Supermarket In California
"A Supermarket in California" is a poem published in 1956 by the American poet Allen Ginsberg. Ginsberg is a prime example of a poet during what is now referred to as the 'Beat Generation', a literary movement bucking the typical ideals of American society. This can easily be seen within "A Supermarket in California" as it is makes note of many issues within society as they align with the typical American view versus Ginsberg's own. Contrasting views to be examined in the poem include homosexuality versus the nuclear family, loneliness versus the need to relate, and the reverence of Walt Whitman versus the desire to lead a life different from his.
Ginsberg talks of the nuclear family as a unit when he's examining the people within the supermarket. …show more content…
It is clear that Ginsberg revered him with the subject matter of many of his poems, as well as his free verse poetry style, being reminiscent of the late poet. Ginsberg also he refers to him both as a "father" and "courage-teacher" (Supermarket in Cali. 28). However though he has great respect for this man, I believe he has no desire to end up like him. This is evident in his continued use of the word "lonely" to describe the old man, something that as I previously mentioned Ginsberg relates to but is not content with. This can also been seen in the last paragraph of the poem with the line "you got out on the smoking bank and stood watching the boat disappear on the black waters of Lethe" (Supermarket in Cali. 30-31). In this line Ginsberg conjures up the image of Whitman standing by the river Lethe, a mythical river which will make any who drink from it forget everything. This can be interpreted as social commentary on the average American's view toward Whitman and poetry in general. Though he spent most of his life writing and editing his book 'Leaves of Grass', a book which Ginsberg mentions in passing and has obvious respect for, he is largely forgotten about by the majority of Americans.
"A Supermarket in California" is a poem that is somber in tone as it examines what it's like to be a homosexual poet in 1950's America. Ginsberg relates to poets of the past as he wonders if their
Ginsberg talks of the nuclear family as a unit when he's examining the people within the supermarket. …show more content…
It is clear that Ginsberg revered him with the subject matter of many of his poems, as well as his free verse poetry style, being reminiscent of the late poet. Ginsberg also he refers to him both as a "father" and "courage-teacher" (Supermarket in Cali. 28). However though he has great respect for this man, I believe he has no desire to end up like him. This is evident in his continued use of the word "lonely" to describe the old man, something that as I previously mentioned Ginsberg relates to but is not content with. This can also been seen in the last paragraph of the poem with the line "you got out on the smoking bank and stood watching the boat disappear on the black waters of Lethe" (Supermarket in Cali. 30-31). In this line Ginsberg conjures up the image of Whitman standing by the river Lethe, a mythical river which will make any who drink from it forget everything. This can be interpreted as social commentary on the average American's view toward Whitman and poetry in general. Though he spent most of his life writing and editing his book 'Leaves of Grass', a book which Ginsberg mentions in passing and has obvious respect for, he is largely forgotten about by the majority of Americans.
"A Supermarket in California" is a poem that is somber in tone as it examines what it's like to be a homosexual poet in 1950's America. Ginsberg relates to poets of the past as he wonders if their