Why "Howl?"

http://www.gradesaver.com/allen-ginsbergs-poetry/study-guide/section1/

The Gradesaver account of Part I of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”  discusses the choice of the title.  Ginsberg’s in-depth thinking in choosing the name “Howl” is analyzed.  This is fascinating because the poem itself does not clarify the reasoning for the title.  Never does anyone howl, nor are there any animals that howl in the poem.  Most readers will be confused by the title.  According to Gradesaver, however, it was chosen by Ginsberg to represent the feelings that he expresses in the poem.  He found it an appropriate verb to represent the breaking from an American culture that he found poisonous.  Ginsberg was entirely dissatisfied with his generation and its excessive submission to this culture, which in his mind stressed submissiveness and shunned ingenuity and uniqueness.  To Ginsberg, howling was to embrace ingenuity and uniqueness and shun traditional American culture.  He thought it important for an individual to go out on a limb and be creative.

Ginsberg's Inspiration

In the article “The Paradox of Howl,” Stephen Burt argues that Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” is hypocritical in that it captures and foresees the beginning of a new culture, but at the same time draws most of its information from the past. “Howl” imitates 17^th-century stanzaic poetry and observes the author’s own life experiences and his generation’s concerns. Ginsberg analyzed his classmates’ conformity to societal standards and the problems with his mentally ill mother. Ginsberg also draws from his time in the Columbia Psychiatric Institute with his fellow patient Carl Solomon. The poet is against Solomon’s confinement and uses his case as an example of the confinement of passion, self-expression and free thought in America. In that way, the poem resembles past European literature and existing ideas, such as that of the French comic playwright Molière. It is clear, that Ginsberg is not the first writer who is anti-establishment and that he has learned and drawn from many minds in the past. But what separated Ginsberg from the rest is the attention and intensity in the response he received after publishing his poem, which is mostly a result of the post-war time it was published in.

The Censorship Controversy

When Allen Ginsburg’s published his poem “Howl,” in the 1950s, the public did not respond very welcoming. Not only was the poem culturally shocking for its criticism of a psychially starved culture, but it was also excluded from most stores and libraries due to its obsenities. Thirty years later, the poem was broadcasted on the radio, over which the controversy arose yet again. The Federal Communications Commission posed a difficulty in the process, because of recent rulings on indecent language. Ginsberg himself was interviewed on this issue, and he takes a very rigid stance. Ginsberg called these rules intimidating and chilling for broadcasters and even went so far as to compare the United States government with the Soviet censorship bureaucracy. He claims that by regulating art, freedom of thought and speech is restricted, which should be a given right for a citizen of the United States, which claims to be a free country. Though a lot of people assume this issue has past, it is still very current and debated.

Allen Ginsberg and Walt Whitman

As a very public American figure and gay man during the middle of the twentieth century, his sexuality was a big part Allen Ginsberg’s image.  He made sure to promote homosexuality through his writing and to let it be known that he was very opposed to discrimination.  In 1955, Ginsberg challenged traditional American principles by publishing “Howl,” which included graphic sodomy.  It must be true, then, that Ginsberg admired writers who he felt embodied the spirit of standing up for what is right, even if most of America does not agree.  Ginsberg was known to revere Walt Whitman.  It is interesting just to imagine what in Whitman’s work appealed to Ginsberg.  Never did Whitman support homosexuality, nor address it.  Perhaps it was simply Whitman’s willingness to be different, by writing about nature and very interpersonal phenomenons while most American scribes were writing about the Civil War.  We may never know for sure.

Choate canto 15

The small soprano sings in the midst of the Mayeros,

The chef flips the omelets with a skilled hand, he lets them sit to perfection,

The dean scolds and punishes, handing out candy simultaneously,

The secretary signs the late clearance slips at last and already prepares an e-mail handing out Sunday Detention,

The News editor pulls an all-nighter, skimming through the articles in time for printing,

The petrified freshman paces up the hill, fighting the weight of his backpack pulling him down,

The dining hall monitor reaches for the boy’s hat,

The Junior deletes his facebook account during exam week,

The floozy looks left and right, she climbs out the first-floor window,

The girls eye her distastefully, the guys comment beastly,

(Miserable! I do not sneer nor heckle you;)

The school president makes his way up to the podium, while the back row fifth formers chant “Stuuuuu,”

The PG stares blankly at his Fundamentals of Precalculus  quiz,

The swimmer shaves off his hair into a Mohawk and bleaches its color out,

The pre-season lacrosse player sits antsy in his room as he endures restriction,

The candidate for vice president promises form Jacuzzis,

The freshman in love sneaks to the tennis court,

The suspicious dorm advisor hesitates in granting coed visitation,

The form president is stood up at the pool party,

The head of Athletics cracks his flat jokes,

The students pretend to think he is funny and laugh with him,

The bored girl turns on subtitles on her Netflix during Spanish class,

The Senior lays on the grass, not a care in the world,

The C-proctor preaches recycling and hopes to shock with statistics,

The fourth former hides his tin, the fratwater boy bites his lip,

The boar pen cheers with his chest painted gold and blue,

The Community Safety officer lingers in his car,

The kid recounts his sudden stomach symptoms to the nurse on test day,

The doctor hands the boy Advil for his broken arm,

The Greenwich boy flaunts his vineyard vines,

The varsity athlete avoids practice at the trainers,

Chapel bells ring throughout the campus,

The dorm sleeps and the school sleeps,

The graduating student sleeps by his roommate and the arriving student sleeps by his roommate;

And these tend inward to me, and I tend outward to them,

And such as it is to be of these more or less I am,

And of these one and all I am the Choate student.

