Allen Ginsberg's Howl Summary

Death is better than slavery”(Jacobs 54). This happened right after Linda gave birth to her first child, her son Benjamin. This excerpt depicts how an enslaved women at times might prefer her child dead than to be brought up in the world as a slave, it is implied that she does. Enslaved men wouldnt even know how to fathom this, yes they had children with other enslaved women but it the same, they are not the ones to carry the child and deliver it into the world they would have considered a nightmare. So here Jacobs is drawing a clear distinction between the two sexes when it comes to how either is affected by

Thoreau views being individualist is essential in life and important for people to adopt. Further, Thoreau states that the only way to not conform is to follow individual eagerness, and not necessarily living in the woods "as simple and natural" as he once did, but carrying out the simplicity of personal will (Thoreau, Walden 195). He believes people must listen to themselves more than others and not be ashamed to aid to callings different from the majority. The over arching idea of nonconformity is pursuing and "[advancing] confidently in the direction of [one's] dreams" as not everyone can succeed following the same path, there must be individuals willing to branch out and stand alone (Thoreau, Walden 204). Individualism in Thoreau's world is just as it is today, Transcendentalists share the opinion that living

In "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", Harriet Jacobs writes, "Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women" (64). Jacobs' work shows the evils of slavery as being worse in a woman's case by the gender. Jacobs elucidates the disparity between societal dictates of what the proper roles were for Nineteenth century women and the manner that slavery prevented a woman from fulfilling these roles. The book illustrates the double standard of for white women versus black women. Harriet Jacobs serves as an example of the female slave's desire to maintain the prescribed virtues but how her circumstances often prevented her from practicing.

She emphasizes that the life of a slave woman is incomparable to the life of a slave man, in the sense that a woman’s sufferings are not only physical but also extremely mental and emotional. Whether or not a slave woman is beaten, starved to death, or made to work in unbearable circumstances on the fields, she suffers from and endures horrible mental torments. Unlike slave men, these women have to deal with sexual harassment from white men, most often their slave owners, as well as the loss of their children in some cases. Men often dwell on their sufferings of bodily pain and physical endurance as slaves, where as women not only deal with that but also the mental and emotional aspect of it. Men claim that their manhood and masculinity are stripped from them, but women deal with their loss of dignity and morality. Females deal with the emotional agony as mothers who lose their children or have to watch them get beaten, as well as being sexually victimized by white men who may or may not be the father of their children. For these women, their experiences seem unimaginable and are just as difficult as any physical punishment, if not more so.

Jacobs bravely tells her story about escaping slavery with her children. She was the first writer to show the grisly details of slavery and discuss sexual abuse. Jacobs criticizes herself for getting pregnant to get out of the sexual abusive relationship of her slave owner by saying “I felt as if I was forsaken by God and man; as if all my efforts must be frustrated; and I became reckless in my despair” (Jacobs 2194). Jacobs had to hide for almost seven years in her grandmother’s attic in attempt to gain her and her children’s freedom from their former slave-owners (Yellin 2185). In 1852, Mrs. Willis, a family friend, bought Jacobs freedom, for which Jacobs felt “I was robbed of my victory” because she considered herself a person, unable to be bought or sold (Yellin 2185). Harriet Ann Jacobs publishes her story to open people’s eyes to what slavery really was.

Slavery was common in the eighteenth century. Slaves were seen as property, as they were taken from their native land and forced into long hours of labor. The experience was traumatic for both black men and black women. They were physically and mentally abused by slave owners, dehumanized by the system, and ultimately denied their fundamental rights to a favorable American life. Although African men and women were both subjected to the same enslavement, men and women had different experiences in slavery based on their gender. A male perspective can be seen in, My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass. A female perspective is shared in Harriet Jacobs’ narrative titled, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Upon reading both of the viewpoints provided, along with outside research, one can infer that women had it worse.

