Research paper on biography of FLORES A FORBES Essay

Research paper on biography of FLORES A FORBES - Essay Example Trying to determine that language and that character ahead of time is a hazardous venture. No one in 1959 foresaw the turmoil of the 60s, especially the rebellion of the young. Assassinations can rob a nation of its leaders, unexpected wars can desiccate the vitality of a race, and the unaccountable gift of leadership can create hope where despair existed. Many of the major trends, visible and subterranean, that will shape mans life in the future are present today. "Ask not what your country can do for you," said John F. Kennedy in his inaugural speech as President. "Ask what you can do for your country." The words uttered for the century. The classically balanced cadences, the summons to duty and patriotism sound incredibly nostalgic to ears grown used to a decade of shouts of raw passion, cacophonous protest and violence. The bright promise that began the 60s turned to confusion and near despair as the decade ended. President Kennedys version of U.S. manifest destiny seemed to be followed by what Psychiatrist Frederick Hacker calls "a rendezvous with manifest absurdity." The absurdity was evident in the contrasting trends of the decade. It was an era of phenomenal prosperity, and of the discovery of poverty, hunger and social injustice at home. Rebelling against the liberal timetable, the angry black and the harassed white, the G.I. in Viet Nam and the protester at home would scarcely recognize the decade as romantic. Knowingly, or unknowingly, the period has become overregulated, over systematized, over industrialized, spontaneity was lost; instead, there was uninhibited release of emotions. To a large extent, the essence of Forbes’ memoir can be summarized through a beautiful sonnet written by Claude McKay during the early period of the 20th century; well before the eventualities; detailed in the book, have occurred. The memoir, on a serious note is a look back at the turmoil of the 60s