Poetry

Metaphor is a figurative trope, etymologically originated from Greek “metaphora”, meaning transference of a word to a new sense or a thing regarded as representative or symbolic. The Oxford Dictionary defines metaphor as adding a new sense or meaning to a singular word or concept making it easier to understand and more interesting. Metaphor is employed effectively in Darwish’s poetry for emphasis. It is essential constituent of the narratives that Darwish talks about in his poetry.

Darwish is a cultural icon who has contributed much to shaping the Palestinian identity and consciousness. He has the ability to recharge his language and reach for universal themes. His unsparing metaphors, which seem so omnipresent that they lyrically embrace every corner in his homeland, are an artistic re-creation. Darwish’s main topics are his land and suffering under Israeli occupation. Therefore, his poetry, while employing metaphorical devices which are composed in the context of a conflict-ridden and globalized world, is considered a focus for many scholars because such poetry is governed by both cultural and linguistic rules.

Culture is considered the most important force that governs translators in narrating Darwish’s poetry in a new target culture and language. Metaphor is at the heart of a cultural narrative. We acquire metaphor at an early age and it governs our minds and regulates our daily behaviors. Lacoff and Johnason (1980) illustrate that metaphors are merely the ornaments that belong to literature or language itself. But many scholars, as Doucherty, argue that human thought processes are essentially metaphorical; we can only make sense of something by comparing it to something else.

Metaphors shape our actions and our sense of right and wrong. A powerful metaphor orders the world in such a way that we can identify roles that are useful and actions that are prohibited or unthinkable because they fall outside the metaphor (Doucherty 2004). In the discipline of translation studies, translation of metaphor has intrigued a number of scholars who have tackled the issue from several points of view and in relation to different types of discourse

Metaphor is regarded as an artistic tool with the help of which a poet conveys his ideas in a skillful way. It has always been regarded a major concern of all poetry. Muhawi (1995) believes that existence itself in the Arab and Islamic view is “understood through the metaphor of writing”. He indicates that “what Darwish attempts is a pure gesture in which writing itself becomes the dominant metaphor. He offers us a multi vocal text that resembles a broken mirror, reassembled to present the viewer with vying possibilities of clarity and fracture.” Metaphors are essential to Darwish as they are indeed to all poets.

Cameron (2003, P.2) points out that “understanding how metaphor is used may help us understand better how people think, how they make sense of the world and each other, and how they communicate.” Darwish`s literary work abounds in figurative language, especially image and metaphor. Darwish used metaphorical language, his poetry gradually move from metaphorical language to modern poetic expression.

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arwish’s later works, specifically from the mid-nineties until before his death in 2008 were pertinent to modernity. In reading his poems, one finds that he concentrates on universal themes such as freedom, love, hope, exile, death and he moves away from the local and the temporal. Freedom in Darwish’s poetry is often expressed via the metaphor of birds that possess the freedom he is denied as he cannot visit his beloved homeland which he was forced to leave. In his poem “The Hoopoe” (الهدهد,) Darwish urges birds to enjoy flying wherever they want and to sing and express their joy in freedom:

“You birds of plain and valley, fly! Fly swiftly toward my wings, toward my voice! People are birds unable to fly, O hoopoe of Words.”

(Translated by Akash and Forché, 2003: 31)

Unlike birds which can soar so freely in the sky, humans cannot fly and remain constrained by the limits of time and place. In one of his last poems “The Canary”, Darwish again depicts himself and his compatriots under siege in Ramallah in the West Bank as birds in a cage. The cage is a metaphor for the siege imposed by Israel and the canary a metaphor for people under siege. He writes:

“We listened to the canary’s words to me and you: / Singing in a cage is possible and so is happiness.” (Translated by Catherine Cobham in Darwish, 2009: 139).

Nature and its elements, like flowers, butterflies, doves, springs, and rivers are frequently used metaphorically in Darwish’s works. It is a metaphor for the poets to transcend their present condition.

