The Images of "Howl"

By nature, "Howl" is a very graphic poem, filled with many images and sensations that are easily conjured by the mind. Although Eric Drooker didn't manage to capture every line as I envisioned, there were several illustrations in Howl: A Graphic Novel that I found to be particularly interesting and expressive. 

Drooker, Pg. 125

"with mother finally ******, and the last fantastic book flung out of the tenement window, and the last door closed at 4 A.M. and the last telephone slammed at the wall in reply and the last furnished room emptied down to the last piece of mental furniture, a yellow paper rose twisted on a wire hanger in the closet, and even that imaginary, nothing but a hopeful little bit of hallucination— "

This particular illustration shows the silhouette of a man on a rooftop as her stares down at a hazy and  undefined city. I thought that this illustration captured the collapsing sense of idealism in its related lines. The "last fantastic book flung out of the tenement window" seems to be a doubt over the power and self-assurance of "best minds" of the Beat generation. Mainstream rejection and internal struggles with drugs, poverty, and hardship seem to have eroded the confidence and freedom of these creators. There's a definite sense of anxiety and confusion in this section, and Ginsberg seems to be questioning reality itself, as he isn't sure if past memories were simply an idealistic "bit of hallucination." The speaker's inability to converse with anyone creates feelings of alienation, confinement, and missed opportunity. The tone of the poem seems to shift in this section, as Ginsberg gains the perspective on outsider, removed from his generation and looking in, similar to the man in Drooker's illustration. The image also captures a sense of rejection from society, and the eventual isolation from self, which are both themes throughout "Howl."

Drooker, Pg. 126

"ah, Carl, while you are not safe I am not safe, and now you’re really in the total animal soup of time—"

 This second image also reflects a sense of alienation, as the Beat philosophy of all things and people being connected seems to have broken down. There's no longer a certainty in the idea that all things, experience, and people are sacred, as marginalized figures in society have been shunned. This particular reference to Carl equates him with the "animal soup of time," suggesting that he was dehumanized and bogged down in the face of a flawed society's expectations. This lone figure in the dark definitely captures the somber and mournful tone of this passage, as well as the sense of loneliness.

Drooker, Pg. 128-9

I found the artwork on this page to be particularly interesting, mainly because it reminded me of Impressionist & Post-Impressionist paintings. After thinking about these artistic movements in comparison to Beat writing, I found myself drawing several parallels. At their core, both movements were focused on capturing a moment or experience and preserving the emotional impact. There was an evident desire in both parties to produce an artistic creation to ensure that no seemingly simple sight or event was fleeting or forgotten. Although the Impressionist artists already defied artistic convention, the Post-Impressionists took this exploration further, similar to the way the Beats created new literary standards and forms. Post-Impressionist painters used a more dynamic and expressive color palate, turned more toward abstraction rather than capturing lighting, and delved into the structure behind their subjects. Many people critiqued he "messy" brushstrokes of these painters and were critical of the thick and textured impasto technique but, as in the case of the Beats, there was a method and organization behind the seeming madness. 

Vincent van Gogh, Road with Cyprus and Star, c. 1890, oil on Canvas

In class, we spoke of the Post-Impressionist painter Cézanne's tendency to boldly mix colors into  combinations that seemed strange and unrelated, similar to Ginsberg's experimentation with language (such as the jarring phrase "atomic jukebox").  Although we discussed Cézanne in class, this particular illustration by Drooker reminded me more of van Gogh's aesthetic, which focused on combining bold colors and images into a cohesive whole, while the individual strokes and parts still remained distinct and present. 

Vincent van Gogh, Wheatfield with Crows, c. 1890, oil on Canvas

Ginsberg's Voice & The Clash

When reading "Howl," I found myself unsure of how the poem would be read aloud, because it seems difficult to take a breath without disrupting the flow of the verse. I figured the best authority on the subject would be Ginsberg himself, so I listened to him reciting the first section of the poem. I was surprised by how subdued Ginsberg's reading was, especially since the word choice in the poem is quite eclectic and many of the subjects in the work are personal to him. However, his reading of the second part of Howl was more impassioned, especially in the repetition of "Moloch!"

Allen Ginsberg Reading Howl- Part 1

I was already familiar with Ginsberg's voice because he performs a spoken word piece between lyrics of "Ghetto Defendant," a song from The Clash's1982 album Combat Rock. The Clash were a punk rock band from England, who were together from 1976-1986. Most people may be familiar with The Clash for their songs "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go," but many songs by the band focus on political and social issues of the 1970s/1980s, both in the United Kingdom and globally. "Ghetto Defendant" is a song that retains the same character of Ginsberg's poetry, especially since The Clash's lyrics typically focus on a leftist political view. The song presents a strong critique of society in terms of politics, social structure, the global economy, and foreign/domestic law. 

Ghetto Defendant -The Clash, featuring Allen Ginsberg 

There's a really interesting article that examines the lyrics to this song--"A Tale of Too Many Cities: The Clash's 'Ghetto Defendant' and Transnational Disruptions." The article can be found here. 

The "Human War" in Ginsberg's America

            When reading Allen Ginsberg's poem "America," I was slightly confused by a reference Ginsberg makes about his uncle, especially because this detail is so restrained compared to some of the other images Ginsberg evokes in other poems. After spending some time admonishing America, Ginsberg says, "America I still haven't told you what you did to Uncle / Max after he came over from Russia." This particular phrase struck me because it contrasted so heavily with  part one of "Howl," in which Ginsberg's language and use of imagery is bold, graphic, and what many people may classify as explicit. In both "Howl" and "America," some of the experiences are personal, and others are more generalized views of American culture and the characteristics of Ginsberg's generation. Uncle Max is a figure taken directly from Ginsberg's life, yet there is a distance and caution expressed within this phrase. I would classify this line as subtle, delicate, and  easily forgotten, which is why I found it so intriguing. This declaration is simple and serves as the final line of a stanza, with no explanation or further mention in the text. Other than sounding menacing, I wasn't sure what to make of this statement, so I tried looking up some information on Uncle Max. I didn't find anything of consequence other than a few mentions of him in published volumes of Ginsberg's personal letters.

