In the wake of World War II, American society reformed under values of conformity and strict conventions that stifled the individuality of the American people. Within the United States government, policy makers shifted their political agenda to promote consumerism within society in order to take advantage of the prosperous post-war economy. In response to the growing presence of corporations as well as rejection of individual identity within American culture, the Beat Generation movement was created by authors and poets to oppose these values through literary pieces. Around the same time period, the Civil Rights Movement rapidly gained momentum in the 1950s to 1960s among the African American people who struggled for social justice under the
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At the beginning of "Howl", Ginsberg emphasizes his work as protest poetry when he writes, "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked / …who poverty and tatters and hollowed-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness […] across the tops of cities" (1-4). In these lines of poetry, Ginsberg identifies how the free-spirited artists, eccentric musicians, and political dissidents of his generation were corrupted by the materialistic nature of post-World War II America and made to conform to the larger American population. As his piece is unconstrained by the attributes of traditional poetry, Ginsberg's work is presented to his audience in a stream-of-consciousness flow of his private and unfiltered criticisms against 1950s American mainstream culture. This free-verse structure allows the audience to connect to Ginsberg as if they were reading his intimate and uncensored beliefs, emphasizing the intense frustration that he felt against the consumerism that was stifling creative freedom and independence. In this sense, the distinct free-verse structure of "Howl" allows Ginsberg to highlight his ideas of the importance of individual identity and independence as well …show more content…
In one instance of "Black Art", Baraka indicates that his writing is a tool to counter racism when he says, "Poems are bullshit unless they are / teeth or trees or lemons piled / on a step. Or black ladies dying" (1-4). Through this writing, Baraka abandons traditional structure and presents his overarching belief in active action as opposed to passive resistance. The stream-of-consciousness flow also found in "Black Art" creates a connection to Baraka's African-American audience, uniting them through shared beliefs of rioting for equality and presenting his plethora of ideas in an unending and uncensored sentence. The presence of black nationalism and identity in this poem capture the values of unity and the protest for social justice found in the Civil Rights Movement as well as provide an alternative perspective of the shared focus of human independence and individuality shared by both poets and movements. Therefore, the use of an unstructured writing style allows Baraka the freedom to present his unfiltered thoughts of black identity and resistance against white oppression of their civil rights, creating a connection between Baraka and his intended African-American audience which empowers them and unites them under their shared
At the beginning of "Howl", Ginsberg emphasizes his work as protest poetry when he writes, "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked / …who poverty and tatters and hollowed-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness […] across the tops of cities" (1-4). In these lines of poetry, Ginsberg identifies how the free-spirited artists, eccentric musicians, and political dissidents of his generation were corrupted by the materialistic nature of post-World War II America and made to conform to the larger American population. As his piece is unconstrained by the attributes of traditional poetry, Ginsberg's work is presented to his audience in a stream-of-consciousness flow of his private and unfiltered criticisms against 1950s American mainstream culture. This free-verse structure allows the audience to connect to Ginsberg as if they were reading his intimate and uncensored beliefs, emphasizing the intense frustration that he felt against the consumerism that was stifling creative freedom and independence. In this sense, the distinct free-verse structure of "Howl" allows Ginsberg to highlight his ideas of the importance of individual identity and independence as well …show more content…
In one instance of "Black Art", Baraka indicates that his writing is a tool to counter racism when he says, "Poems are bullshit unless they are / teeth or trees or lemons piled / on a step. Or black ladies dying" (1-4). Through this writing, Baraka abandons traditional structure and presents his overarching belief in active action as opposed to passive resistance. The stream-of-consciousness flow also found in "Black Art" creates a connection to Baraka's African-American audience, uniting them through shared beliefs of rioting for equality and presenting his plethora of ideas in an unending and uncensored sentence. The presence of black nationalism and identity in this poem capture the values of unity and the protest for social justice found in the Civil Rights Movement as well as provide an alternative perspective of the shared focus of human independence and individuality shared by both poets and movements. Therefore, the use of an unstructured writing style allows Baraka the freedom to present his unfiltered thoughts of black identity and resistance against white oppression of their civil rights, creating a connection between Baraka and his intended African-American audience which empowers them and unites them under their shared