Allen Ginsberg's America

Allen Ginsberg’s America Allen Ginsberg critiques America in his poem “America”. “America” is a tangle of his own personal thoughts and beliefs. Ginsberg dabbles in and discusses topics that include some controversial subjects in America: religion and communism. These controversial subjects, along with Ginsberg’s use of clever diction and sarcasm, criticize America and its American ideals, making it seem as if the country’s fears are ironic and childish. A common theme throughout the poem is Religion; Ginsberg symbolizes religious ideals as the perfect American ideal, however, he then uses these religious themes to denounce American beliefs. Ginsberg starts off by making it seem as if religion and religious ideals are good. He asks “America …show more content…
When Ginsberg talks about the propaganda he witnesses on American T.V., he switches to a more sarcastic, uneducated, and childish tone. Instead of addressing Russia the proper way, he utilizes incorrect grammar. He says “The Russia wants to eat us alive. The Russia’s power mad…her wants our auto plants in Siberia...Him makes Indians learn read.” (78-83). Ginsberg addresses Russia as ‘The Russia’, an incorrect address, but it drips in sarcasm and childish way of saying things. It’s also ironic how when he says “him makes Indians learn read”, he portrays the propaganda as uneducated, because they used incorrect grammar in ‘him makes’ and ‘learn read’ and makes it seem as if learning is a bad thing. This irony in propaganda being uneducated yet stirring fear about learning further criticizes America of being childly afraid of things like communism due to their ignorance. Allen Ginsberg critiqued and judged America in his poem “America”. He expresses his personal beliefs and ideals, while at the same time condemning the American Ideal. He uses diction and sarcasm to expose the irony and fallacy in American ideals, and the childish and uneducated motives behind