Alternative Martyr

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Upon first glance, the disheveled, disappointed, and depressed Kurt Cobain doesn't seem to fit the profile of a martyr, but appearances can be deceiving. Cobain is often called the martyr for Generation X. He is the voice of the underdogs, the misfits, the misunderstood, and anyone else who has been outcast by popular society. Growing up, he struggled to fit in. After his parents divorced when he was seven, his behavior became uncontrollable and his mother sent him to live with relatives. Instead of trying to understand the root of his aggression, his family chose to medicate him with Ritalin and sedatives. Even as a child, the people he loved the most misunderstood him. As he grew up, he continued to be unaccepted. In high school, he was cast off and harassed by his peers. Cobain's solace was his music, his voice. He used his lyrics to stand up for the causes he supported and to speak out against those who had oppressed him. Like many martyrs, he was very vocal about his beliefs while alive, but his genius was not recognized until after his death. Martyrs are often misunderstood, brilliant, and willing to die for their principles. In "8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain," Jim Carroll compares these characteristics of martyrdom to Cobain.

Martyrs and the principles that they stand for are often misunderstood or not accepted by the general public. Many of Cobain's songs reflect his personal angst towards the popular society that rejected him. The song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" skyrocketed his band Nirvana into stardom. Instead of reaching the misfits the song was directed to, his audience was full of the song's antagonists - young, popular kids. These kids didn't understand the true meaning of his lyrics. Instead of comprehending that he was speaking out against them, they believed he the voice of their generation. Cobain's message was distorted and became their teenage anthems. Their "unbearably wholesome misunderstanding" (Carroll 2.18) didn't allow them to see past the trendiness of the music. They not only misinterpreted Cobain's lyrics, they misunderstood Cobain himself. Carroll writes:

From where they sat, you seemed so far up there

High and live and diving

And instead you were swamp crawling

Down, deeper (Carroll 2.19-22)

The audience idolized Cobain. He had been placed on a pedestal so high, that they were unable to see how low he felt about himself.

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