Poems

"Howl" summary

"Howl" is a poem written by American poet Allen Ginsberg in 1955. It is considered one of the most important works of the Beat Generation, a literary movement that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s in the United States.

The poem is a long, free verse work that is divided into three sections. It is highly personal and uses a stream-of-consciousness style, with the speaker recounting his experiences and observations of the world around him. The poem is known for its bold language, including vivid descriptions of drug use and sexuality, and its critiques of conformity and consumerism in American society.

The poem begins with the famous lines, "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked." The speaker goes on to describe a group of people who have been marginalized by society and forced to live on the fringes. He speaks of drug use, homosexuality, and other taboo subjects, portraying them as natural parts of the human experience.

Throughout the poem, Ginsberg's speaker rails against the conformity and materialism of American society, calling for a revolution of consciousness and a rejection of the status quo. The poem ends with a series of exclamations and a declaration of love for all of humanity.

"Howl" was initially published by City Lights Books in 1956, but wased for obscenity. The ban was eventually lifted after a highly publicized trial, and the poem became a touchstone for the counterculture movement of the 1960s. Today, it is widely regarded as one of the most important works of American literature from the 20th century.

Howl" Full Text

ure, here is the full text of "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg:

I

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz,
who bared their brains to Heaven under the El and saw Mohammedan angels staggering on tenement roofs illuminated,
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,
who got busted in their pubic beards returning through Laredo with a belt of marijuana for New York,
who ate fire in paint hotels or drank turpentine in Paradise Alley, death, or purgatoried their torsos night after night
with dreams, with drugs, with waking nightmares, alcohol and cock and endless balls,

incomparable blind streets of shuddering cloud and lightning in the mind leaping toward poles of Canada & Paterson, illuminating all the motionless world of Time between,

Peyote solidities of halls, backyard green tree cemetery dawns, wine drunkenness over the rooftops, storefront boroughs of teahead joyride neon blinking traffic light, sun and moon and tree vibrations in the roaring winter dusks of Brooklyn, ashcan rantings and kind king light of mind,

who chained themselves to subways for the endless ride from Battery to holy Bronx on benzedrine until the noise of wheels and children brought them down shuddering mouth-wracked and battered bleak of brain all drained of brilliance in the drear light of Zoo,

who sank all night in submarine light of Bickford’s floated out and sat through the stale beer afternoons in desolate Fugazzi’s, listening to the crack of doom on the hydrogen jukebox,

who talked continuously seventy hours from park to pad to bar to Bellevue to museum to the Brooklyn Bridge,

a lost battalion of platonic conversationalists jumping down the stoops off fire escapes off windowsills off Empire State out of the moon,

yacketayakking screaming vomiting whispering facts and memories and anecdotes and eyeball kicks and shocks of hospitals and jails and wars,

whole intellects disgorged in total recall for seven days and nights with brilliant eyes, meat for the Synagogue cast on the pavement,

who vanished into nowhere Zen New Jersey leaving a trail of ambiguous picture postcards of Atlantic City Hall,

suffering Eastern sweats and Tangerian bone-grindings and migraines of China under junk-withdrawal in Newark’s bleak furnished room,

who wandered around and around at midnight in the railroad yard wondering where to go, and went, leaving no broken hearts,

who lit cigarettes in boxcars boxcars boxcars racketing through snow toward lonesome farms in grandfather night,

who studied Plotinus Poe St. John of the Cross telepathy and bop kabbalah because the cosmos instinctively vibrated at their feet in Kansas,

who loned it through the streets of Idaho seeking visionary indian angels who were visionary indian angels,

who thought they were only mad when Baltimore gleamed in supernatural ecstasy,

who jumped in limousines with the Chinaman of Oklahoma on the impulse of winter midnight streetlight smalltown rain,

who lounged hungry and lonesome through Houston seeking jazz or sex or soup,


Beat poetry summary.

"Howl" by Allen Ginsberg is a poem that is considered one of the defining works of the Beat Generation. It was first published in 1956 and has since become a symbol of countercultural expression and artistic rebellion.

The poem is divided into three parts and is written in a style that is free-form and unstructured. It is a celebration of the individual and the search for self-expression and meaning in a world that is often oppressive and conformist.

The poem deals with themes of madness, social injustice, and sexuality, and features a number of cultural references and allusions to other literary works. It is also known for its raw, visceral language and its depiction of the darker aspects of human experience.

Overall, "Howl" is a powerful expression of dissent and non-conformity, and has been interpreted in a variety of ways by different readers and critics over the years. Some see it as a call to action against the oppressive forces of society, while others view it as a celebration of individuality and creativity.

"Howl" Poem Advantages.


One advantage of "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg is that it is a powerful and influential work of literature that had a profound impact on the cultural and artistic landscape of the 20th century. The poem is a seminal work of the Beat Generation, a literary movement that rejected mainstream values and celebrated individualism, spontaneity, and creativity. "Howl" is an expression of this countercultural ethos, and it speaks to the disillusionment and alienation felt by many young people in the post-World War II era.

In addition to its cultural significance, "Howl" is also a masterful work of poetry. The poem's structure, language, and imagery are all carefully crafted to convey a sense of urgency, passion, and intensity. The use of repetition, stream-of-consciousness narration, and vivid, visceral imagery create a powerful sensory experience for the reader.

Moreover, "Howl" is notable for its frank and explicit portrayal of homosexuality, drug use, and other taboo subjects. In an era when such topics were still largely stigmatized and taboo, "Howl" challenged conventional morality and helped to pave the way for greater acceptance of alternative lifestyles and perspectives.

Overall, "Howl" is a significant and enduring work of literature that continues to inspire and provoke readers today.

Ginsberg's "Howl" details.

"Howl" is a poem written by American poet Allen Ginsberg, first published in 1956 as part of a collection of poems titled "Howl and Other Poems". The poem is considered to be one of Ginsberg's most famous works and is widely regarded as a landmark in the history of American literature.

The full title of the poem is "Howl for Carl Solomon", and it is dedicated to Ginsberg's friend and fellow writer who was institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital at the time. The poem is divided into three sections and is characterized by its free-verse style, vivid and often explicit imagery, and a rhythm that is both musical and incantatory.

"Howl" was initially published by Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Lights Books in San Francisco and quickly became the subject of a highly publicized obscenity trial, in which Ferlinghetti was charged with publishing and selling obscene literature. The trial ultimately resulted in the poem being ruled not obscene, and it helped to establish "Howl" and the Beat movement as important cultural touchstones of the era.

In addition to "Howl and Other Poems", Ginsberg published numerous other books of poetry during his lifetime, including "Kaddish and Other Poems", "Planet News", and "The Fall of America". He was also a prominent activist and political figure and was involved in various social and political causes throughout his life. Ginsberg died in 1997 at the age of 70.