Howl and World War II: A poet’s history lesson
Students typically learn about World War II and its aftermath through history books. The post-war period lasted from 1945-1968. During this time, America experienced many political and cultural changes. In 1956, Howl by Allen Ginsberg was published. Known for its crude and obscene language, Howl was written as Ginsberg’s opinions of how society’s culture destroyed his friends. The aftermath of WWII is not just a standard history lesson, but it can act as a theme in literature. When learning about the post-war period through literary work, the reader is exposed to the first had experiences of the writer. The post-war period is one theme Allen Ginsberg highlights in his poem Howl and mirrors American …show more content…
One-third of Americans lived in poverty. Of those, one-third had no running water, two-fifths had no flushing toilets, three-fifths had no central heating, and over one-half had no electricity (Mintz). Ginsberg describes his friends experiencing such circumstances in line four of Howl. The line reads, “who poverty and tatters and hollowed-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz”. The word “flats” refer to a type of apartment, and is being described as dark and having cold-water. While Americans living in poverty had no electricity, the “darkness of cold-water flats” relates to post-war conditions experienced by Ginsberg and his friends. Along with poverty, minorities struggled against racial segregation. Throughout Howl, Ginsberg makes references to African Americans that associate them with poverty. Line two reads, “dragging themselves though the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix”. Most African Americans lived in rural areas, and Ginsberg associates these areas as places that people can find and “angry fix” of drugs or alcohol. Poverty and inequality played a major role during the post-WWII era. Its increase led to other social changes and sparked an interest in Ginsberg and his scholarly …show more content…
The voices in this movement were known as the Beatniks. The Beatniks were a group of poets. Their poems usually contained chaotic verses that addressed social problems, in protest against the confinements of traditional academic poetry. Poets would also perform their poems accompanied with musical jazz beats. They are known for excessive drug, nicotine, and alcohol use, as well as a lifestyle of jazz and sex (Encyclopædia Britannica). Part one of Howl centers around the Beatniks, Ginsberg being one of them. Howl explains more about their lifestyle. The first line of part one reads, “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterically naked”. The “minds” that Ginsberg refers to are his friends, Beatniks. Throughout part one, the lines begin with “who”, describing Ginsberg’s friends. The poem describes the Beatniks as intelligent people. They attended universities, but were later expelled due to their chaotic antics (Ginsberg line 7). Although they were intelligent, they protested against the control of academic institutions. The “madness” that Ginsberg blames for their disparity refers to many cultural reforms taking place at the time, in addition to their many addictions. The Beatniks used their poetry as a creative outlet to speak about social issues. However, these social issues led to dramatic changes in the conduct and behavior of
Students typically learn about World War II and its aftermath through history books. The post-war period lasted from 1945-1968. During this time, America experienced many political and cultural changes. In 1956, Howl by Allen Ginsberg was published. Known for its crude and obscene language, Howl was written as Ginsberg’s opinions of how society’s culture destroyed his friends. The aftermath of WWII is not just a standard history lesson, but it can act as a theme in literature. When learning about the post-war period through literary work, the reader is exposed to the first had experiences of the writer. The post-war period is one theme Allen Ginsberg highlights in his poem Howl and mirrors American …show more content…
One-third of Americans lived in poverty. Of those, one-third had no running water, two-fifths had no flushing toilets, three-fifths had no central heating, and over one-half had no electricity (Mintz). Ginsberg describes his friends experiencing such circumstances in line four of Howl. The line reads, “who poverty and tatters and hollowed-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz”. The word “flats” refer to a type of apartment, and is being described as dark and having cold-water. While Americans living in poverty had no electricity, the “darkness of cold-water flats” relates to post-war conditions experienced by Ginsberg and his friends. Along with poverty, minorities struggled against racial segregation. Throughout Howl, Ginsberg makes references to African Americans that associate them with poverty. Line two reads, “dragging themselves though the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix”. Most African Americans lived in rural areas, and Ginsberg associates these areas as places that people can find and “angry fix” of drugs or alcohol. Poverty and inequality played a major role during the post-WWII era. Its increase led to other social changes and sparked an interest in Ginsberg and his scholarly …show more content…
The voices in this movement were known as the Beatniks. The Beatniks were a group of poets. Their poems usually contained chaotic verses that addressed social problems, in protest against the confinements of traditional academic poetry. Poets would also perform their poems accompanied with musical jazz beats. They are known for excessive drug, nicotine, and alcohol use, as well as a lifestyle of jazz and sex (Encyclopædia Britannica). Part one of Howl centers around the Beatniks, Ginsberg being one of them. Howl explains more about their lifestyle. The first line of part one reads, “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterically naked”. The “minds” that Ginsberg refers to are his friends, Beatniks. Throughout part one, the lines begin with “who”, describing Ginsberg’s friends. The poem describes the Beatniks as intelligent people. They attended universities, but were later expelled due to their chaotic antics (Ginsberg line 7). Although they were intelligent, they protested against the control of academic institutions. The “madness” that Ginsberg blames for their disparity refers to many cultural reforms taking place at the time, in addition to their many addictions. The Beatniks used their poetry as a creative outlet to speak about social issues. However, these social issues led to dramatic changes in the conduct and behavior of