IN VAIN

This poem is by Jack Kerouac. The structure is simple, one history or art event and then the phrase "in vain". From there the title. I understood that trough the time there has been a lot of important events but in now in the present they doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is the present.

Another way of understanding this poem is thinking of forgetting. Like we had forgotten about important events in history, that changed our ideals or way of thinking. It may criticizes that aspect of the society.