Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg; An esteemed American poet best known for his contribution to the Beat Generation during the 1960s countercultural movement, helped form an impactful, new sense of social norms.
Ginsberg’s “Howl” written in 1955, shows repetition of the word “who” which grabs the attention of the beat generation that Ginsberg is referring to. The “Who” more specifically, being anyone who didn’t relate to the social norms such as gay people, drug users, beatniks, hipsters, etc. Ginsberg shows in the first section of “Howl” all of the “Who’s” flaws and why they aren’t seen as acceptable in the eyes of the public.
“ Who were expelled from the academies for crazy and publishing obscene odes on the widows of the skull,”
“ Who cowered in unshaven rooms in underwear, burning their money in wastebaskets and listening to the Terror through the wall,”
“ Who got busted in their pubic beards returning through Laredo with
a belt of marijuana for New York “ ( Ginsberg 62 ).
“Howl” can be seen as a controversial poem that is dissing the people of the counter cultural movement however; Ginsberg is not hating on the beat generation, but rather shows the extreme agony of those who live outside of the typical social norms. These “Who” lines state the agony faced by the beat generation causes a rift in the social norms and shows the differences that aren’t accepted in society. These lines also reveal the vivid imagery of the poem. Ginsberg writes:
“ Who chained themselves to the subways for the endless ride from Battery to holy Bronx on benzedrine until the noise of wheels and children brought them down shuddering mouth-wracked and battered bleak of brain all drained of brilliance in the drear light of Zoo,” ( Ginsberg 62–63 )
This line in particular, shows the vividness of agony Ginsberg describes throughout the course of the poem. “ Chained themselves” and “ the endless ride” are two very vivid images given to the audience by Ginsberg that truly show the agony of the people outside of the social norms. Ginsberg’s use of repetition and vivid imagery conveys the difficulties faced by the beat generation all due to the countercultural movement.
Ginsberg, Allen. “Howl.” The Portable Beat Reader, edited by Ann Charters, Penguin Books, 1992, pp. 62–70.
