In Goya's Greatest Scenes We Seem to See
“In Goya’s Greatest Scenes We Seem to See” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
In this paper I will be exploring the social criticism that is conveyed by Lawrence Ferlinghetti in his poem “In Goya’s Greatest Scenes We Seem to See.” Ferlinghetti criticizes the industrial revolution in America; he compares its outcomes with war. Ferlinghetti alludes to various paintings by Goya that depict war, and links their interpretation to the industrialization in America. The poem contains various poetic elements such as alliteration, hyperbole and Ekpharsis all reinforce his rhetoric. Being a painter as well as a poet contributes to Ferlinghetti’s brilliant mixing of art and poetry, the poem’s appearance has a strong visual effect, one that transports the notion of war and chaos through its form. I will demonstrate Ferlinghetti’s use of alliteration, hyperbole and Ekpharsis, as a means to criticize the industrialization in America.
The socio historical context of this poem is the economic growth that the American society has experienced during the 1950’s, also known as “the golden age of capitalism.” Lawrence Ferlinghetti was a part of the “Beat Generation,” a group of poets that among other things were known for their criticism of capitalism and rejection of materialism. The poem was published in Ferlinghetti’s book titled “A Coney Island of the Mind” in 1958. It is written in an open form and lacks clear rhymes and structure; it follows the rhythm of natural speech. I will refer to the poem by lines, and as having two sections: the first discusses art, and the second discusses American society and highways.
The speaker addressee relation in the poem is from one scholar to another. Ferlinghetti’s language as well as his reference to art indicates that the poem targets educated people, possibly his fellow poets. In this poem Ferlinghetti fuses two periods, the peninsular war as it was depicted by Goya, and the industrialization in the 1950’s. In the first section and lines,
In this paper I will be exploring the social criticism that is conveyed by Lawrence Ferlinghetti in his poem “In Goya’s Greatest Scenes We Seem to See.” Ferlinghetti criticizes the industrial revolution in America; he compares its outcomes with war. Ferlinghetti alludes to various paintings by Goya that depict war, and links their interpretation to the industrialization in America. The poem contains various poetic elements such as alliteration, hyperbole and Ekpharsis all reinforce his rhetoric. Being a painter as well as a poet contributes to Ferlinghetti’s brilliant mixing of art and poetry, the poem’s appearance has a strong visual effect, one that transports the notion of war and chaos through its form. I will demonstrate Ferlinghetti’s use of alliteration, hyperbole and Ekpharsis, as a means to criticize the industrialization in America.
The socio historical context of this poem is the economic growth that the American society has experienced during the 1950’s, also known as “the golden age of capitalism.” Lawrence Ferlinghetti was a part of the “Beat Generation,” a group of poets that among other things were known for their criticism of capitalism and rejection of materialism. The poem was published in Ferlinghetti’s book titled “A Coney Island of the Mind” in 1958. It is written in an open form and lacks clear rhymes and structure; it follows the rhythm of natural speech. I will refer to the poem by lines, and as having two sections: the first discusses art, and the second discusses American society and highways.
The speaker addressee relation in the poem is from one scholar to another. Ferlinghetti’s language as well as his reference to art indicates that the poem targets educated people, possibly his fellow poets. In this poem Ferlinghetti fuses two periods, the peninsular war as it was depicted by Goya, and the industrialization in the 1950’s. In the first section and lines,