Analysis Of A Journey Through Howl By William Ginsberg
A Journey Through Howl: A Peculiar and Intense Poem by Allen Ginsberg
Let's take a journey through a poem that some might believe is word vomit spewing from the mouth of a non-conforming, homosexual, drug user in the mid 1950's. Others might see it as a word roller coaster through the life experiences of Ginsberg. He uses strong imagery to intrigue the mind, and powerful words to shed light on the madness that was spreading like wild fire through the non-conforming people of this era. My perception of Howl, written in 1956 for Carl Solomon was a way of expressing feelings with no-holds-barred in a peculiar and intense fashion. Ginsberg was not accepted by society as a homosexual no-holds-barred poet. He did not fit the image of a typical young American man at that time, nor did he want to. Ginsberg grew a beard and fell in love with a man. Young men were expected to have a clean shaven face, short manicured hair, and a wife and kids who knew their places. Straying outside of this is when society attempts to reprogram the mind. They saw it as a mental illness, and believed institutions and electric shock therapy would somehow reprogram the brain to a more acceptable way of thinking. Thus making it easier for them to control and dictate how to live and act in life. Little did they know this would be an epic failure since people are who they are. …show more content…
“I'm with you in Rockland where you accuse your doctors of insanity and plot the Hebrew socialist revolution against the fascist national Golgotha.” (107) Perhaps he is right and it was the doctors who were insane not the accused. After all they were poets with an innovative way of expressing themselves and society was not prepared for this type of free speech. With this take on literature they were swiftly snatched up and placed in mental institutions and kept there until they gave in or
Let's take a journey through a poem that some might believe is word vomit spewing from the mouth of a non-conforming, homosexual, drug user in the mid 1950's. Others might see it as a word roller coaster through the life experiences of Ginsberg. He uses strong imagery to intrigue the mind, and powerful words to shed light on the madness that was spreading like wild fire through the non-conforming people of this era. My perception of Howl, written in 1956 for Carl Solomon was a way of expressing feelings with no-holds-barred in a peculiar and intense fashion. Ginsberg was not accepted by society as a homosexual no-holds-barred poet. He did not fit the image of a typical young American man at that time, nor did he want to. Ginsberg grew a beard and fell in love with a man. Young men were expected to have a clean shaven face, short manicured hair, and a wife and kids who knew their places. Straying outside of this is when society attempts to reprogram the mind. They saw it as a mental illness, and believed institutions and electric shock therapy would somehow reprogram the brain to a more acceptable way of thinking. Thus making it easier for them to control and dictate how to live and act in life. Little did they know this would be an epic failure since people are who they are. …show more content…
“I'm with you in Rockland where you accuse your doctors of insanity and plot the Hebrew socialist revolution against the fascist national Golgotha.” (107) Perhaps he is right and it was the doctors who were insane not the accused. After all they were poets with an innovative way of expressing themselves and society was not prepared for this type of free speech. With this take on literature they were swiftly snatched up and placed in mental institutions and kept there until they gave in or