A Comparison of Whitman’s Song of Myself with Ginsberg’s Howl

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American poetry, unlike other nations’ poetry, is still in the nascent stage because of the absence of a history in comparison to other nations’ poetry humming with matured voices. Nevertheless, in the past century, American poetry has received the recognition it deserves from the creative poetic compositions of Walt Whitman, who has been called “the father of American poetry.” His dynamic style and uncommon content is well exhibited in his famous poem “Song of Myself,” giving a direction to the American writers of posterity. In addition, his distinct use of the line and breath has had a huge impression on the compositions of a number of poets, especially on the works of the present-day poet Allen Ginsberg, whose debatable poem “Howl” reverberates with the traits of Whitman’s poetry. Nevertheless, while the form and content of “Howl” may have been impressed by “Song of Myself,” Ginsberg’s poem expresses a change from Whitman’s use of the line, his first-person recital, and his vision of America. As Whitman’s seamless lines are open-ended, speaking the voice of a universal speaker presenting a positive outlook of America, Ginsberg’s poem, on the contrary, uses long lines that end inward to present the uneasiness and madness that feature the vision of America that Ginsberg exhibits through the voice of a prophetic speaker.

Comparing Whitman’s “Song of Myself” with Ginsberg’s “Howl”, both poets’ use of line is similar – long free verse line. It was not a popular trend when Ginsberg wrote “Howl” but he used it purposely, taking the inspiration from Whitman poetry. See the long line in Whitman’s verse, “Speeding through space,…speeding through heaven and stars, […] storming enjoying planning loving cautioning,/ Backing and filling, ...

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...erg’s lines are inwardly. The self of Whitman is all-encompassing but Ginsberg’s self is passive, lacking diversity by excluding rural settings. In short, Ginsberg’s Howl” is a journey through a different route to reality by leaving the doubts behind and taking the lead role of a public American poet-prophet, which Whitman only dreamt of in his life by composing poetry for an imagined audience.

Works Cited

Ginsberg, Allen. Selected Poems 1947-1995. London: Penguin, 1997.

Monforton, Nicole. “Whitman and Ginsberg”. Weblog entry. Blog. 1 December 2010. 2 May 2012 .

Moritz, Michael. Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg: Singing and Howling their American Selves. Diss. University College Dublin, 2002.

Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass. 1885 Ed. Malcolm Cowley. Penguin: New York, 1996.

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