Doped up or deep thinker
Doped up or deep thinkerDoped Up or Deep Thinker?
For my book review I chose to read and write about Jim Morrison, the late frontman of The Doors. I had always heard how wonderful his poetry and how great a thinker he was and I wanted to find out for myself. I have never been a fan of The Doors' music but I have an open mind, so I decided to tackle the poems of Morrison. In reading The American Night there were several things that stood out in my mind. One was that many of the poems were ramblings of a stoned, depressed man. Speaking to several of my friends who are Morrison fans, they said it is hard to understand a lot of what he is saying without tripping. Nevertheless, a couple of poems did stand out for their vivid imagery and story-like quality. The original version of "Moonlight Drive," the performance piece, "An American Prayer," and "The Wild Whore Laughs" all contain wonderful images and great use of language.
Concentrating less on form and more on the content, Morrison's poetry takes the reader on journeys through the depths of his imagine and the tortures of his soul. After reading this book, it was very clear that Morrison thought and felt on a different level than the majority of people around him. Whether he was demented or a genius depends on the reader's point of view.
In "Moonlight Drive" Morrison speaks of taking a girl on a moonlight drive and the images he uses takes the reader to the moon, different worlds, and the ocean.
Let's swim to the moon
Let's climb thru the tide
Penetrate the evenin'
That the city sleeps to hide
Let's swim out tonight, love
It's our turn to try
Parked beside the ocean
On our moonlight drive.
Morrison also uses repetition throughout this poem, ending each strophe, save the last with "moonlight drive." The idea of swimming to the moon, and climbing thru the tide really appealed to my senses and I sat with my eyes shut imagining...
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