After Ginsberg’s high school graduation in June of 1943 he immediately enrolled in Columbia University in New York City on a scholarship from the Young Men’s Hebrew Association in Paterson. In his early journals, he confessed that one of the primary reasons he applied to Columbia was because his secret crush, Paul Roth, had gone to Columbia a year earlier (Ginsberg). It was this secret, the proximity to his home in New Jersey, its credibility as a university, and the fact that it was his father’s alma mater that made Columbia Ginsberg’s first choice in colleges. He began classes right after graduation during the summer term, endeavoring to become a labor lawyer. He did, however, continue to contribute to literature and worked to pursue his hobby of writing. He not only submitted works for Columbia’s literary journal, the Columbia Review, but he also wrote for the Jester humor magazine, served as president for Columbia’s literary and debate group, the Philolexian Society, and won the Woodberry Poetry Prize in 1946 (Miles). Despite his growing success as a writer, Ginsberg continued pursuing law. One might think that his time as a law student at Columbia was a waste considering his passion for writing and the success it brought him later in life. On the contrary, his passion for law was nearly as powerful as his passion for literature and instilled in him the fierce opinions and beliefs that he used in his work and that he fought for as a social activist. Ginsberg would surely have become a lawyer had he not met the friends that would one day be known as the “Beat Generation” writers that changed the direction of his life forever.
Its no surprise that drugs played an important--whether beneficial or otherwise--part in Ginsberg's adu...
... middle of paper ...
...nd Ginsberg come to celebrate his triumph over censorship, support of the arts, and the ways “Howl” revolutionized literature and opened doors for individuals who longed to reveal their eccentricities before it was considered “appropriate” to do so. The fact that festivals like these are permitted to exist, that people still gather in Ginsberg’s name, that people are allowed to live with out restrictions because of his work are just some examples of how this man’s legacy lives on far longer than he could have ever imagined. Allen Ginsberg led a band of misfits through a re-imagination of literature and, despite the controversy he inspired and through his determination to avoid censors, those misfits changed the way literature was written and how the world responded to literature forever. There has and will never be a writer to affect as many lives as Allen Ginsberg.
The "Poet of the New Violence" On the Poetry of Allen Ginsberg. Ed. Lewis Hyde. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1984. 29-31.
Throughout the words and the lives of the Beat Generation, one theme is apparent: America, everywhere from Allen Ginsberg’s “America,” to Jack Kerouac’s love for Thomas Wolfe. Although the views of America differ, they all find some reason to focus in on this land. Ginsberg, in his poem “America,” makes a point that not many of us can see as obvious: “It occurs to me that I am America. I am talking to myself again.” Each and every one of us make up America, and when we complain about something that is wrong, we are complaining about ourselves. Being raised by his mother as a Communist, and being homosexual, Ginsberg found many things wrong with America, and he does his fare share of complaining, but at the end he decides, “America I’m putting my queer shoulder to the wheel.” Ginsberg didn’t want to sit and watch everything go wrong. He was going to do something, despite the fact that he was not the ideal American.
When he was fifteen years old his mother died from appendicitis. From fifteen years of age to his college years he lived in an all-white neighborhood. From 1914-1917, he shifted from many colleges and academic courses of study as well as he changed his cultural identity growing up. He studied physical education, agriculture, and literature at a total of six colleges and universities from Wisconsin to New York. Although he never completed a degree, his educational pursuits laid the foundation for his writing career. He had the knowledge of philosophy and psychology. He attempted to write when he was a youth, but he made a choice to pursue a literary career in 1919. After he published Cane he became part of New York literary circles. He objected both rivalries that prevailed in the fraternity of writers and to attempts to promote him as a black writer (Clay...
Psychedelic drugs affect more then creativity, they are also known to have the ability to increase the users sense of spirituality and religion. In the academic journal, “Voice of The Psychonauts,” author Levente Moro explores the correlation between spirituality, and psychedelic drug use. He claims that when psychedelic drugs are taken in a “supportive” environment they have the ability to induce “deeply meaningful religious revelations and spiritual awakenings” (Moro et al. 190). Psychedelic drug use in hopes of spiritual revelations is not new, and has actually been going on for hundreds of years. The Native American Church has been known to traditionally use psychedelic drugs for spiritual experiences (Moro et al. 190). Some Mexican tribes are also known to ingest psilocybin mushrooms in order to induce religious awakenings (Moro et al. 190). To further prove his argument, Levente Moro conducted an online survey amongst 667 random people. His results suggested that people still take psychedelic drugs in order to have religious experiences, even though it is looked down upon in certain religious groups (Moro et al. 195). Levente Moro is not the only one interested in psychedelic drugs and religion. Many other scientists have also examined this theory. In the article, “Values and Beliefs of Psychedelic Drug Users,” author Michael Lerner also discusses the relationship between psychedelic drug use and spirituality. Lerner also believes that when psychedelic drugs are taken with the correct mindset, they have the ability to increase ones sense of religion. In order to test his theory, Michael Lerner had 183 volunteers fill out a questionnaire. Even though he conducted the survey amongst people from all over the world...
