The idea of 'contado' seems very apparent in the poems by ferlinghetti. The images he creates of San Francisco at times contrast but also compliment one another. One of my favourite poems is 'Yachts in the Sun', in which we see his paradoxical portrayal of the city with the beautiful 'white sails in sunlight', set against images of Alcatraz, bones and imprisonment. He brings up the idea of San Franciscos long history, suggesting it has been somewhat forgotten being buried deep down under the 'glass of the sea'. Glass however, implies we can see this history and crime of the city and it remains a part of San Francisco, the people simply choose to ignore it perhaps, as indicated when he says 'as the so skillful yachts so freely pass over'.
To me, contado embodies the idea of contrasting images, the country and the city, an influx of wealth from poorer places. 'In Golden Gate Park That Day' we see this again, an almost strange but calm scene is created by Ferlinghetti. The poem is relaxed, with the birds, meadow and fruit. There is also a flute, and although it's beaten up and not played in the poem, it suggests a light hearted, upbeat rhythm is being portrayed by this couple. This is all joulted at the end line however, 'except a certain awful look of terrible depression'. Again a very contrasting image to the sunny, breezy image of san francisco Ferlinghetti puts forward earlier in the poem.
These contrasts and joulting lines of negativity set amongst positive imagery serves to, in a way, give an accurate reflection of the city itself. It's so diverse with such different people and surroundings throughout the city, Ferlinghetti highlights this in his poetry.
2 comments:
I see the contrast in his poems too. I feel like San Francisco, even though it's a smaller city, has tons of different people in it with different paths to take. It has amazingly, beautiful parts to it and also has crumby, ugly parts and I think some people forget that sometimes. By having the contrasts it brings the image of the city full circle. These contrasts remind me of Ginsberg's poem about the two wealthy people in the mercedes and the guys in the garbage truck. The people all huge contrasts of each other but they are both captured together at a stop light in San Francisco. These ideas and contrasts of rich and poor and beautiful and ugly etc. seemed to be on the minds of the beat poets back them, it must have been something they often struggled with.
Yes, that's right...contradictions of San Francisco take up a LOT of room in Beat sensibility. In most ways, that's exactly what the Beats did (or what they were committed to doing anyway): struggle against dominant cultures and strict ways of being and writing...
Flora, I like the link you make between "contado" and "contrast"...it's a useful way of identifying unevenness, as you've done very gracefully with the yacht poem. As we move along into Brechin, though, the idea of "contado" will start to incorporate the idea of power...so that the contado is not just a place that's different, but also systematically excluded or overpowered or layered over... the very idea you've pointed out about SF history and Alcatraz!
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