Saturday, April 17, 2010
Howl by Ginsberg
This story was interesting, because it definitely was not like the other poems we've read. He speaks of the best minds of society ( which clearly they weren't doctors or lawyers), but rather people who are druggies, bums and all those people who never quite got anywhere far with their life. The poem is telling us about others out there who are not perfect, but they still make up society. Then he speaks of "Moloch," a Hebrew God that sacrificed children, how lovely!! This could be associated with the inhumane ways of life, the mainstream culture that was rising at this time, that was killing youth and love.
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Ok--careful about "druggies" and "bums": your last observation is a better starting point; the irony is that mainstream culture destroyed the "best minds" by locking out--or transmogrifying--inspiration and "vision." Poetic "truth " could only be found by prying open the cracks in an oppressive socio-culturtal reality ("military-industrial complex," it used to be phrased) and looking beneath the ideological, commodified surface. Think Leave It to Beaver.... Still relevant today?
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