Allen Ginsberg's Influence On American Culture

Independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity and intelligence are just a few of the many elements that exemplify Allen Ginsberg as an American poet, philosopher, and writer. He is considered to be one of the leading figures of both the Beat Generation during the 1950s and the counterculture that soon followed. Ginsberg is well known for his rejection of materialism, experimentation with drugs, openness of sexuality, and use of language which show how he as a poet and philosopher, explored and influenced American culture in a variety of ways.

During the 1950’s, Ginsberg’s work was classified in the category of a Beat Generation writer. In an interview with The History Channel, Ginsberg explained

PBS featured Ginsberg within their American Masters series, providing us with more of an understanding regarding his drug use. “Throughout the 1960s, Ginsberg experimented with a number of different drugs, believing that under the influence he could create a new kind of poetry. Using LSD, peyote, marijuana, and other drugs he attempted to expand his consciousness” (“Allen Ginsberg”). When Ginsberg wrote the poem “Howl,” it is said to be believed that he was under the influence of either meth or peyote. “Howl” describes the lives of drug addicts and alcoholics. In the second line, Ginsberg writes, “dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix…” To have a "fix" is to take enough of a drug to tide a person over until the next craving. A person looking for a "fix" usually would suffer from addiction. The fix is personified as angry, when in fact the addicts are angry because they had to wander the streets in order to find