Three Parts of Madness Throughout Howl there are several different institutions that are mentioned. Ginsberg talks about Universities, mental institutions, and the government. These institutions are similar to Ginsberg in the way they restrict a persons ability to express themselves. In Howl, Allen Ginsberg uses different tones to express the theme of madness through the different changes of emotions in which he conveys over the three parts of the poem. Howl allows the reader to see a small glimpse into Allen Ginsberg’s life. As a student at Columbia University, Ginsberg was “expelled from the academics for crazy and publishing obscene odes on the windows of the skull.” (Ginsberg 7) This lead him to eventually become expelled from his …show more content…
Ginsberg uses a wide range of descriptive words to explain what he has observed through his travels. Although his way of writing can be difficult for some readers to interpret, his word choices allow the reader to imagine what it was like to see what he saw and it gives a unique way of describing a scene. In the beginning of part one, Ginsberg says “who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across he tops of cities contemplating jazz”. (Ginsberg 4) This is an example of Ginsberg’s unique way of describing a scene that he witnessed during his travels. As Ginsberg was driving he saw and experienced several of the main themes that were going on during this period of time. Jazz was a very important part of this time period and of the Beat Movement. Ginsberg mentions contemplating jazz as a way to express how important jazz was at this time in America. This period in time was also post World War 2, so there are several instances throughout the poem where Ginsberg makes references to World War 2. Towards the middle of part one Ginsberg says “listening to the crack of doom on the hydrogen jukebox”. (Ginsberg 15) The hydrogen refers to the hydrogen bombs that were used as weapons in the war. Hydrogen bombs were a deadly yet effective weapon that was a prominent weapon in …show more content…
Ginsberg had an angry tone to his writing in part two. The main reoccurring theme in part two was the figure of Moloch. In the past young children were often sacrificed to Moloch by their parents. This leads to Moloch becoming a figure to describe the act of sacrificing something on a grand level. Sacrificing your own child is something that a parent would not even think of doing. If the parents who worshiped Moloch were willing to sacrifice their child, Moloch must be a very important figure to them. Ginsberg describes Moloch as “Moloch the incomprehensible prison!”. (Ginsberg 82) This association with Moloch and a prison describes the idea of being trapped and not being able to get out. This is how Ginsberg felt when he was in the mental institution. When Ginsberg was in the mental institution he was not able to express himself as much as he wanted to. Ginsberg was sent to the mental institution since they did not know how to deal with his homosexuality. In order to try and change him, he was put in the mental institution. Thus Ginsberg was forced to be someone he was not and this is a very difficult thing to do. Ginsberg also describes Moloch as a figure “who entered my soul early!”. (Ginsberg 87) Moloch is usually referred to as a figure that would have children offered to him and these children would not have had a chance to mature. In a way, we are born in this world with a specific view of
Allen Ginsberg’s revolutionary poem, Howl, is a powerful portrayal of life degraded. It represents the harsh life of the beat generation and chronicles the struggles of the repressed. Howl is a poem of destruction. Destruction of mind, body, and soul through the oppression of the individual. Using powerful diction, Allen Ginsberg describes this abolition of life and its implications through our human understanding of abstractions like Time, Eternity, and self. The poem’s jumbled phrasing and drastic emotion seems to correspond with the minds of the people it describes. Ginsberg uses surprisingly precise and purposeful writing to weave the complex
It is a cry for the people to understand government interference, injustice, and acceptance. The poem Howl is a reflection of Allen and the beat poet’s life and adventures, but the bigger picture is the fight with the government and the idea of capitalism. Government issues will always be present in the world no matter how far the human race has come. The poem strongly argues that different is bad, and instead of the government accepting people for who they are, they contain them and try to isolate them from the world. “And who were given instead the concrete void of insulin Metrazol, electricity, hydrotherapy, psychotherapy, occupational therapy ping pong & amnesia,” (Line 67). If people were thought to be extremely different or showed signs of mental disturbance they were sent to a mental institution. In these institutions doctors gave numerous therapies to cure their patients or even lobotomize them. But Allen argued that when one was released from the institution, it is as if the people in the regular world were just as crazy or even crazier, “returning years later… to the visible madman doom of the wards of the madtowns…” (Line 69). Not only was capitalism shown in mental institutions but academic institutions as well. In the paragraph before there is quote about Allen’s trouble at school. School; a place to learn and teach would have thought to be accepting of new ideas, or loudly expressed ideas. But it wasn’t the case even
Lee notices that Ginsberg’s use of anaphora questions “the historical origins of both social afflictions and collective resistance in Howl.” The “origins of both social afflictions” and “collective resistance” stems from America’s need to impose unrealistic expectations on young people. Ginsberg idealizes America’s youth by celebrating their imperfection. Ginsberg “blurs” his “central objects of identification” by finding a connection between the insanity that Carl Solomon and Naomi Ginsberg share. The “blighted hopes and wasted intellects” of America’s past and present generation are subject to
of which help him cope with his unhappiness. Howl is an example of an artistic outlet that Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg’s collection Howl and Other Poems is a collection of poems that exudes rebellion. Every word and every stanza that Ginsberg writes throughout every single one of the poems is fueled with intentionality, and is used very purposefully to achieve a greater meaning. The entire collection is an allegory, Ginsberg publishes it in 1956, a time period
It also dealt with deep-rooted issues with his childhood. In the poem, Ginsberg dealt with the issues that arized from having a mGreentally disabled mother in a psychiatric ward. He also claimed that Howl was a history of the Beat Generation.
