Howl - Allen Ginsberg

The poet I chose was Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) who was part of the Postmodern movement in poetry. His most famous poem, "Howl", I would shave included but it is far too long so you can find the link here.

Postmodernism developed in the second half of the 20th century and shared many of the same concerns and motivations of the modernists. However, they often took these principles to a much different end. Many postmodern poems often feature parody, irony, and narrative instability which inform the tone. Allusions to popular culture are just as likely to be made as allusions to classics. Traditional concepts and forms are often ignored and questioned. There is no unifying theme in the movement, ideas spread across a vast spectrum. And the surface is often more interesting to postmodern artists than any ideas of depth.

Smaller sub-movements within the same time period as the postmodern movement exist but are often in conflict with the postmodern groups. One such group was the Beatniks, of which Ginsberg was part. The Beats were a post-WWII phenomenon and their specific brand of poetry focused more son hallucinogenic, visionary, anti-establishment art. They often del a deep connection to nature and their tone could be anything from satirical to angry, as well as tender and meditative. Another aspect of such poetry was the fact that politics directly informed many of these poets, either through specific references to gov. members or to issues of importance.

"Howl" is a great example of postmodern poetry because of the very fact that the US government considered this work of poetry obscene and believed that it should be kept out of public hands. Another reason as to why this poem falls under the postmodern label (although many 'postmodern' poets fervently rejected that label) is because of the topics it covers. These topics include madness, sex, drugs, politics, war, religion, and so on (making it clear as to why the gov. wanted this poem out of public eyes.) Among those topics, a strong emphasis is placed on madness. Ginsberg describes madness in such a way that it seems to be an elevated hallucinogenic state with terrifying visions. Further, it is Ginsberg's form that also enhance that theme. Howl discomposed of three sections (each focusing on a different topic)  and 112 lines, however his actual sentences form more of prose paragraphs than actual sentences. Thus, this tendency to create run-on sentences that resembles strings of thoughts also demonstrates just how postmodern this poem is. Sporadically placed about are images of dreams and madness and the destruction of "the best minds" of [his] generation -- all of which amounts to the postmodern practice of having no real center in poetry.