Breaking Tradition with Allen Ginsberg's "Howl"

Allen Ginsberg's classic poem "Howl" is notorious for breaking contemporary literary tradition and establishing Ginsburg's own unique voice. Ginsberg not only experimented with current poetic forms but also creating new styles, developing his own by the end of the poem.

According to Wikipedia, it was Kenneth Rexroth who originally encouraged Ginsberg to "free his voice and write from his heart," advice Ginsberg used as inspiration to write "a poem with no restrictions." In addition to Kenneth Rexroth, Ginsburg was also inspired by William Carlos Williams and Jack Kerouac, who were very influential writers at the time.

The manner in which Ginsberg breaks from tradition becomes apparent when reading of how he wrote his poem. According to Wikipedia, Ginsberg began "Howl" in William Carlos Williams's stepped triadic form but radically changed his style in the middle of the poem to "a long line based on breath organized by a fixed base." Perhaps he found the triadic form too restricting and by breaking through its limits, he accomplished his goal of writing a poem with no restrictions.

The poem also breaks tradition by incorporating sex, drugs, and harsh language. At the time, such boldness was dangerous and actually led to an obscenity trial, which seems to follow any revolutionary work of art (ie. Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray). Ginsberg describes sexual activities between homosexuals, both oral and anal, as well as drug use and hallucinations. On top of his controversial content, Ginsberg uses strong curse words.

As for the poem itself, I particularly liked several of its auditory and visual images. His use of assonance is brilliant in the repetition of the "a" sound in "ashcan rantings" and the "i" sound in "kind king light of mind." I also love the alliteration of "b" in the line "battered bleak of brain all drained of brilliance." The line "...in boxcars boxcars boxcars" gives a perfect visual: the words themselves are square and follow one after another in a series just like boxcars.

Overall, Ginsberg went against the grain with his poem "Howl" by using controversial, even obscene content and language. He diverged from contemporary writing styles by expanding into long lines with a fixed base, and discovered his own style by doing so. Ginsburg's experimentation led to new literary creations, a principle that can be used by any poet to find his or her own style.

--Jessica Murphy