Ginsberg Howl Analysis
With the Professor Poets being among the first to notice the range of allusions to classical literature writers expected to notice, was not widespread after World War II. With most new readers being more accustomed and fond of comics and newspapers, classical, Latin and Biblical Greek were set aside. Having this occur, poets changed and made adjustments to grab the attention of their readers by changing their address with allusions made in their work of literature by choosing to associate it with texts more familiar to their audience. The texts used for allusions by the Professor Poets, were from the Bible as well as Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. Of these two sources, the Bible was more important in understanding the texts from Weeks 5 and 6
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Although this lengthy poem was not one of a God fearing man, Ginsberg knew the Bible well enough to place references into “Howl”. Ginsberg writes, “who retired to Mexico to cultivate a habit, or Rocky Mount to tender Buddha or Tangiers to boys or Southern Pacific to the black locomotive or Harvard to Narcissus to Woodlawn to the daisychain or grave” (1360). Without having an understanding of the Bible, a reader may not understand that Woodlawn is the ancient place in Judea where Jesus Christ is believed to be where he had been crucified. Without an understanding of this, the reader or readers would not understand the image, nor the allusion in which Ginsberg was delivering in …show more content…
These exact words found in the Bible in the book of Mark scripture 15:34, “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Having a reader unfamiliar with the Bible, they may not understand Ginsberg reference yet again, considering it is of Hebrew language. With the understanding or translation of these Hebrew words, the reader can pull the text together gathering Ginsberg allusion more soundly.
Outside of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”, in Theodore Rothke’s “The Waking,” the narrator called out to God to guide him on his journey to wherever he may be going. In the third stanza, it reads:
Of those close beside me, which are
Although this lengthy poem was not one of a God fearing man, Ginsberg knew the Bible well enough to place references into “Howl”. Ginsberg writes, “who retired to Mexico to cultivate a habit, or Rocky Mount to tender Buddha or Tangiers to boys or Southern Pacific to the black locomotive or Harvard to Narcissus to Woodlawn to the daisychain or grave” (1360). Without having an understanding of the Bible, a reader may not understand that Woodlawn is the ancient place in Judea where Jesus Christ is believed to be where he had been crucified. Without an understanding of this, the reader or readers would not understand the image, nor the allusion in which Ginsberg was delivering in …show more content…
These exact words found in the Bible in the book of Mark scripture 15:34, “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Having a reader unfamiliar with the Bible, they may not understand Ginsberg reference yet again, considering it is of Hebrew language. With the understanding or translation of these Hebrew words, the reader can pull the text together gathering Ginsberg allusion more soundly.
Outside of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”, in Theodore Rothke’s “The Waking,” the narrator called out to God to guide him on his journey to wherever he may be going. In the third stanza, it reads:
Of those close beside me, which are