Understanding Carl Solomon
Allen Ginsberg’s repetition is essential in creating consistency in his free verse “Howl.” The Beat Generation writer met Carl Solomon during his time at Columbia Psychiatric Institute, where Solomon committed himself for shock therapy (21). Six years later, Ginsberg wrote “Howl” and dedicated it to Carl Solomon. “Howl” recognizes the “madness” that overtook the generation. Ginsberg executed this piece in three sections.
Section 1: Identification of the Message Receiver and Rhythm
Who passed through universities with radiant cool eyes hallucinating Arkansas and Blake-light tragedy among the scholars of war,
Who were expelled from the academies for crazy & publishing obscene odes on the windows of the skull,
Who cowered in unshaven rooms in underwear, burning their money in wastebaskets and listening to the Terror through the wall… (Ginsberg 62)
The first section, riddled with the anaphora “Who,” reflects on the people Ginsberg intends to have his message reach. To highlight this, Ginsberg uses the word “Who” to begin each sentence, almost as if he is calling out to a person. The repetition is further exaggerated through his sentence structure. The poem’s structure largely consists of sentences void of the typical rhyme schemes. In addition, “Howl” includes lengthy sentences lacking punctuation. To add consistency, the use of repetition helped Ginsberg ground readers by bringing them back to the poem’s reoccurring word, “Who” while creating recognition for the people in the poem.
Section 2: Highlighting the Process
They broke their backs lifting Moloch to heaven! (Ginsberg 68)
In this section, Ginsberg closes with a recognition of the goal many people of the generation wanted to achieve and a commentary on their failure to achieve material prosperity. However, his consistent use of the name for the ancient Canaanite god associated with the sacrifice of children, “Moloch,” evokes feelings of anxiety and anger. Here, Ginsberg is using repetition as a warning to those who are trying to reach an impossible ending. This journey adds to the “madness” many are experiencing.
Section 3: A Personal Address to Carl Solomon
In the last section, Ginsberg returns to anaphora, “I’m with you in Rockland” (Ginsberg 71). The repetition of the phrases conveys Ginsberg’s anger toward the way Carl Solomon was treated in the institution. Ginsberg further expresses that he recognizes his pain and is someone who understands Solomon:
“I’m with you in Rockland, where you must feel very strange…” (Ginsberg 69)
While this section was directed to Carl Solomon, you can infer that he also stands with those who are struggling with mental health and denounces the harsh treatment received from institutions in its entirety. The inference is created through the connection of the three sections. The first section shows recognition for people struggling with mental health through the humanization of them. Ginsberg achieves this not only through his repetition of “Who” but also through his active use of descriptors such as “intellects” and people who “dreamt.” In the second section Ginsberg launches an attack on capitalism and denounces the treatment of institutions by limiting the results of them to a “Nightmare of Moloch” (Ginsberg 68). The third section closes with a personal message to Carl Solomon, who he is “with.” The section indicates Ginsberg is not expressing this from an outside perspective. Instead, he has experienced it in his personal life with his friend. Therefore, not only does Ginsberg express the fact that many people get affected by this in his first section with “who,” he explains why they are going through this process with an angry message to Moloch and closes with an acknowledgment or a statement of his understanding through his letter to his friend Carl Solomon.
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 M. Allen and Warren Tallman, Grove Press, 1979, pp. 318–321.
