Allen Ginsberg was considered one of the leading poets of his time in the 1950’s during a period known as the “beat” generation. The beat generation was considered the turning point of literature as many writers deterred from the status quo of standard writing narratives leaning towards religious quests and materialism. Ginsberg's works represents the rejection of these narratives in poems such “Howl”, where vulgar language and the incorporation of alcoholism, drugs and violence are quite apparent. While most of Ginsberg’s poems consist of this use of symbolism and imagery, his poem “A Supermarket in California” is written in admiration of fellow poet, Walt Whitman.
Despite “Howl” and Ginsberg's other poems containing epithets ranging from
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Since the beginning of the poem we can sense how infatuated Ginsberg is for Whitman, but this certain adjective Ginsberg decides to include might possibly symbolize his desire to become the kid that Whitman never had. In the final lines of the stanza, Ginsberg imagines that the store detective is looking for them as they sample various foods within the supermarket without paying. Perhaps Ginsberg incorporated this as a sense of forbidden love within his writing, where the store detective represents the judgemental society of his time and they are running from the ridicule they’ll receive from this …show more content…
Ginsberg however isn't asking for directions to a specific location, rather he is asking about his own life's direction by stating “Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in a hour. Which way does your beard point tonight?”(Li.21-22), we can sense a form of desperation appearing as Ginsberg feels his time with Whitman slipping. Also, we can see Whitman’s beard represented as a “life compass” for Ginsberg as he asks, “Which way does your beard point tonight?”(Li.21). This leads us to believe that Ginsberg gave Whitman's beard symbolic value possibly because Ginsberg admired it or thought of beards as a form of sophistication and stability. In the following lines, Ginsberg recalls to Whitman “I touch your book and dream of our odyssey in the supermarket and feel absurd”(Li.22), emphasizing that their journey through the supermarket up to this point pales in comparison to that of Whitman's various literary works and endeavours. The book in which Ginsberg touches is in this case, the epitome of Whitman's career thus making Ginsberg's Supermarket trip feel inferior. As the poem comes to a close, Ginsberg begins to introduce a sleuth of Greek mythology references ranging from Charon’s ferry to the smoky banks of
In "Langston Hughes and the "Other" Whitman", George Hutchinson summarizes the similarities between Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman. Although Walt Whitman wrote during the American Antebellum Era and Hughes wrote during the Harlem Renaissance, both used their works to advocate for African Americans. Hughes greatly admired Whitman and felt that he had been ignored and underappreciated as a writer. Hughes’ admiration and respect for Whitman allowed him to develop his own unique style of writing and encouraged him to be a voice for those living in Harlem. Analyzing Whitman’s poetry enabled Hughes to find ways to incorporate aspects of Jazz and Blues into his poetry. Whitman and Hughes both integrated their opinions into their poetry and used
Rosenthal, M.L. "Poet of the New Violence". On the Poetry of Allen Ginsberg. Ed. Lewis Hyde. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1984. 29-31.
Why. Excuse me. Why. Does. Excuse. Why me. I mean. Excuse me. Why. Does. It . Always end up this way. Like this. A performance. It's my best excuse. And. I'm on the wagon. Again. Why. Excuses. Sitting in the state of a daydream. No. Falling. A performance. Why what it comes down to. Poetry. And. My two main men. Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. Both use their individual voice to perform the buddhistic beat they feel is part of their poetry/ their beatific movement. Even though these two poets influenced each other. And. Their voices are significantly different. Each has a personal style one cannot deny. And. Each boy added his separate beat to the music they created as a generation. A beat generation. Jack's buddhistic jazz/ blues chorus poetry is domesticized/ tainted Christianity-wise. And. Allen's sound becomes zentific without Christianity/ hanging on a cross in the backbeat of his prose poetry. While each may have his own personal style/ both poets use the same technique in sound. And. Rhythm to give their audience something to bugaloo to. Excuse me. What's. That. Poetry. Baby. A performance. So. Please brother. Take a chance. And. Dance. (She says that as she shh shh shivers.)
