Allen Ginsberg Howl Analysis

A Howling Political Outburst

Imagine a world where it was acceptable to express all of your thoughts and feelings without worrying about what others thought of you. Sadly, that kind world is only real in our imagination. We live in a world where freedom of speech exists, yet we’re part of a society that prevents us from freely expressing ourselves. And I truly believe that is what makes people go insane because they have to keep the things they want to speak about inside their heads. Or of course, turn to writing a book or poem just like Allen Ginsberg. After reading “Howl,” I’ve come to a conclusion that Ginsberg was a mad man stuck in a cruel some world that prevented him from being him. “Howl” was a political outburst and protest in poetry

form, using metaphors and descriptive language that forced its reader to realize the kind of world we live in.
The end of World War II left poets like Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Corso questioning “mainstream politics and culture” (Academy of American Poets, Paragraph 1). And how do they express their thoughts about life after World War II, through a style of writing that defied traditional writing. Ginsberg opens Part I of “Howl” with the infamous line, “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked” (Howl, Line 1). I believe the “best minds” were people that weren’t accepted by society because they refused to conform themselves to fit in with the ideals of its institution. If you think about our world today, there are many people that are afraid of change. Many people believe that sticking to tradition is a lot safer than change and that’s because these people have lived long enough to defend traditional ideals. These people are of course our older generation, also known as the wiser generation of our population. However, our world today isn’t the same as it was 50 years ago. What Ginsberg and the Beats figured out was that the world will never be the way it is if people like them are being destroyed by madness. Madness that results to “dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix” (Howl, Line 2). Some people tend to turn to alcohol or drugs to numb the pain, anger and insanity and I believe that’s exactly what Ginsberg and the Beats did to make the attempt to survive in a world that drove them crazy.
As you continue to read the rest of Part I, Ginsberg goes deeper into what he witnessed during his time but his use of descriptive language is so strong that it makes your imagination run wild trying t o picture his world. For the most part you get a good picture that American culture and society back then wasn’t a good time. The people then were not only losing their minds but also their souls who were “angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night” (Howl, Line 3), being disconnected from the spiritual realities of life. Poverty then had a huge effect on people then causing them to be “hollow-eyed and high” (Howl, Line 4) as they sat on top of buildings contemplating about the physical hardship that has left them poor and unable to earn an honest living all thanks to the society they live in. We still have that problem today in our world where there are people still having a hard time making an honest living. Hawaii is a great example. How can an island be so expensive to live at and we have a huge issue with amount of homeless we have on the streets. When you really think about what the government is doing to address the issue, our government isn’t doing much but keeping the homeless away from public areas. If they were more affordable housing or living assistance for these people it would decrease the numbers.
With the amount of political and societal issues Ginsberg had to deal with and witness, I am not surprise he turned to hallucinogen drugs.

He admits to using those drugs in Part I and greatly shows proof with the descriptive and creative language he uses. When you look at his word choice you get a sense of getting lost in a false reality, a reality he wished existed instead of the one he had to live through. Which would explain why as you read through Part I, you are now going on a road trip with Ginsberg and the Beats all over the United States. Witnessing and experiencing life under the influence and life not under the influence. For example line 59, “who barreled down the highways of the past journeying to each other’s hotrod-Golgotha jail-solitude watch or Birmingham jazz incarnation” (Ginsberg, 17), illustrates life in the fast lane and using road trips as a way of escape from the reality they refuse to be a part of while of course high. Then we have line 60 where Ginsberg and the Beats “drove crosscountry seventytwo hours to find out if [he] had a vision or [they] had a vision to find out Eternity” (Ginsberg, 17). Ginsberg and the Beats just drove across country three days straight in hopes that someone in the car would have some kind of spiritual vision about Eternity. A place where Ginsberg and the Beats can remain existence for an endless amount of time without the feeling of

madness.
Ginsberg definitely wrote “Howl” to trash the society he lived in and reveal it for what is truly was and Part II of his poem explains it all. When I first read Part II, I was confused as to what is this “Moloch,” Ginsberg constantly repeats through the poem. Moloch is particularly knowns as an ancient Middle Eastern deity to whom child sacrifices were made to (Encyclopedia Britannica). My first thought that came to mind that yes indeed Allen Ginsberg was a mad man that took way too many drugs to numb all the madness. But once I reread this section I started to realize the Ginsberg uses “Moloch” as a symbol that represents the government and the authority behind our government. It’s quite obvious that he was man that wanted change and he wanted people to illustrate our government in a way that shows the influence they have on the people. But using a demon as the choice of metaphoric symbol is a little over-doing it, then again in Ginsberg’s mind the government back then may have seem demonic.
Throughout Part II, Ginsberg calls out “Moloch!” as if he is calling out the government and exposing every negative aspect of it. Moloch represents the government that tells us how we can and cannot live. Ginsberg suggests this when he calls the government “the judger of men,” (Howl, Line 81), meaning they have the power to give what they want and take what they want. Ginsberg criticizes the government again when he says they are “the crossbone soulless jailhouse and Congress of sorrows!” (Howl, Line 82), illustrating that our society is a place of sorrows and failure to progress because they fail at addressing the hopes and needs of their people. Which I do find true today also especially when you look at other countries and how their government runs them. It’s so sad how other countries don’t have the kind of freedom we do have in America. The world in general would be a better place for everyone if the government would address as many issues as possible. It’s easy to see that Ginsberg truly believes the government is one of the main problem in society.
“Howl,” is a perfect example of a political outburst. The title itself expresses the main theme of the book which was madness. It illustrated a world the drove people so crazy and insane because of a society that controlled them. “Howl” showed us that if we took the time to really witness our surrounding, we would feel the way Ginsberg felt back in the 1950s, we would feel the same madness. Our world today may not be the same as it was back in the 1950s, but I bet the way our government runs and controls us drives us crazy. When you really sit back and analyze our current situation, life could be so much better. There are laws and policies implemented that aren’t necessary and can cause restrictions. There are problems and issues that we the people want solved, but we are still waiting on our government to address them. Life under the influence would be the easiest way out of a world we can’t stand to live in some days but we shouldn’t have to turn to drugs and alcohol like Ginsberg and the Beats. From then till now, our society should realize that we can’t conform ourselves just to survive, the society has to be conformed to help the people survive.