Allen Ginsberg's "Howl"

Abstract

Allen Ginsberg is one of the most well-known authors of the Beat era, most famous for his poem “Howl.” In this poem, Ginsberg discusses explicit events of and reactions to the time period, making the poem one of the most groundbreaking pieces of literature in the 1950s. Ginsberg uses “Howl” as a platform to voice his opinions and to respond to what was going on around him, according to Jonah Raskin in American Scream: Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and the Making of the Beat Generation. Because there were many things Ginsberg was concerned about addressing in “Howl,” and not just one, he groups all the evils of society together and refers to them as Moloch. While Ginsberg targets more than three problems in “Howl,” he definitely speaks to the problems of government, capitalism, and consumerism, discussing the detrimental effects these three forces have on people in society, including how they contribute to the dehumanization of individuals. Faculty Adviser: Tanya Bennett.