Movie Project

The Song of the Choate Student

Five Minute Questions

1.) What is the overall tone of the poem?

2.) What is the importance of grass?

3.) What is the author’s take on judgement.

Thirty Second Questions

1.) In canto 1 who is Whitman celebrating?

2.) Is Whitman a positive narrator?

3.) How many cantos are there?

4.) Which canto describes the workers?

5.) What does the child ask the narrator about the grass?

Essay Questions

1)  What are Whitman's thoughts on his own place in the world?

2)  Is Whitman a narcissist?

Vocabulary Quiz

Vocabulary:

___________________: disdainfully proud, snobbish, scornfully arrogant, supercilious

___________________: temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension

___________________: a secret or disguised way of writing; a code

___________________: to restore to health or strength

___________________: a system of Christian or other religious belief

___________________: mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, esp. in a difficult situation

___________________: across from side to side, transversely

___________________: incapable of being measured

___________________: the highest point, summit, peak

___________________: to look at or read (something) in an informal or relaxed way

Wordbank:

creed

athwart

acme

haughty

fathomless

abeyance
recuperated

Equanimity
to peruse
cipher

Subtle Criticism

From canto 32:

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd,

I stand and look at them long and long.

This selection from “Song of Myself” shows what Whitman values in a person.  By detailing the reasons for his admiration of animals, Whitman makes clear to the reader what human qualities are important to him.  In the ensuing lines, the poet goes on to profess his happiness with the fact that animals do not complain, do not feel sorry for themselves, do not discuss religion, are not material-obsessed, do not practice unwarranted deference to each other, and do not feel more important that “the whole earth.”  This passage is directed less to animals than it is to human beings.  By applauding animals for avoiding these bad habits, Whitman is demeaning fellow humans for doing them.  This may get lost in translation because he uses a separate medium to voice his qualms, but it is not surprising that the ever optimistic poet chooses to make his point by complementing a group of beings rather than by criticizing the real culprits.

Ultimate Knowledge

           Socrates once said that all he knows is that he knows nothing. In Canto 44 of “Song of Myself,” Walt Whitman seems to agree with this claim, as he writes: “What is known I strip away, I launch all men and women forward with me into the Unknown.” Whitman feels that in order to embark on his journey of finding truth, reality and his innermost self, he must abandon all his fundamental beliefs that have been established by society and have been drilled into his mind. For only by clearing himself from all outer influence, can he “launch into the Unknown.” The unknown is capitalized in this line, meaning it is the ultimate Unknown he is looking for. The ultimate Unknown might be referring to the ultimate truth from which people have been ignorant of all this time. Whitman wants other people to progress forward with him on this journey, and acknowledges that he does not know any more than other people and has yet to learn and reveal the truth too. In that sense he is like Plato; he may have theories and ideas, but the one and only aspect in which Whitman is more knowledgeable than the rest, is not his superior knowledge, but his wisdom of knowing that he knows nothing.

Cantos 21-24

Cantos 21-24 of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” together have their own identity, similar yet distinguishable from the rest of the poem.  In these verses, Whitman begins discussion of evil.  Specifically, Whitman has the narrator claim that that character has an evil side.  Gone are self-glorifying statements such as this one from canto 5: “I have no mockings or arguments, I witness and wait.”  Instead, the narrator now makes self-accusatory statements as this from canto 22: “I am not the poet of goodness only, I do not decline to be the poet of wickedness also.”  Clearly, the tone has changed.  In cantos 1-20, the narrator said nothing bad about himself and spoke positively and happily about most everything.  Yet in cantos 21-24, the narrator’s voice becomes more negative as he lets the readers know about his potential for cruelty.  The narrator even goes on to deepen his connection to evil, saying later in canto 22, “Evil propels me and reform of evil propels me, I stand indifferent.”  Whether this narrator actually does perform evil acts is unproven at this point, but his discussion of them alone demonstrates a change from the opening twenty cantos.

