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The Era Of Madness And Confinement

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The Era of Madness and Confinement The 1950s was an era of civil conflict for the United States. Although it the post World War II era and the United States was the world’s strongest military, there was a war going on within its own society. (Ginsberg, 1) This generation dealt with civil rights movements and communism at the home. (“The 1950s”) But with all the pressure of all that is going on around this how did this generation turn out? It was during this time that author Allen Ginsberg wrote his poem “Howl,” which was broken up into three parts. In his poem Howl, Allen Ginsberg uses an outlandish writing style in order to demonstrate the madness and imprisonment felt by his generation. The first line of the poem sets the theme …show more content…

It was during the late 1940s and early 1950s that the Red Scare was known because of the communist in the United States. (“Red Scare”) Part one further refers to the madness of the people and actions that give off the impression that they have been driven mad. The poem as a whole is written in a way that strays from the norm. The lack of commas in certain lines gives off a tone of hysteria because the lack of a pause in between details. For example the line, “…destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked...” (Ginsberg, 1) The words “starving hysterical naked” would be said in a fast pace that would make the tone seem non-stop or hyper. Ginsberg also decides to save the period for the very last line, which would indicate that part one, is an extensive sentence. By doing so it also gives off a hysterical tone because he does not stop but simply takes short pauses in between each line. It gives off the impression that Ginsberg is so passionate in what he is talking about that he does not need to stop until he has said his whole piece. Part one also uses obscene language, which includes words such as “sex,” “f**king,” “semen,” and “a*s” which further indicates the bluntness of the situation. Ginsberg uses a symbolic language

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