Kuraska 1 Matt Kuraska Doonesbury: Research Paper Hunter S
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Kuraska 1 Matt Kuraska Doonesbury: Research Paper Hunter S. Thompson changed the field of journalism throughout his career in writing which included working for ‘Rolling Stone’ and publishing several books. He was known for his rock and roll lifestyle as well as his tendency towards including personal information about himself in his assignments. This became labeled as gonzo journalism which focused on the writer being heavily involved with the events he or she was covering. Although this made for exciting articles for readers, other audiences used this insider information to ridicule or satire Thompson as a writer and person. One of the most prominent examples of this was done by the ‘Washington Post’ newspaper through a comic strip called Doonesbury. Created by Garry Trudeau, this comic featured a character by the name of Uncle Duke with striking similarities to Hunter S. Thompson. In fact, it comes as no surprise that the character be named Duke after Thompson used Raoul Duke as an alias in his book titled “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” while he was recording his search for the American dream. Trudeau created Uncle Duke as an accurate representation of Thompson’s physical qualities as well. In the strips, he is shown as an older, balding man who spends the majority of his time smoking a cigarette in Thompson’s iconic holder (Trudeau). Doonesbury, however, is much more than just a comic strip in a newspaper. It is a community of artists, writers, and readers which has evolved over the 40 years of existence. Their online website includes resources for readers to openly critique their publishing under the “Blowback” section. The community also keeps up to date with current events as opposed to fictional creations in an online area called “Daily Briefing.” The Doonesbury team also supports American military veterans by hosting a web page titled “The Sandbox” which includes an open Kuraska 2 discussion forum where they can discuss real stories of their service with others who have shared similar experiences (Washington Post). Overall, the Doonesbury comic strip provides readers with more than just a few cheap laughs; it appeals to a much wider audience from various backgrounds with deeper interests. In a way, the strip represents an American culture that wants to remain aware of current events in this nation while expressing their feelings about them through outlets such as comedy and creative expression within a community of like-minded individuals. Before discussing how this comic strip impacted him, it is important to first understand Thompson’s upbringing and lifestyle. Hunter S. Thompson’s life began when he was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1937. His family originally belonged to middle class society, but they faced struggles that threatened the stability of their lives. When Hunter was a boy, his father died, causing them to lose their primary source of income and forcing his mother to take care of him on her own. This caused Thompson a significant amount of emotional trauma growing up and possibly caused him to look for outlets throughout his life that were not always legal. When he attended high school, he had a group of friends that belonged to more of upper class America, as opposed to himself. The Thompson family were considered to have lived on the “wrong side of the train tracks” in their hometown. He may have felt somewhat out of place because of this, and coincidentally, many of his works as an adult involved searching for a place of belonging in his own preconceived idea of the American dream. Hunter’s problematic lifestyle began its course while he was in high school just before graduation. Him and his group of friends had stolen a wallet and were caught by local police officers. Thompson faced a full punishment and spent time in jail for the crime, while his wealthier friends were sent home free without any consequences. Naturally, this left him bitter Kuraska 3 and contributed to his future public resentment of upper class America and the unfair distribution of power within the class system of society. Thompson went on to find involvement in numerous additional illegal actions throughout the course of his life. He did, however, find a positive source of enjoyment through reading and writing literature which he spent much of his time doing. Through his success in writing during high school, he found himself as a member of the prestigious group Athenaeum Literary Society. Unfortunately, he was excommunicated at an early age due to his trouble with the law. This may have translated into him finding solace in actively going against the formality of writing institutes and the traditional style of journalism later in his career. Lacking a definitive goal or career in mind after school, Thompson enlisted in the military. He found a sense of purpose there once he was offered and fulfilled the role of sports editor for their community newspaper, “The Command Courier.” This is where he got his start in actual journalism and paved the way for the growth of his interest. Later in Thompson’s writing career, he was known for not only covering stories, but going beyond the assignment and creating room for himself to be involved in the events. This style of “Gonzo” journalism went against the grain of traditional accepted style, and quickly became uniquely attributed as a characteristic of Hunter Thompson. “While traditional journalists and many fiction writers translate reality into clear, orderly form, Thompson infuses his prose with the characteristics of the Faulknerian ‘truer reality’ he senses: chaos, violence, disintegration, proliferation of inhuman proportions, absurdity” (Novoa). Furthermore, he was well-known for living on the “edge” as described through his various accounts of drug use, theft, and violence openly admitted through his partially autobiographical books. This created the term Kuraska 4 outlaw journalism which was used interchangeably along with gonzo to describe Thompson’s work. Hunter S. Thompson later developed an inclination toward the field of politics, especially in the area of Aspen, Colorado where he hoped to make changes to society. He filled the role of campaign manager for a man named Joe Edwards who was running for mayor in 1969. The Edwards campaign was largely known for drawing support out of the so-called “mis-fits” from the community. They garnered a massive amount of support from school dropouts, drug users, and criminals who were also hoping for change and possibly relief from social problems they had been facing. Therefore, the term “Freak Power” found a way into descriptions of Thompson’s political activism. He represented those that had no voice in government, stemming from his own experience as a child when his family struggled financially and felt that opportunities and power were placed heavily in favor of those more fortunate in society. Unfortunately, the “Freak Power” movement was not enough to grant Joe Edwards the mayoral seat and he lost by a narrow margin of votes. Thompson was only just beginning his political career, however, and soon after ran for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado. The “Freak Power” movement carried over into this election as well and the same demographic of people found great hope in his candidacy. Again, however, Thompson failed to win. It seemed to be more than just winning the sheriff position, though. He succeeded in making a statement about the power of the freaks and misfits and how the traditional political parties could potentially be beaten by them. Hunter Thompson earned most of his fame from the journalistic projects he conducted in the form of books and substantial articles. Specifically, his road to success was paved by the work he did on the notorious biker gang, the Hell’s Angels. To get the true story behind all the Kuraska 5 news stories describing them as gruesome, barbaric, blood-thirsty brawlers, Hunter Thompson actually took an assignment from “The Nation” to actually live among them for an extended period of time. He became a spectator to all their actions and behaviors then compiled his findings into a book titled “Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga.” Every illegal act Thompson committed in his lifetime likely would not have compared to the terrible acts described in this book, and he took a real risk by accepting this task. The success of “Hell’s Angels” sparked Jann Wenner’s attention, who was the lead editor of “Rolling Stone” magazine at the time. He commissioned Thompson to write about his involvement in the Colorado election, which served as “the opening battle cry to an epic, righteous, and occasionally combustible partnership between Hunter and Rolling Stone” (Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone 9). Aside from his work under Wenner, he also wrote several successful books in addition to “Hell’s Angels.” They all seemed to have a familiar theme of chasing the American dream, at least, Thompson’s version of it. In “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” which was originally supposed to be a simple assignment to write about a motor race in Nevada, he teams up with Oscar Zeta Acosta and wreaks havoc while allegedly under the influence of numerous dangerous substances. “Dope-driven, the dynamic duo spends most of its time courting disaster: building up huge hotel bills, converting rented Cadillacs into wrecks, vomiting, and running hilarious numbers on the petite bourgeoisie of Las Vegas” (Plummer 36). “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail,” on the other hand, takes this theme of the American dream into the context of politics. Specifically, Thompson followed the presidential candidates of 1972 as they advertised to potential voters who were anxious to give power to the man they thought would give them the best chance at their own individual dreams.