The Silence of the Lambs
Allen Ginsberg found himself at the heart of what is known as The Beat Generation. He existed among a group of artists whose work fostered a new consciousness (living beyond society's norms) that was most impactful during the 1960s counterculture movement. Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” discusses the trials and tribulations the members of the counterculture experienced, as well as the “monster” that contributed to their demise. “Howl” is divided into several parts utilizing anaphora to underscore the contrasting themes within the first and second sections of the poem.
The first section of “Howl” describes the lives of Beatniks, hipsters, drug users, gay people, or anyone who did not conform to societal norms. Ginsberg’s diction depicts these people as promiscuous and overall unfavorable on first glance.
“Who bit detectives in the neck and shrieked with delight in policecars…
Who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and
screamed with joy.Who got busted in their pubic beards returning through Laredo with
a belt of marijuana for New York” (Ginsberg 62–64).
Further analysis of “Howl” is necessary to understand that Ginsberg is not slandering those of the counterculture movement. Rather, the repetition of “Who” followed by a verb at the beginning of each line emphasizes the suffering and rejection endured by those who live beyond the mainstream.
“Who cowered… Who drove… Who wept… Who cut… Who jumped…” (Ginsberg 62–64).
The repetition of these descriptions highlights the hardships that the Beats faced. In fact, Ginsberg compares the Beat experience to that of a lamb within The Poetics of The New American Poetry. He states “Part I, a lament for the Lamb in America with instances of remarkable lamblike youths” (Ginsberg 320). Like a lamb, the Beats represent an atypical type of innocence. And, similarly to sheep social structures, if a lamb acts out they are rejected by their mother and the herd. Perhaps Ginsberg is pointing to how the Beats share a relationship characterized by both innocence to and rejection from conservative society.
In contrast, the second section of “Howl” illustrates the monster that causes pain and suffering among the “lamblike youths” of the counterculture movement.
“Moloch the incomprehensible prison!
Moloch the crossbone soulless jailhouse and Congress of sorrows!
Moloch whose buildings are judgment!
Moloch the vast stone of war! Moloch the stunned governments!
Moloch whose mind is pure machinery!” (Ginsberg 68).
This section’s tone changes significantly through these repeated exclamations of the monster referred to as “Moloch.” “Moloch,” who is an old testament god who was worshiped with child sacrifices, also personifies corruptness within American capitalism, politics, and mainstream expectations. By utilizing anaphoras of his name, Ginsberg was able to convey the contrasting themes of the counterculture “lambs” and their destroyer — American norms, politics, and systems.
Ginsberg, Allen. “Howl.” The Portable Beat Reader, edited by Ann Charters, Penguin Books, 1992, pp. 62–70.
Ginsberg, Allen. The Poetics of the New American Poetry, edited by Donald Allen, Grove Press, 1979, pp. 318–321.
