Essay Comparing Frost And Ginsberg

Poetry has always been a subjective art. The reader may see or interpret a certain stanza differently than someone else might; however, the original meaning created by the poet remains the same. Poets Allen Ginsberg and Robert Frost are two massively influential and talented poets, with both of their works representing their views and the state of the era with regards to the human condition. As a reader might have a different interpretation of a poem, Ginsberg and Frost had exceptionally different thoughts on society and culture during this time, and this was shown quite plainly through their poetry. The renowned country poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California, on March 26, 1874. When his father died at the age of eleven, he moved to Massachusetts with his mother and younger

Ginsberg’s homosexuality proved to be another factor in his distance from mainstream culture, as his sexuality was not accepted during this time. In the poem, he describes Whitman as being able to go “in and out of the brilliant stacks of cans,” and “tasting artichokes, possessing every frozen delicacy, and never passing the cashier.” He sees Whitman as untouchable by the demands of society, and strives to be like him and see the world how he did, in a natural sense without the constraints and conformity that modern society demands. By the end of the poem, he relates Whitman to a forgotten hero, just as the world forgets its past and continues blindly into the future, no matter how unnatural and foolhardy the days ahead might be. I enjoy Ginsberg’s symbol of modern America as a supermarket, and I think that there is a great deal of symbols and metaphors that the reader can find throughout the poem. Ginsberg’s erratic and unconventional style is perfect to showcase his thoughts on society, and his form represents the content of the poem seamlessly. The theme itself is interesting to explore, and his view on society at this time is fascinating and original