The Rose - Janis Joplin and the Lonely Sixties Essay

The Rose - Janis Joplin and the Lonely Sixties [1] What is it about the Sixties that still linger in the minds of the American population forty years later? For many the Sixties was a time of liberation, a time of true freedom, but it was also a time of struggle and oppression. This was a decade that prided itself on overcoming obstacles of race, gender, and even sexuality. The Sixties was an experience that many people wish they could relive, and other survivors of the decade refuse to even remember. Perhaps the one thing that sticks strongly in my own mind are the passings of many great individuals -- the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcom X. The second half of the decade marks†¦show more content†¦Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin all passed away in the second half of the decade from substance abuse. [3] The music of the 1960’s was a way for the people to experience a new freedom, and in most cases to see beyond the world around drugs was a necessity to see the true reality. Musicians saw themselves as a tool to open people up to what they believed was the reality of the time. They were the â€Å"means or channel through which their audience passes from ignorance to knowledge, from ordinary consciousness to ecstasy, from control and inhibition to revolt and freedom† (Goldman 361). It was this path that eventually leads many individuals into the dark and treacherous world of substance abuse. The Sixties was a time of experimentation, and many people used drugs as a tool for temporary experimentation, but other were pioneers that sought ultimate knowledge. Those pioneers, who sought out real knowledge, never came back. [4] Rebellion in music was also a major effort in music during the 1960’s. Not only were women stepping into the foreground of folk music, but also rock and roll officially took hold in the hearts of Americans. Those individuals of the Rock and Roll world like Morrison, Hendrix, and Joplin all sought to gain the acceptance of their fans and the country. Maybe their messages got across, maybe they didn’t, but, regardless, they captivated the nation with their astounding successes and tragic deaths. The people of