In their writings of the mid-1950s, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac describe an America recently converted to the religion of the T.V. Ginsberg witnesses and records big blue Buicks in driveways of identical box houses. With Walt Whitman he watches whole families peruse the peaches in late-night supermarkets. Conversely, Kerouac describes a spiritual journey that takes him back and forth across the U.S. Both Ginsberg and Kerouac use Buddhist ideals and methodology to criticize the current state of American society. They seek after a more honest and equal American Dream.
Overall, what Ginsberg was trying to say is that we are ALL mad and crazy, but we are all also good. Ginsberg questions the human social actions throughout his journey with his friends, and wrote Howl to help others understand the social discrimination and chaos in the world. For me, I understand the reason behind the actions those bullies and their rumors have done to me, and that’s okay. It is a social truth, that society is unfair and cruel, also
Here Whitman’s persona is taking a great interest and pleasure in the mere routine and wit of this young man, who is most likely unaware of the fact he is being observed. Whitman is e...
Widely recognized as an American classic, Howl by Allen Ginsberg of The Beat Generation is a poem that managed to have a powerful influence on the American society in the 50s - the impact
Allen Ginsberg confessed the intention to “defy the system of academic poetry, official reviews, New York publishing machinery, national sobriety and generally accepted standards to good taste” (qtd. in Tyler Hoffman 128). These were the poet’s answers to decay and disillusion. The technique used to deny the tradition was similar to the Dadaist approach by using spontaneity as a method of composition. Ginsberg, being part of the Beat movement, tried to establish a new tradition, and a new perspective regarding the world, all carefully wrapped in a less academic view. They had “A profound love of poetry, a belief in the vitality and integrity of
Monforton, Nicole. “Whitman and Ginsberg”. Weblog entry. Blog. 1 December 2010. 2 May 2012 .
Born June 3, 1926, Allen Ginsberg is known as one of the most influential poets of the Beats Generation. With his forward political views and content that pushed limits, he was always working toward equality for the all. Ginsberg is considered to have “[grown] up in a conventional and uneventful fashion,” with politically active parents as an influence (Lewis, Critical Survey of Poetry). It is no mere coincidence that as he continued to grow, he also became involved with politics. Many of his poems tend to address issues that Ginsberg did not agree with. It is said that many of Ginsberg’s poems have something to do with what has influenced his life. They are considered to have some autobiographical elements.
Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes were two great of America’s poets who believed in the American Dream. The American Dream was the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. The American Dream meant everything to Whitman and Hughes during that time. Whitman’s poem was titled “I Hear America Singing’’ and Hughes poem was titled “Let America Be America Again.’’ Although Whitman and Hughes agreed that America was the land of opportunity, they had very different perspectives on who had achieved liberty and success.
Homosexuality remained illegal in most parts of America until the 1960s, but Ginsberg refused to equate his Gay identity with criminality. He wrote about his homosexuality in almost every poem that he wrote, most specifically in ‘Many Loves’ (1956) and ‘Please Master’ (1968), his paeans to his errant lover Neal Cassady. Ginsberg’s poems are full of explicit sexual detail and scatological humour, but the inclusion of such details should not be interpreted as a childish attempt to incense the prudish and the square.
Ginsberg’s “A Supermarket in California” criticizes America during the midst of the twentieth century in which society had acquired an attitude that heavily valued the materialistic aspects of life. In order to efficiently express the speaker’s discontent with society, he paints images by using vivid detail throughout the entire poem to allow the reader to experience what the speaker experiences himself. He begins by describing the setting on the streets of California, “I walked down the sidestreets under the trees…/… looking at the full moon” (2-3) and had thoughts of Walt Whitman, a nineteenth century poet whom Ginsberg deeply admired. The setting is essential as it describes the two worlds in which the speaker lives in; one represented by the metropolitan landscape of downtown California and another represented by nature, which the speaker longs to be a part of. The speaker describes himself as a lost soul in search of satisfaction in conventional America, a place where he does no...
Furthermore, Simpson’s poem"Walt Whitman at Bear Mountain,", indicates the contradictions between these two poets. indirectly and ironically, Simpson detracts the greatness of Whitman's optimistic nation. He raises a doubtful quistion to Walt Whitman. He asks, "Where are you, Walt? The Open Road goes to the used-car lot.
" In 1957 U.S. customs seized over 500 copies of Ginsberg's novel Howl on grounds of obscenity. These c... ... middle of paper ... ... ments. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.