Sample Passage for Analysis: Jack Kerouac’s
And that was the night Dean met Carlo Marx. A tremendous thing happened when Dean met
Carlo Marx. Two keen minds that they are, they took to each other at the drop of a hat. Two piercing
eyes glanced into two piercing eyes - the holy con-man with the shining mind, and the sorrowful poetic
con-man with the dark mind that is Carlo Marx. From that moment on I saw very little of Dean, and I was
a little sorry too. Their energies met head-on, I was a lout compared, I couldn’t keep up with them…
…They rushed down the street together, digging everything in the early way they had, which later
became so much sadder and perceptive and blank. But then they danced down the streets like
dingledodies, and I shambled after as I’ve been doing all my life after people who interest me, because
the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved,
desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but
burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the
middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!"
1. Where is the piece from?
Briefly explain where the piece comes from (novel, poetry collection, play, cd, etc.)
(1-3 sentences)
This passage comes from Kerouac’s famous novel, On the Road. This comes very early in the novel, as
Kerouac’s narrator, Sal Paradise, is describing his muse in the book and restless idol, Dean Moriarty.
2. Plot Synopsis and Meaning: Briefly explain what is going on in the piece and the
meaning of the piece of writing you’ve selected. (3-7 sentences)
In the novel, Dean Moriarty had come to New York to try to get Sal Paradise to teach him how to write. In
their time together they go out on the town with friend Carlo Marx, and Sal simply tries to keep up with
Carlo and Dean’s ways and energy for life and the night. Kerouac based the character Dean on his real life
friend Neal Cassady, who was notorious for his erratic ways and “on the go” personality that helped create
the same mood for On the Road.
3. Writer’s Style: What is unique about the writer’s writing style in this particular
piece (word choice, sentence structure, imagery, literary devices, tone, mood) (5-10
examples, labeled)
A. Sentence structure is a run-on style that is loose and disregards conventions of punctuation. This
accomplishes a few things.
1. It helps add to the characterization of Dean, Carlo, and Sal, who are on the go and not stopping.
Their energy is contagious, and Kerouac uses this style of sentences to capture this energy and
limitlessness. The last sentence in the passage perfectly displays this. These characters are
rushing down the street, and Kerouac is trying to keep up with them.
2. It invites the reader to cast away conventions and to enter the world of these unique individuals,
whose actions and behavior are very unconventional.
3. It matches the jazz sound of the New York neighborhood these characters found as their
soundtrack. There is a similarity of Kerouac’s writing in this section to that of a trumpet or
saxophone solo played during a jazz session.
4. Asyndeton and polysyndeton loosens conventions, too (Asyndeton: “burn, burn burn”; “mad
to…, mad to…, mad to…” Polysyndeton: “sadder and perceptive and blank”)
B.The use of repetition adds to the music and rhythm of the writing.
1. There is a music and rhythm to the lines “mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved,” and later
the “burn, burn, burn”
C.Onomatopoeia and Sound in diction/word choice:
1. Many words create a strong sense of sound in this passage: pop, burn, yawn, Awww!, and
dingledodies)
4. Explain What You Appreciate Most about the Writing: (3-5 sentences)
What I appreciate most about this writing is its ability to create energy and depth at the same time. Readers
not only get a sense of these characters and their “on the go” thrust, but Kerouac also manages to insert the
philosophical side of the nature of these characters. In this combination, we get not just the zoom but the
dreaminess also, which is the most captivating aspect of Kerouac’s writing to me.