Lele - The writer in his/her time

Lele “The writer in his/her time”

I am going to speak about the notion “The writer in his/her time”. A writer can be a witness (témoin) of his time so some writers use their work criticise their own society and to denounce or express their way of thinking. So, we want to find out how writers managed to reveal their society through their work. To answer this quesition we will have a look at 2 extracts and a painting.

First, we studied an extract from the poem I Am Waiting written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti was born the 24th of March in 1919 and he is an American poet, painter, socialist activist, and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. He is the author of poetry, translations, fiction, theatre, art criticism, and film narration. His poem “I am Waiting” is in his best known collection of poems named A Coney Island of the Mind published in 1958.

"I am waiting " is an outstanding poem of "The Beat Generation." In it, he uses the words "I am waiting" to provide commentary on the many problems in society in this time. "I am waiting" is used repetitiously to introduce exactly what Ferlinghetti is waiting for. He expresses his disappointment in society and he demonstrates his need for something better in life, the rebirth of a new wonder. The mood of this poem comes off as somewhat hopefull that some day we will experience this dramatic change in the world but the poem is mostly a sad story about what the world and how society really is and how we are waiting for it to change.

Then, we studied an extract from the page 53 to 54 of the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest written by Ken Kesey in 1962. Kenneth Elton Kesey was born the 17th of September in 1935 and died on November 10 in 2001 (two thousand and 1). He was an American novelist, essayist, and countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s.

Mc Murphy is considered as the representetion of the beat generation

Nurse Rached is the symbol of the auhority

Kesey also talks about lobotomy and electrochocs because in his time they still used this method and exposes the deplorable conditions of mental health facilities.

conflict between an individual and an oppressive system

It is an examination of totalitarian rule. Big Nurse pretends to give her patients a say in how the ward is run, allowing them to believe that they live in a kind of democracy. In reality, however, Nurse Ratched rules the ward with an iron fist, manipulating her patients into doing exactly what she wants—and punishing those who disobey.

Lastly, I choosed a painting named The Skat Players painted by Otto Dix in 1920.

Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix was born the 2sd of December in 1891 and died the 25th of July in 1969. He was a German painter and printmaker, noted for his ruthless and harshly realistic depictions of German society during the Weimar Republic and the brutality of war. He is widely considered one of the most important artists of the New Objectivity mouvement.

After Germany’s defeat in the First World War, the day-to-day life turned into a grotesque

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