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The view from On the road: the rhetorical vision of Jack Kerouac

2000; Association of College and Research Libraries; Volume: 37; Issue: 06 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5860/choice.37-3245

1943-5975

Omar Swartz,

Rhetoric and Communication Studies

Through careful analysis of Jack Kerouac s On Road, Omar Swartz argues that Kerouac s influence on American society is largely rhetorical. Kerouac s significance as a cultural icon can be best understood, Swartz asserts, in terms of traditional rhetorical practices and principles.To Swartz, Kerouac is a rhetor who symbolically reconstructs his world and offers arguments and encouragements for others to follow.Swartz proposes that On constitutes a rhetorical vision, a reality-defining discourse suggesting alternative possibilities for growth and change. Swartz asserts that reader of Kerouac s On the Road becomes capable of responding to larger, confusing culture in a strategic manner. Kerouac's rhetorical vision of an alternative social and cultural reality contributes to identity of localized cultures within United States.