            Since I couldn't find any concrete information, I read the poem again and focused on the broader treatment of marginalized figures in America. Since Ginsberg's family was Jewish, perhaps the connection comes in anti-Semitism and the poor reception of immigrants in some parts of the country. Although this particular scene seems to be directly from Ginsberg's perspective, he also adopts an anonymous speaker engaging in a conversation with a personified America. The speaker makes a more direct reference to religion in the statement, "My ambition is to be President despite the fact that I'm / a Catholic." Since "America" was written in 1956, I think it's not unreasonable to assume that this figure is John F. Kennedy, who won the presidency in 1960. Four years prior, Kennedy was nominated for the office of Vice President at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in August, but lost, possibly due to the poor reception of his religion. However, Ginsberg published his poem in January, so the timeline isn't perfect, but I still believe that Ginsberg is speaking to the marginalization of Catholicism in American culture. Even though this particular form of religious discrimination is not one that many people immediately think of, it works well within Ginsberg's overall theme.

            Ginsberg also brings up many instances of ethnic, racial, and legal discrimination, in the following direct appeals:

-"America free Tom Mooney": Mooney was arrested and convicted for participating in the Preparedness Day Bombing of 1916, which took place during a parade focusing on America's entry into the first World War. However, many people thought Mooney was wrongfully convicted and he was seen as a political prisoner.

-"America Sacco & Vanzetti must not die": Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian immigrants who were executed for murder, but many people believe their trial to be unjust due to their ethnicity and suspected anarchist sentiments.

-"America I am the Scottsboro boys": This is a reference to a group of African American boys who were accused of rape in 1931, but were subjected to an unjust, fixed, and overtly racist trial.             

To be honest, I found myself doing a lot of research between stanzas of "America" because it wasn't a poem I could read passively. Reduced to a simple theme, I think Ginsberg's poem speaks to the personal responsibility associated with living in any country, especially in terms of making decisions and receiving information. Ginsberg asks, "Are you going to let your emotional life be run by / Time Magazine?," and I think he is encouraging people to look past the obvious social or political story and seek information and understanding in what you believe to be the truth, whether or not it is the popular idea. I personally felt that Ginsberg's poetry was more relevant to me than On the Road, especially for the utilization of social history and the work the poetry demanded for understanding. 

Conflicts of Constancy and Wandering

            To me, Kerouac's On the Road seems to be filled with contradictions and competing desires, leaving me unsure of exactly what Jack is searching for on his travels. Throughout the first section of the novel, Kerouac feels an overwhelming need to always move from place to place, but once he reaches his destination he doesn't really feel a sense of lasting satisfaction. Although Kerouac seems to envision himself as a philosophical nomad, he always returns to the idea of leading a conventional domestic life. This type of thought seems to appear whenever Kerouac finds a new romantic interest and considers the idea of settling down with a woman. Although he expresses that his relationship with his ex-wife is rocky, Kerouac is determined to visit her and regain something of the lifestyle he once experienced. When living with Beatrice, Kerouac desires a sense of permanence and the ability to provide a secure financial standing for his "family" in the midst of  an uncharted journey across the country. This same draw to stability also relates to Kerouac's relationship with his mother, whom he sends money to during his travels, even when he barely seems able to care for himself.

            When he returns home in the first section of the novel, Kerouac and his mother decide to use his earning to replace their icebox with a refrigerator, which would be "the first one in the family" (211). Although this is just a subtle detail in the text, Kerouac returns to this same idea when he visits home in the second section of the novel, saying he "got home and ate everything in the icebox again, only now it was a refrigerator, fruit of my 1947 labors, and that in some measure was the progress of my life" (279). These two scenes are incredibly similar and serve as a framework for Kerouac's personal discoveries during his second wave of travelling with Neal, as he seems to have matured and reassessed his values. Although Kerouac obtains some kind of immediate gratification and enrichment by living in the moment, he doesn't seem to believe that his life can be solely enriched in this manner. During their road trip to San Francisco, Kerouac tells Neal, "'This can't go on all the time...all this franticness and jumping around. We've got to go someplace, find something,'" which seems to refer to this notion of domestic constancy (218).

            I'm not sure if Kerouac is simply expressing a desire to stay in one place, or if he is beginning to feel that accomplishment can be physically measured through belongings and visible ties. There's also the emerging question of Kerouac defining some sort of personal fulfillment through his relationships with other people. When travelling, Kerouac seems to have no qualms about meeting new people and never seeing them again, even if he feels a sense of deep attachment. However, his relationships with Neal and Louanne become more strained the longer he stays with them, and Kerouac even admits to a loss of faith in Neal. I'm not sure if Kerouac never loses a sense of loyalty to his mother because of the sense of constancy he receives from her emotional support, or because she symbolizes the home containing a refrigerator that was earned through commitment and will stay as an investment for the future. Although Kerouac was obsessed with his need to visit San Francisco for over half of the novel, he finally states, "What I accomplished by coming to Frisco I don't know" (277). This admission leaves me wondering if Kerouac ever had an end goal in mind, or if he was simply living in the moment because he never expected to have anything in the future. Kerouac's travels take on a mythic status in his own mind, but his confusion over constructing an idealistic pursuit makes me unsure if Kerouac can ever be phased by a collapsing ideal or be impacted by the gaps that movement can't fill.