Thoreau’s point in this is that man should go beyond conscious purpose, moral instinct, and spontaneous freedom. He suggests, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” The drummer mentioned in this quote is symbolic for ones’ intuition. The

disobedience. He wants citizens to conform to a singular lifestyle, and he is attempting to strip people of making life choices that go against the motto of “Duty, Honor, Country”. The transcendental idea of civil disobedience can be summarized as doing what one pleases, and not following outlines placed by society. Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau had an excellent line in his novel “Walden” that can accurately summarize the transcendental idea of civil disobedience. Thoreau wrote, “ If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.” ( Thoreau, 245) This quote is saying that not all people are going to live identical to their peers. Some will progress in life faster, and some slower. Thoreau uses this quote to show that someone may not do things like the

In the 1960’s, Allen Ginsberg was already different from most because of his beliefs of peace over war, he was an advocate drug user, and a strong believer of gay rights. He’s what you would call a “hippie” of that time period. Ginsberg also suffered from mental illness that is very noticeable throughout his actions and poetic pieces such as “Howl.” Ginsberg uses this poem to express his life through a different perspective. He does this by talking through a speaker that the reader can clearly see he’s talking of himself.

“Only by experience can any one realize how deep, and dark, and foul is that pit of abominations.” (Jacobs, 120). These words are spoken by Harriet Jacobs (also known as Linda Brent) and after reading about her life experience as a slave, I have come to believe that slavery was far worse for women than it ever was for men. Jacobs never states that black slave men had it easy during the slave years, in fact she tells a few stories about how some slave men were beaten. She also tells about the life experience of a slave girl, herself. Her own experiences made me feel blessed that I was never born as a black woman during the time of slavery. I do not think that I would have been strong enough to endure

Slavery was a horrible institution that dehumanized a race of people. Female slave bondage was different from that of men. It wasn't less severe, but it was different. The sexual abuse, child bearing, and child care responsibilities affected the females's pattern of resistance and how they conducted their lives. Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, demonstrates the different role that women slaves had and the struggles that were caused from having to cope with sexual abuse.

In “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”, Harriet Jacobs shares her experience as a slave, from sexual advances from her master to being safe by being trapped in a crawling space intending to evoke an emotional response from Northern free women. Jacobs writes specifically to this group in order to enlighten them on the specific suffering of female slaves, mainly abuse from masters, and gain their sympathy, so they will move to abolish slavery. In order to complete this, Jacobs is compelled to break the conventions of proper female behavior at the time. Harriet Jacobs demonstrates the suffering of female slaves by creating a feminine connection to her female audience with the intention of earning their sympathy, defying the cult of

The poem Howl written by Allen Ginsberg contains opinions of a speaker, based on witnessed occurrences and observations during a progressive time in a society. It explains of how the “best minds of a generation”(Ginsberg 1), refused to surrender their creative freethinking mindsets for means of conformity. The Moloch character in the poem serves as a symbol to convey internalized feelings of outrage and displease the speaker felt with the government and the domino effect of changes it brought fourth, upon observing the destruction of a generation. Moloch is made out to be a negative unwanted and unwelcomed entity, used to describe the control and rulings of a government. The part of the passage that states, “Robot apartments!

Have you ever read a poem or book and did not like it or could not understand it? I have, and the poem is called “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg. Part one of “Howl” takes the reader on a rant filled journey through Ginsberg’s and his friends, The Beat generation, life experiences. Part two he talks of everything he hates and uses the term “Moloch” to describe it.

The Beats were the radical outcasts of the 1950s, creating obscene, anti-war and thought provoking poetry. Not only did they not fit in with the norms of the time, they actively fought against them. The Beats were new and fascinating, though not to be openly awarded, they were to be condemned for their non-conformity. Even though they were portrayed as deviants, the interest and controversy surrounding them helped to boost their message and gain them fame and adoration. I did not have much of an opinion on the subculture of the Beats before this class, the only poem from this subculture that I had been exposed to beforehand was Howl by Ginsberg. Now I can fully appreciate Ginsberg’s work, by understanding the constraints of the time period, and the fight for the freedom of speech I have a high level of respect for the Beats.