Cantos Related

Cantos 21-24 are cantos that express some very strange ideas and thoughts that Whittman has. These thoughts include him having sex with the the earth and ocean. These thoughts are strange in today's time and even stranger in the time period he is writing. These thoughts seem as though they do not fit with the he rest of the poem but they actually carry over some of Whittman's thoughts. Throughout his poem he had explained ideas and thoughts that very few people, if any, have expressed. He does this when he explains everyone's importance in the world and now again in these cantos when he explain his sexual relationships, his love of body odor, and his worshiping of his own body. An even more blaring similarity between this group of cantos and the whole poem is his giving voice to those people who are not usually heard; the carpenter and prostitute in canto 12 and the "forbidden voices" in canto 24. 

Getting intimidate with nature

Through cantos 21-24, Whitman explores a variety of subjects further. He talks  about heaven and hell yet not in a conventional religious way. Instead he believes he has already reached heaven on ėarth and that hell who simply be a different experience. He then goes on to describe his adoration for nature, the seas and the earth which he loves so much. This is followed by his admiration for science, which shows that Whitman is not concerned so religion, and is so deeply appreciative of the natural world. This fits in with the previous cantos because nature is a constantly occurring theme in in song of myself. When Whitman describes nature he does so In a controversially sexual matter, and according to a secondary source he is describing having sex with the earth, and encourages the poeple of the earth to be more sexually openable me less modest. This is a new layer tot he poem which wasn't previously displayed, showing that Whitmans adoration and celebration of life gets progressively more passionate. 

Narcissism for Humanity

Whitman celebrates humanity throughout the poem, but makes himself ambiguous to being a subject of narcissism. In Cantos 21 to 24, Whitman introduces himself more elaborately. Though he makes himself the theme of the poem, he just uses his character to portray humanity as a whole. He says: “Divine am I inside and out,” which could imply him measuring himself up to God. But two lines later he writes that “the scent of these arm-pits aroma finer than prayer.” By comparing his arm-pit scent to prayer, Whitman seems to be ridiculing prayer rather than celebrating arm-pit scent. In the same way he is not measuring himself up to God, but is merely making a point that man does not need a God to have the truth and does not need to pray to find the answers. Man is perfectly capable himself to think with his own mind, without conforming to that of a religion. By saying that he is capable, everyone else is capable too, because he is no better than anyone else.

Transcendentalist Comeback

In Whitman's fifteenth canto of his epic poem, "Song of Myself," Whitman explores the role each individual plays in society. Whitman is a transcendentalist author, and like Thoreau, he celebrates he individual counter parts within society. His writing indicates that everyone has a place in society, and thier role is key in creating a larger system. It is ironic that Thoreau condemns society, when Whitman praises in, which shows thier contrasting point of view. Whitman appreciates the values of individual work and shows everyone should be content within society, as they are all a vital component of it. Thoreau seems to be unaware that unity and conformity, within society, can be benefitIal and showcase die ideal talents rather than undermine them. Whitman's postive attitude is a refreshing take on transcendentalism and highlights to good in society rather than the bad. 

Whitman's Fifteenth

In the fifteenth canto of Walt Whitman’s renowned “Song of Myself,” the poet lists and describes dozens of people and activities, most of which involve work.  He leaves almost no stone unturned, touching on everyone from the President to the prostitute.  By doing this, Whitman’s way of thinking manifests itself.  Instead of classifying society as a whole, he cares enough to consider each individual part of it, no matter how important or unimportant.  While others may see society as a macro concept, Whitman sees it through a microscopic lens.  The poet believes that every person deserves to be recognized for their contributions to society.  It is of no meaning to him whether someone's societal role is honorable and influential, or lowly and insignificant.  It is of no meaning to him if a role is legal or not.  Whitman describes the President’s role the same way he describes the prostitutes role: by presenting the facts in an unbiased, non-judgemental manner.

Canto 15

Canto 15 is a unique canto in the poem. It discuses a large issue, how people fit in the world, and simplifies the question into a concise answer. Whittman claims that every person fits into the world perfectly, almost like a puzzle piece. This claim, while at first seems strange is accurate. Every person on the earth does serve some purpose, even the homeless man sitting on the street outside Grand Central. If it were not for him people would not drop their spare change in his torn Mcdonalds cup which would protrube him from spending the money at seven eleven on a fifth of Kettle One. This purchase provides money for the store owner who then hires a store clerk. The cycle goes on and on. Whittman's claim is true, every person, even the seemingly mundane, serve a purpose in this world. Every person makes up one tiny puzzle piece which can be connected to make the jigsaw puzzle which is our world.

The Self in Society

Society is a defining factor in a person’s life. In Canto 15 of Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” Whitman describes the different roles people take on to form a community. Each person has a place in society, whether it be as the President or as a prostitute. In the journey to discovering oneself, Whitman writes that these roles “tend inward to me, and I tend outward to them” (Canto 15). This shows the mutual effect that other people have on his self, and his self has on other people. Other people’s roles in society define his own role in society. Parallel to that, his role in society defines other people’s roles in society. Whitman seems to suggest that the self can be defined by outside influences and is therefore not of an innate, fixed nature. Without all these people around him, he would be incapable of defining himself, as he would not have a point of reference. He is accordingly partly who his fellow humans make him to be.