The poetry of Mahmoud Darwish is closely related to his own life experience extending from his early childhood till the period before his death. His life was marked with the perplexities of separation, attachment to his native land, resistance, imprisonment, pain of exile, loss of identity, travel, and the dream of return. This ps the period between 1960 and mid-nineties, when his themes revolved around these similar and interrelated subjects. Metaphor in that phase was used as “a means of recollecting an actual occasion” (Mansson 2003, p. 105). Consequently, these metaphors originated from close encounters with the trials and tribulations of that period.

This poem talks about a spider’s web in the beginning and then talks about a flower and a bird. Then, in the second stanza, it goes back to talking about the spider and its web. The poem is also talking about what goes on in nature when there is a war. The poem focuses on detail and drawing a picture for the reader. The poem is driven by visual and thematic mode. In his poem “Range Finding”, Robert Frost uses rhyme, mood, nature’s point of view, and vivid vocabulary to draw a clear picture.

Robert Frost uses precise and vivid vocabulary in his poem “Range Finding”. An example of precise vocabulary is “The battle rent a cobweb diamond-strung” (Robert) clearly painting a picture in the reader’s mind that the spider web was in the shape of a diamond. An example of vivid vocabulary is “The stricken flower bent double and so hung.” (Robert) drawing a picture in the reader’s mind of the flower being broken and folded over.

Robert Frost uses nature’s point of view to help show that war does not only affect people. An example would be when he wrote “A sudden passing bullet shook it dry. The indwelling spider ran to greet the fly,” (Robert) showing that the bullet hit the cobweb making the spider think he caught dinner. While that may not seem like a big deal the spider coming out before actually catching something could scare off possible prey leaving the spider empty-handed. Another example would be “The stricken flower bent double and so hung.

And still the bird revisited her young.” (Robert) showing that even though the world around the bird is being disrupted the bird still cares for her own. While it may not seem like the war really affects the bird, but it is. Much like the bird is probably frightened of what might happen, but she still will take care of her family. All these examples show that it is driven by visual mode. This is because Robert Frost is painting a picture of the scene by going so in depth with the detail by saying the shape or color of things.

Robert Frost applies sounds to create a picture in “Range Finding”. He applies sound in this line “The stricken flower bent double and so hung.” (Robert) it gives off a sound of the flower being struck or hit by something. Another example is the line “A sudden passing bullet shook it dry.” (Robert) giving off the sound of a bullet going off but also a sound of something being shaken. He also uses vocabulary that appeals to the reader’s senses.

This line for example “And cut a flower beside a ground bird’s nest” (Robert) appeals to the reader’s sense of sight. This line makes the reader imagine a broken flower and bird’s nest. The line “The indwelling spider ran to greet the fly,” (Robert) also appeals to the reader’s sense of sight. This line has the reader imagining the spider getting excited and running to go get his prey. The way Robert Frost adds details like this make the poem intriguing and more creative. Therefore, making the reader more passionate about finishing the poem.

The poem creates a sympathetic feeling and makes you realize the beauty of nature. The poem creates a sympathetic by describing what happens to nature when there is a war. It makes you realize that people are not the only ones that go through the war. While people are the ones fighting the fight the actions and consequences are reflected in nature.

The line “A butterfly its fall had dispossessed” (Robert) is saying that the butterfly is deprived of its flower because of the war. That makes the reader sympathetic because the butterfly did not do anything but lost its home or somewhere for it to land. The poem is more than just something good to read it makes you realize that when you fight with someone you are not the only person affected by it. It teaches you to care for your surroundings.

In conclusion, Robert Frost uses rhyme, mood, nature’s point of view, and vivid vocabulary to draw a clear picture. Robert Frost intended to show how war does not only affect people. He achieved his goals by giving multiple examples of what happens to animals, insects, and plants during the war. He uses visual and thematic mode. The visual mode is applied through how much detail he puts into the words. The thematic mode is applied throughout the whole poem by introducing how things in nature are also affected by the war. Robert Frost does a very well job of painting a picture for the reader and making the poem interesting so that the reader does not get bored.

In the first stanza, Housman discusses the prestige of being a good athlete. Not many people accomplish great, memorable things in their prime and this athlete did just that. Housman goes on to state that when the athlete won they carried him in pride, We chaired you through the market place And home we brought you shoulder high. Then in the second stanza he describes how they carried him again in pride, but this time it was his/her casket, Shoulder high we bring you home. In the next four stanzas, the poet is implying that it is almost better that he/she died in their prime because then he wouldn t have to go through the hardship of seeing others take his/her place.

