A Look at the Troubled Life and Achievements of Comedian Lenny Bruce Essay

Lenny BruceLeonard Alfred Schneider, or more commonly known as Lenny Bruce, was a comedian, afamily man, drug addict, and philosopher. A conventional Jewish child from Long Island, who joked about homosexuality, drugs, religion, and race. Arguably, he paved the way for the comicsof today, paying the price for being twenty years ahead of his time. Addicted to vulgarity anddrugs he became a regular in courtrooms across America. The humiliation he caused aPhiladelphia judge is thought to be another reason he spent so much time in court. His untimelydeath still stirs speculation of murder, rather than just another junkie that overdosed.Bruce was born on October 13, 1925 in Long Island, New York. His father worked as anorthopedic shoe salesman, who spoiled his only child, while his mother was his best friend. WhenBruce was eight-years-old, his parents divorced. In 1936, his father remarried, and along withBruce, they lived a conventional life. However, the jazz musicians and drug influences around himimpacted him and the way he talked. At age seventeen, Bruce joined the Navy. But after twoyears of fighting fascists, he became tired of it. He went to the medical officers proclaiming thathe was obsessed with homosexuality. Shortly after, he was dishonorably discharged (Hendra 115). Once he came home his father had offered him a job selling orthopedic shoes. However,Bruce had other plans he wanted to be a comedian. Bruce started as an impressionist, althoughhe was not very good. In 1948 the Arthur Godfreys Talent Scouts Show offered Bruce atelevision appearance and a chance perform his act. Few bookings were made after that broadcast.Bruces career had started slowly making appearances at strip clubs and performing his act.Harriet Lloyd, or Honey, was a stripper at one of the clubs where he performed. And, in 1951she became his wife (Kronke). Together, they moved to Los Angeles and did acts that hedirected. Bruce and his new wife soon expanded the family-having a girl whom they called Kitty.Even with his new family,...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Character Analysis of Basil Hallward in The Picture of Dorian Gray, a Novel by Oscar Wilde Essay

The main character in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian, is a man too easily influenced by his surroundings. He is quoted as saying, Basil Hallward is what I think I am Lord Henry is what the world thinks me Dorian is what I would like to bein other ages, perhaps (Wilde). This comparison falls in line with the moral of the story because Dorian is stuck with eternal youth and beauty even though he has a wicked soul. This causes different views of him by people who observe his daily life. Dorian is a sponge throughout the novel that absorbs everything and allows it to shape his personality, morals, and actions. Dorian Gray takes influence from Lord Henry, Basil Hallward, and the culture of society during which the novel was written. Lord Henry is the epitome of a wealthy, hedonistic gentleman seeking only pleasure, with little regard to cost or consequence. Lord Henry Wotton outwardly propounds hedonism, but it is his extreme egotism that drives him to manipulate both Basil Hallward a
Read more

Religious Symbolism in The Blessed Damozel, a Poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti Essay

Dante Gabriel Rossettis poem The Blessed Damozel is full of religious symbolism. There is talk of saints, and the poem itself takes place in heaven. But underneath the religious symbolism is a deep sensuality, that makes one wonder if the white rose of Marys gift referred to in line nine is the gift of Mary the Virgin, or the somewhat less virginal Mary Magdalene. While the Damozel is in heaven, her appearance in heaven, her behaviors in life, and what happens when she and her lover are reunited suggest some less than virginal dealings, yet the damozel is blessed and resides in heaven. Rossetti was the child of liberals kicked out of Italy a heavily catholic country for their extreme political views. While Rossetti himself was not political, he may have espoused similar views regarding politics and religion as his parents. In the poem The Blessed Damozel, Rossetti was given the chance to essentially create his own heaven. Most everything he wrote seems to show that Rossetti espoused
Read more

An Analysis of the Character of Chichikov in the Poem, Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol Essay

Dead Souls takes place in the Russia of the late 1800s, where, unlike in America, one must be born into a prosperous family in order to have opportunities. The main character, Chichikov, is clever enough to develop a scheme in which he can rise from being a petty clerk to a respected landowner. In order to do this, Chichikov moves into a new town, pretending to already be a landowner, and begins a quest to buy the names of dead serfs who have not yet been officially reported dead. Each person that Chichkov presents this offer to has a different reaction, starting with the shy and introverted Manilov. Though he does not understand Chichikov's need for the names of these dead serfs, Manilov is a character that is so desperate for company that it does not take any effort to trick him into selling his dead souls cheaply. However, as Chichikov continues his journey, he starts to deal with more clever landowners who become suspicious of his scheme. Chichikov finds that the townsmen know
Read more