Individuals in “Howl” are stripped away from claiming ample opportunities of being artistic, free, and have particular aesthetic sensibilities. “Moloch! Moloch! Nightmare of Moloch...Moloch the incomprehensible prison...Moloch whose mind is pure machinery….” (1400) Ginsberg’s poem criticizes the lack of individual expression throughout society. Saying Beatniks who ate, wept, coughed, plunged, cut, balled, hiccupped, howled, broke, burned, cowered, and sank, yacketyyakking, screaming, vomiting, and whispering. Described endless depictions of how Moloch’s power over the lives of the oppressed gave his “filth, solitude, and, loneliness” (1400). Kept consciously destroying the minds of men and women alike. Intellectuals had done nothing wrong, yet vices and society tore them apart and killed them. Moloch from this perspective can be seen as an antithesis to of his generation. A concrete void, one who opposes individual freedom and love. However, Ginsberg’s poem initiated a call for self-expression and the use of rebellious language was a means towards a cultural and political oppression. Stand up against politics, society, and culture that ultimately brought down the youth culture of
Ginsberg, Benjamin, Theodore J Lowi and Margaret Weir. We the people. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. Print.
...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.
It was a 1951 TIME cover story, which dubbed the Beats a ‘Silent Generation, ’ that led to Allen Ginsberg’s retort in his poem ‘America,’ in which he vocalises a frustration at this loss of self- importance. The fifties Beat Generation, notably through Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and Allen Ginsberg’s Howl as will here be discussed, fought to revitalise individuality and revolutionise their censored society which seemed to produce everything for the masses at the expense of the individual’s creative and intellectual potential. Indeed, as John Clellon Holmes once noted: “TIME magazine called them the Silent Generation, but this may have been because TIME was not really listening. ”
During their time together, the members of The Beatles experimented with several different drugs. Drugs played a major role in the career of the Beatles as they influenced many of the songs as well as played a significant role on the bonding the band shared. Each band member had his own preference of drugs. However, the most significant impact drugs had on the Beatles were due from Preludin, cannabis, and LSD for reasons that were quite different.
Four paralleled lives of drug use. Harry, his girlfriend Marion, His friend Tyron, and his widowed mother Sara have one thing in common and that’s addiction. Harry, Marion, and Tyron come up with a plan to buy bulk drugs so they can sell them, make a huge profit to “better their lives”, and stop pushing nickel bags. As they make profits they continue to feed their growing addictions to heroin and cocaine. They end up with no money and no drugs. They all start experiencing withdrawal and become desperate. Marion begins to prostitute for drugs and money. Harry and Tyron end up in jail, and Harry ends up getting his arm amputated from IV use. Sara becomes obsessed with her weight so she can fit back into her red dress and become a contestant
During the 1950’s, a group of young American writers began to openly oppose societal norms in favor of other radical beliefs. These writers believed in ideas such as spiritual and sexual liberation, decriminalization of drugs, and opposition to industrialism as well as consumerism (Parkins). Over time, these writers became known as the Beat Generation and created the Beat Movement. Among the members of this rebellious group was the infamous Allen Ginsberg who is considerably one of the most influential poets of his time. By utilizing tools like imagery, allusions, and symbols, Allen Ginsberg’s “A Supermarket in California” discusses themes such as consumerism, sexuality, and alienation which reflect Ginsberg’s personal beliefs and desire for change.
Raskin Jonah, American Scream: Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and the Making of the Beat Generation Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2004.
The society around us changes constantly and if we don’t catch up, we can possibly find ourselves in a suffering of our own madness. Ginsberg lived in a society in which homosexuals were unacceptable in which had to be treated with shock therapy. We can easily see why one can be driven to madness because it is hard for one individual to change the minds of many. Over time though we can see the issue being resolved and the acceptance of gays is becoming popular. But that is just the thing though, why must we let society define who we are and how to live? As far as I’m concerned, we are all human, no different from one another. Ginsberg’s poem Howl is important to read because it gives us insight into the cruel side of society in which people are constantly living in. With that knowledge, we can learn be more fair and to treat other people like equals and not opposites. We can take the initiative as individuals to make equality known and freedom
The 1950’s beatniks gather around coffeeshops, writing and grumbling about the unfairness of the government and society’s closed mind. Today, youth gather around their laptops and type away, despairing over the unfairness of the government and society’s closed mind. Allen Ginsberg’s poetry embodies those angry youth. His unique choices in diction, symbolism and imagery artfully conveys his criticism against the wrongdoings of Uncle Sam and his subjects. Through his poem America, Ginsberg reaches out to all generations of people and exposes the ethical mistakes that both the government and society as a whole make, and these mistakes are classic in the sense that it is always a mistake that everyone keeps repeating.
If it wasn’t for him loving to write, there may not have been these great books in the world today. As an adult, he set his life’s work on exposing social ills, using his boundless talents and energies to spin engaging, poignant tales from the streets (pbs.org). Charles introduced new forms of publishing that became popular and influential really fast. Dicken’s keen observational style, precise description, and sharp social criticism have kept his large body of work profoundly enduring (pbs,org).