The Poetry Of Confessional Poetry

Poetry is a very misunderstood form of writing, however one of the purest and beautiful forms of writing. It is a sense of the beautiful; portrayed by a love of beauty and expressing thus through words. It is an art, but like art it is very hard to define because it is an expression of the authors thoughts and feelings and may take any form the author wishes.

Poetry is about the emotions or feeling of a person. Poetry always follows a rhythm to keep the poem organized. The words used in poetry are always specific whether they are good or bad words. People may decide to write poetry because they can freely choose their own words without caring about the reader’s reaction. Although, Poetry is mostly interesting to read, it can sometimes end up being a shock to the readers.

In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by

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

For as long as it can be remembered people have used multiple forms of literature in order to gain knowledge, entertain, and even express a certain idea. Poetry is in fact one of those forms of literature, and before people began to write it, it was known to be told verbally by many. A person would tell a tale and those who listened would memorize it, what eventually caused poetry to spread around. Still to this day, many come to fall in love with the magic poetry possesses. It is the writer’s decision to either have a specific rhythm to it or just have a simple list of words. This essay argues that poetry is a creative way of expressing one's emotions and that it should be, not only preserved, but celebrated, even by those who have not considered themselves poetry fans in the past.

Imagery is initially used to appeal to the readers sense of sight when Ginsberg describes the blurry visions of the “best minds of his generation” under the influence of peyote, a drug typically used to achieve hallucinogenic effects. He states, “Peyote solidities of halls, backyard green tree cemetery dawns, wine drunkenness over the rooftops, storefront boroughs of teahead joyride neon blinking traffic light” (Ginsberg 13). Through this use of imagery, Ginsberg makes it appear that those under the influence are quickly flashing from place to place. And although his descriptive language allows the reader to briefly imagine each location, readers are generally left feeling discombobulated and unsure of how to comprehend the situation, much like the hallucinogenic experience a drug user might have. Ginsberg drives home this point by inserting short, contrasting phrases, such as “peyote solidities” in order to illustrate how the pillars of society--the “solidities”--were misconstrued by their desire for higher meaning through a more perfect society.

He uses words like “madness” , “hysterical”, and “hallucinating” to reinforce the theme. Ginsberg has personally experienced insanity in his life, his mom had struggled with it his whole life, and had been institutionalized several times. Ginsberg himself had pleaded insanity after he was convicted for theft and had spent time in a mental asylum. During his time in the mental in the mental asylum he met Carl Solomon, whom this poem is dedicated to. Carl Solomon was also a poet and he was struggling from severe Schizophrenia. Ginsberg is surrounded with insanity, so much so that he starts to see it everywhere in the world around him, and he reflects it in his works. In the poem Ginsberg describes the best minds of his generation as being “ mad” , he goes on to write about how they are struggling with drugs and with the inability to conform to society's norms.

Although often associated with two completely different eras in American history, both Allen Ginsberg and Walt Whitman share a great deal in common as two of America’s most famous poets. When it comes to the craft of poetry, both men grew to become extremely influencing figures both within the field and within American society. For example, as mentioned in his biography by Ed Folsom and Kenneth Price, Whitman has had such an influence on others that, “Poetic responses to Whitman sometimes fall into his cadences and in other ways mimic his style” (Folsom and Price). Additionally, Whitman has also influenced, “fiction, film, architecture, music, painting, dance, and other arts” (Folsom and Price) and is known world-wide. Likewise, Ginsberg influenced poetry, for “the Beats”, “encouraged a break from traditional values, supporting drug-use as a means of enlightenment”

Poems are the most simplistic way to express one’s feelings and beliefs through writing. Poets mostly try express love, loss, death, some may speak from their own experience or for the sake of their characters who tend to be quite sophisticated. They tend to write about these 3 topics commonly due to the fact that practically everyone has experienced this sort of emotion. Poetry has existed since man could write, to Aristotle, to Victorian times and now to the present day where it is internationally used. Poems are now used to promote movements for the benefit of the world, varying from poverty to the sustainability of the environment; of which most have been successful due to poetry being able to connect with the reader, even if they are not in the same situation. However they are still able to feel what their character is feeling and what state of mind they are in. Poems also tend to be short so that the reader does not loose concentration nor loose the power of the poem, but instead the poet chooses to write to a short limithowever they choose their words carefully so that the reader will be intrigued and contemplated the whole way through the poem however leave the poembeing fascinated.

uses the repetition of certain words to sound almost robotic-like. This repetition speaks very strongly to his intensely communist views on capitalism as a machine. The use of syntax is the poem also speaks very strongly to Ginsberg’s public abuse of drugs and alcohol. The entire piece reads in the same mixed up order as if the speaker was inebriated or suffering from some sort of mental illness, also a commentary on Ginsberg’s opinion of insanity as a form of genius.

Howl for the Subjection of our Individuality: Allen Ginsberg Reveals Corruption of Institutions Within America Allen Ginsberg: a poetic genius or lunatic? When reading Howl for the first hundred pages, Ginsberg’s sanity does not seem very apparent. Though, after time and deep interpretation, it shows raw truth, Ginsberg bares his soul within his poem, Howl. We are born, a soul into a body, genuinely each one-of-a-kind. Though, it seems America and its powerful institutions, tend to rip away layer by layer of individuality until there is nothing left.

The acts of disobedience and rebellion by Ginsberg and the Beat Poets prove them to be passionate yet theatrical. It is clear that Ginsberg views religion as a box that he refuses to be restricted in. His longing to be free from this institution can be described in the book 1959: The Year Everything Changed. “Ginsberg, too, saw the connection between freedom from structures in poetry and freedom from structures in all of life. The difference was that Ginsberg yearned for both freedoms” (Page 35). With the help of The Beat Poets, he is able to illustrate his spirituality and rejection from American institutions through the poem

He served as the backbone for cultural change through his most famous collection of poems, Howl and other poems which included: California Super Market, Sunflower Sutra, and America. Through Howl a new poetic and narrative voice had blasted into American culture that was spontaneous, fluid, restless, intensely private and yet unashamed of confessions. In this first and most widely recognized line Ginsberg writes, “The best minds of my generation destroyed by madness,/ starving hysterical naked...."(1-2). This new voice would speak of a new generation confronted with atom bombs, cold wars, consumerist materialism, and rampant social conformism, but also the freedom-enhancing possibilities of drugs, jazz, Eastern religions, and outlawed sexual practices. Ginsberg’s revolutionary style of poetry, which emphasized individuality in the 1950’s and 60’s inspired anti-materialism, gay rights, and anti-war movements that are still pertinent in present day America.

This poem is sometimes referred to as a violent “howl” of human anguish. It attacks the forces of conformity and mechanization that Ginsberg believed destroyed the best minds of his generation. This poem has no real structure or rational connection of ideas, and the rules of grammar are abandoned in order to pack imagery into one line. The poem points the way toward a new and better existence, chronicling the pilgrimage of the “mad generation” toward a reality that is timeless and placeless, holy and eternal.

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”.