And the name died out before the man, says that a lot of athletes accomplish things but are forgotten about once they grow old. The athlete in this poem however will always be remembers for dying in his/her prime because they had the chance of being something better. The athlete had so much more to offer and his/her death deprived him/her of opportunities in the future. The last stanza of To an Athlete Dying Young is trying to say that because he/she died at the height of his/her career he/she will always be in your mind. His/her image will never fade because he/she has surpassed growing out of your mind. The athlete never came down from his/her high point. His/her life was also brief and unwithered because of his/her death, but it was straight to the point. The athlete accomplished something that they will always be remembered for because of this death.

E. Housman uses a lot of imagery in his poem to get his point across. Imagery helps you get a better feel for the mood by using a mental picture. By using imagery, it makes it easier to relate to the tragic situation. You can practically see some of the poet s descriptions like, We chaired you through the market place And we brought you home shoulder-high, giving you the impression that he/she is a very good athlete who is being praised for his/her accomplishment. And early though the laurel grows, It withers quicker than the rose, gives the image of the athlete s life compared to a fragile rose. It means you get your pride so promptly, but you know it you are forgotten about.

Laurel is used in wreathes that they award to athletes when they win while a rose is given at death. This symbolizes what this particular athlete went through. This is true for everyone, but for some people, their rose dies faster than others. Eyes the shady night has shut, Cannot see the record cut, gives you the image of the sorrow of the athlete dying and him/her not being able to experience things like seeing his/her record broken. And round that early-laureled head, And find unwithered on its curls, The garland briefer than a girl s, also gives you the image that this athlete was loved and that it is tragic he/she has passed on. The poet uses other imagery besides sight. You can also practically hear things like, Man and boy stood cheering by, So set, before its echoes fade. The use of this figurative language to represent objects, action, or ideas is one of the strongest ways that Housman gets his message across. Paper is one dimensional, but the poet has the ability to make it 3D using imagery.

Figures of speech are used to associate between objects that everyone can relate to and something in the poem. Comparisons like these can help clarify misinterpretations. Housman used metaphors in his poem to develop the concept of dying young even more. In the middle of the poem the turning point is accompanied by a metaphor. It states, And early through the laurel grows, It withers quicker

than the rose. The poet was trying to say that flowers can only be beautiful for so long until they start to wilt and die, just like athletes in the spotlight, they can only be good for so long, but the athlete in this poem checked out to early bypassing this. A winner s wreath is made of laurel. A wreath of laurel is conferred as a mark of honor and the wilting rose says that this honor and glory is fading. He compares the athlete s life to the life of a rose.

The poet s tone in To an Athlete Dying Young is extremely important. It is a sad tone, yet it is a celebration. He describes the rise to fame and the death in a sad, but true way. He doesn t portrait death as a grotesque thing, but hints at it in celebration. The poet even uses flowers, a warm, loving symbol to compare the athlete s life to death, And early through the laurel grows, It withers quicker than the rose. The tone in which Housman describes things is subtle, but has a profound impact. He says that the people carry his/her casket with pride, like they carried him/her when he/she won, but he never talks about the mourning of the people.

The poet uses a very profound rhyme scheme called a couplet. This means that two succeeding lines rhyme. Every stanza is made up of four lines, each with the first line rhyming with the second and the third rhyming with the fourth (AABB). The poet uses rhyming words like, race with place, by with high, come with home, down with town, away with stay, ect. The couplet enhances the sadness of the poem. The rhyming words almost an eerie repeat. The couplet theme makes you remember the rhyme, just like the way you are always reminded of this type of death. This also adds to the eerie tone of the poem.

The message of this poem is that death is something that happens to everyone whether they like it or not. In the case of this athlete, he/she passed before his/her time. He/she was in a prevailing time in his/her life and for that to be taken away was wrong. Good people don t deserve to die young. Dying young might have advantages, but they do not come close to life. For this athlete, it was better for him/her to die young because he/she would be able to die with the illusion that he/she is the best and that no one can take that from him/her.

