting fired at her from every angle, even from her own husband!  She was even able to stay hospitable after Annette projectile-vomited all over her rare African book collection.  Veronica had a difficult time accepting Annette and Alan’s parenting style.  She wants to impose her own ideas on the couple and got frustrated when they did not comply.  Veronica got overwhelmed with all of these emotions and became both physically and mentally violent.  Veronica is somewhat of a perfectionist and does not know how to deal with life when it does not go her way.  Throughout the entire play, Veronica made an obvious effort to remain and calm and civil, and I think her attempt deserves respect. 

Although he was very rude and obnoxious, I think that Alan made the best argument in the play.  In the middle of an argument with his wife about showing compassion toward one another, he asked whether we could really ever care for each other.  His statement made me stop and think.  Are we all too self absorbed to truly care for each other?  I think in many ways, whether it be instinctual or just human nature, we will always put ourselves first.  Does that allow us to fully care for another person beside ourselves?  I do not think this question can ever be answered concretely, but it sure does make you think.  I respect Alan’s character because he was brutally honest and said exactly what he meant.  He did not care what others, thought of him, even his wife.

The character that I feel the most sorry for is Annette.  She is always nervous, living her life in complete panic.  In the beginning of the play, before the rage and rum came into the picture, Annette did not stand up for herself.  She just wanted to resolve the situation so everyone could move on with her happy lives.  She acknowledged that she is not a good parent when she said she did not care whether Benjamin was genuinely sorry for his actions or not.  Annette was willing to adhere to whatever Veronica said, for she was desperate for some sort of resolution.  Her husband spent half of the night on his cell phone, and Annette was left to nervously apologize for his actions.  Eventually Annette was able to stick up for herself.  She dropped Alan’s phone in a vase of water and finally addressed him about how awful he treats her.  She stated how terrible her marriage actually was.  This made me feel especially sad for Annette.  She calls herself a ‘manager of wealth’ and tries hard to mask her sadness with her money and expensive lifestyle.  Reza did a great job developing Annette’s character.  I think many women can relate to Annette’s marital problems.

Although I enjoyed parts of his argument, Alan was the character who I could not stand the most.  I respect his sense of honesty, but only to a point.  It is good to be yourself, but if being yourself means hurting other people, I think changes should be made.  He was rude and did not consider anyone’s feelings but his own.  Alan identified more with Michael, and had a degrading and racist attitude towards the women, especially his wife.  Alan’s character was portrayed very realistically.  Unfortunately, there are many men in today’s society who behave just like Alan.

I really enjoyed watching God of Carnage.  The truth that Yasmina Reza put into each of the four characters makes her play so relatable to the audience.  I had formed many different emotions and connections due to the great depth given to each character.