John Ginsberg's Poem

Howl

“who passed through universities with radiant cool eyes hallucinating Arkansas and Blake-light tragedy among the scholars of war” (6)– Ginsberg

The early 1950’s were a booming time in America. The United States had emerged after World War II as the premier economic and military power of the world. However tensions with the second greatest world power the USSR were growing as they fostered a new political and economic system: Communism. Tensions between the USSR and the US culminated into the Cold war, a nuclear arms race, its ideals fueled the Korean war, and the space race. The 1950’s were an optimistic time in which the post WWII economy was growing and owning a home and having a decent paying job were more attainable than they ever

I 'm with you in Rockland where you 're madder than I am” (94). Solomon was Ginsberg’s mentor who went mad and was sent to a psychiatric institution. Ginsberg sympathizes “I 'm with you in Rockland where we are great writers on the same dreadful typewriter” (99). He continues “I 'm with you in Rockland where you laugh at this invisible humor” (98). Rockland is an Umbrella term for mental institution, and laughing at invisible humor implies that Carl Solomon will probably never read this poem. He may be a metaphor for American youth. This message implies that if we unify we can take on the “machine” or “Moloch.” He reuses the phrase “I’m with you in Rockland” 18 times in part III. This repetition is used to build up a sense of unity and humanity. Since Solomon will probably never read this poem “you” may represent American youth, while Rockland represents the oppression of the giant capitalist machine in America. Part III is meant to convey to the reader that the ideals of Capitalism, materialism, and greed do not have to consume you. If you want to be retain your sense of humanity, be a freethinker, and have values that don’t align with mainstream America that there are other people like you. Artists and Influential activists including Ginsberg helped to bolster social movements of the time including Civil rights, and later the anti war movement in the 1960’s against US involvement in

Howl’s relevance has so far stood the test of time as its themes can still be applied today. In some ways the US has made great progress in terms of civil rights movements, LGBT rights, and freedom of academic idea’s and pursuits. Corporate negligence and collapse of subprime lending markets led to Economic recession in 2007, and had ripple affects through global markets. In 2003 the US was lead to war in by the Bush administration after asserting that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and posed and immediate threat to the United States. Since then no weapons of mass destruction were ever found and the region is still unstable. Today in the 2016 presidential election the front runner for the GOP nomination Donald Trump gained his popularity through ethically questionable positions and statements. He has advocated for the ban any Muslims from entering the US, building a wall on the border of Mexico, and to deal with ISIS he tweeted "#ISIS is making $400M/year on oil. I have been saying it for years. We need to bomb the