Ginsberg Howl Analysis

"Howl" is without doubt Ginsberg’s best poem, and it is “associated with the group of writers known as the Beat Generation”(Savage, B.). “Howl” was published in 1956, in “Howl and Other Poetry”, and it instantly became famous. All copies were seized by the authorities, since the book was considered as offensive, especially because of this particular line: “who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy”. Fortunately, a year later, a court ruled in favor of the author, and Ferlinghetti, publisher of Ginsberg’s book, who was charged and arrested, noted that: “it is not the poet but what he observes which is revealed as offensive”(ACLU).
Allen Ginsberg was raised by his mentally sick mother, who took him to the gatherings of radical left party. Living with his mother caused traumatic effects on Allen, which he later expressed in his poems. After graduating from high school, he said that his “favorite day at school was when his teacher read aloud Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself””, however, Ginsberg decided to pursue legal career. While in the college, Ginsberg met Lucien Carr, who led him to William S.Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, which ultimately led to the Herbert Huncke, a heroin addict, and Ginsberg’s love, Neal Cassidy. Those encounters resulted with nowadays notorious group, the “Beat

“The world is holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy! The nose is holy! The tongue and cock and hand and asshole holy!”. It feels like the author is telling us that it is not on us to judge if, for example, is cock more holy than a soul, or are the residents of Istanbul more holy than the residents of Los Angeles, and so on. Ginsberg also names his friends; Burroughs, Kerouac, Neal Cassady, who are part of the famous “Beat Generation”, and again, of course, Carl Solomon, and they are all represented as “hideous human