The form of Ginsberg’s poem challenges the American culture by resistance from “best minds”. Howl is separated to three sections that include long lines, which look like paragraphs. Resisting
Century apart, Allen Ginsberg and Walt Whitman share similar cultural, political and moral values, which they express in their literary work. Whitman’s writing is considered controversial for the eighteen hundreds. He sets the stage for generations to come breaking way from the strict Victorian poetic tradition by writing in free verse. Ginsberg follows his footsteps when composing his poem “Howl” by writing in long lines almost resembling prose and subdividing the poem into several parts. Likewise, he uses numerous repetitions to achieve rhythmicity of his verse. Ginsberg’s poem is heavily influenced by Whitman’s philosophy. The works “Song of myself” and “Howl” are similar in ideas, structure and underling themes. The two authors protest against old traditions imposed on the individual by corrupt society, stand against conformity and put emphasis on the need for change. They identify with their generation and dwell on themes such as sexuality, religion and the state of American society.
He writes “ I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, / dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix” ( lines 1-2). Frank Casale discusses these lines in his article “Literary Contexts in Poetry: Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl.’” He writes “The poem’s opening line has become one of the most famous in American poetry. It serves as an opening into the experience of madness, drugs, prophecy, and a new vision that compose the field of the first part of the poem” (Casale 1). This line introduces the theme of the poem and introduces Ginsberg’s view on insanity and the Beat lifestyle. He supports those “who drove crosscountry seventytwo hours to find out if I had a vision or you had a vision or he had a vision to find out Eternity, / [...] who fell on their knees in hopeless cathedrals praying for each other’s salvation” (60, 62). Casale continues by saying “In ‘Howl’ the Beats are repeatedly referred to as ‘angels,’ to connect those in search of the new consciousness or new vision [...] with the prophetic tradition. The quest for ‘kicks’ was not just an epicurean activity, but a serious search for freedom and new meaning in an America growing more conformist and authoritarian” (Casale 2). As a member of the Beat Generation, Ginsberg understands the Beat lifestyle and the way society views them, and he provides this generation with a
Allen Ginsberg’s “A Supermarket in California” narrates his imaginary encounter with Walt Whitman, one of the most important poet in American history, in a supermarket in California. Walt Whitman, Ginsberg poetic idol, plays a pivotal role in the poem. Ginsberg throughout the poem shows his inclination to be like his poetic hero Whitman. Allen Ginsberg starts the poem by recounting walking down the street with a headache thinking about his literary idol Whitman and dreaming of his “enumerations”.
Ginsberg’s work often represents a struggle for spiritual survival in a dehumanized, repressive society. This can be seen in his writing of “Howl”:
Therefore, in the very beginning, Ginsberg presents to the reader the subject and tone of the poem in the context of this question. Ginsberg’s questions make the audience realize the seriousness of the issues that this poem discusess, such as America, politics, war, humanity, and ethics.
Poet Allen Ginsberg composed "Howl" in 1955 and it was published by City Lights Books of San Francisco, CA the following year. He composed the poem in the middle of the 1950s, one of the greatest decades in history for mainstream America. It had been a decade since the American and Allied victory in the second world war. Numerous American men returned home to a country in much better shape than expected, with many women having entered the workforce to keep the economy and industry alive in their absence. The spoils of war were great and America saw a great era of prosperity and domestic, suburban bliss. More interstate highways were constructed. Many more cars were produced and bought. It was a classic era for mainstream American culture in the 1950s. Yet in the haze of the suburbs, expansion of television, growth of Hollywood, and cars, present here were the seeds of rebellion and counterculture that was more indicative of the following decade, 1960s. One such seed is the poem
There are many similarities between Whitman’s “Song of Myself” and Ginsberg’s “Howl”. Whitman’s influence can be noticed in Ginsberg’s work which range from a similar style of format, structure, a concern with the general population of America, and the impact that these two great writers had on the rest of the literary world. Another significant influence that Whitman has for Ginsberg is the fact that Whitman had been considered an outcast from the literary world of his era. Whitman appeared as a plainly dressed working man rather than a fancy high societal poet. His long winded style, free verse, and sexual exposure made Whitman stand out from the rest of the other poets. Ginsberg was also not accepted among the poets of his generation. His literary works were banned from the public’s eye. Another similarity was between the two was their subject matter. In the introduction of leaves of grass, Malcolm Cowley said, “Its subject is a state of illumination induced by two (or three) separate moments of ecstasy”.
It is evident from the very beginning that Ginsberg is disillusioned with American society, and he is ready to turn his back on what he feels has been oppressing him. "America I've given you all and now I'm