Ginsberg's America It Allen example essay topic

Allen Ginsberg's America It Allen Ginsberg's America Essay, Research Paper It has been established over the centuries that the poet, rather than representing the voice of the civilized, cultured society, is the voice of alienation and separation. Poets of social protest are intended to reside outside of society's limiting structure, disillusioned by its elitism, social injustice, industrialism, materialism, and by its reckless plummet into a void of spiritual deterioration. Allen Ginsberg's America is a case in point of such criticism with regards to the imminent nuclear war, the marginalization of various groups within society, the forceful imposition of values onto one's neighbours as well as the ignorance with regards to mass indoctrination. Many have considered Ginsberg to be a prophet for his time, for the struggle that millions of Americans were enduring. He voiced the cries of concern that many felt silenced from. Nevertheless, one must consider whether or not these matters are as clear as black and white, as Ginsberg makes them out to be.

The question of whether or not Ginsberg is portraying an accurate picture of America and is providing the proper interpretation is of supreme importance. It was near this time in his life when he wrote the poem America. In it are many surprising elements, considering the era in which it was written. Ginsberg openly admonishes America for its many flaws and picks away at several instances in America's history. He also makes several frank admissions about his own actions and human nature. Allan Ginsberg coms of age during the Eisenhower administration (1953-1961).

There are dark cars and dark suits during this time of the Red Scare. Ginsberg is an outcast. He is part of the beat movement. The beat movement is a counter-culture movement that are the predecessor of the hippies, with even less acceptance. Ginsberg is an extreme left.

In the 50's, America is like Ozzie and Harriet: middle class, white, hard-working, etc. America was all about conforming, while Ginsberg was all about diversity. Ginsberg chose Walt Whitman as a hero and guide because he is a poet of everything; Whitman loves diversity. Whitman believed American citizens should not worry about making money, but instead, they should worry about being themselves. This is an apostrophe to America. As in Millay, apostrophe means a direct address to someone or something rather than punctuation.

("I'm addressing you. ' ) Although we can still see the influence of Whitman, Ginsberg is much less optimistic and positive. He sees the irony in American life. Like cummings, he uses typical statements and truisms of the time but twists them to show the irony and self-contradictions. For example, we are accustomed to people "putting their shoulder to the wheel,' but Ginsberg's addition of "queen' (meaning homosexual) makes the saying striking rather than trite. Ginsberg is trying to redefine the nation through his controversial and humorous poem.

I was shocked by the vulgarity in the poem, such as Go f %! Yourself with your atom bomb. The line powerfully illustrates Ginsberg's anger with America's ridiculous Cold War mentality that the existence of the world is in jeopardy. He is responding to America's absurd paranoia of Communism (Russia and China), which might ultimately lead to the destruction of the earth. He takes a controversial stance on the subject in that he is against the majority of Americans and their fear of the communist.

The poem maybe controversial but it is also humorous in that it mocks America through lines such as America you don t really want to go to war. America it's them bad Russians. Them Russians them Russians and them Chinamen. And them Russians. The Russian wants to eat us alive.

The Russia's power mad. She wants to take our cars from out our garages. He uses repetition and exaggeration to make the scathing poem's point with a comic twist. In his poem Ginsberg points out that America's fears of communism is not only ridiculous but also dangerous to the rest of the world in that instead of being concerned with material things Americans should just enjoy the beauty of life.