The tone and mood of a poem or piece of literature has a very great impact on the elements of a story. The tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject, while the mood is the emotion aroused in the reader which the author creates. Word choice affects the tone of the literary work, and mood is expressed through feelings and thoughts of the reader. In the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, the mood and tone of the poem are both established and are greatly influenced by the language of the poem. Therefore, three ways that the author conveys the tone to set the mood are through the author’s unique choice of words, literary devices, and sound and rhythm techniques. First off, there are a few ways that Edgar Allan Poe’s use of language helps to convey the tone in order to set the mood. One way is that Poe starts off the poem with dark words, such as dreary, weary, bleak, dying, and sorrow. These words contribute to create a gloomy atmosphere, and depression is portrayed since the poem is about a man who mourns the death of his love. With the use of these words, a sad, lonely, and depressing mood is established. Another way language can help convey the tone to set the mood is that Poe is very descriptive in his writing, and “The Raven” is full of detail. Phrases such as “deep into the darkness” or “stillness gave no token” adds to a melancholy mood. These phrases create a feeling of silence and being completely alone as well. Finally, word choice whether positive or negative contributes in forming the mood of the poem. Next, literary devices in “The Raven” conveys the tone to set the mood in a couple of ways. One way is through repetition, which is where the same words or phrases are repeated a couple of times to indicate the idea. For example, “Quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore'” expresses a melancholy tone, which leads to a sad mood, since the man was agitated with only that one word “nevermore” being the answer to his questions. The word nevermore creates a sense of hopelessness, although it does answer the narrator’s questions as well. Another way that literary devices help to convey the tone to set the mood is through the use of alliteration (repeating the sound of the first consonant in a series of words).

An example of alliteration in the poem is using words starting with “d”, like deep, darkness, doubting, dared, and dreaming. These words add to a sinister tone, which develops a sense of fear in the reader. Finally, literary devices add a sense of creativity to a poem. Lastly, the sound and rhythm techniques used in the poem convey the tone in order to set the mood in many ways. One of these ways is that rhythm and sound both correspond with the narrator’s feelings and experiences. Sound and rhythm both bring forth a dark and dismal tone, leading to a despairing mood, and can have a singsong tone which might be haunting and create uneasiness . An example of a rhythm technique portrayed in the poem is internal rhyme (where the middle word rhymes with ending word), like “dreary” and “weary” in the first line of the poem. Another way that sound and rhythm techniques convey the tone to set the mood is through the use of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia is an imitation of natural sounds, and an example of this in the poem is “rapping” and “tapping.” Such words make the reader curious and the strong, consistent sounds increase the speed of the poem and enhance the tone also. Finally, the patterns of sound and rhythm make the poem more interesting. In conclusion, “The Raven” is influenced greatly by tone and mood. Word choice, literary devices, and sound and rhythm techniques or patterns all have an effect on the tone and mood. Tone and mood both change over the course of the poem as well. In the beginning of the poem, the tone was calm and slow since the narrator was recalling a flashback. However, by the end of the poem, the tone started to be panicky and frantic. The mood went from depressed to madness also. I personally believe that ‘The Raven” is a very well written poem, and it is very mysterious too. Overall, “The Raven” has a tone that distinguishes the mood of the poem very well.

“The Gift Outright” is the poem that was read at the presidential inauguration on January 20, 1961 for John F. Kennedy. Thirty-two years later, on January 20, 1993, Maya Angelou recited her inaugural poem at the inauguration of Bill Clinton. These lyrics signify the beginning of new decisions and a new beginning for our nation. They give a personal touch to the inauguration of a new president and serve as a ray of light that leads our nation to better times. The verses simultaneously depict that the country is at a stage of new beginnings and add hope. They go through the past to form the foundation for the future of the new government. Finally, the poems say that such poetry brings enlightenment as well as hope to a rising nation in these times of transition.

These lyrics were chosen as a way to start a new beginning, to express the improvements we hope to see in our government. “The Gift” and “The Inaugural Poem” tell the story of our country and how we have grown to prepare the ground for the threshold of a new country. In a sense, the Presidential inauguration is the culmination of an old era and the beginning of a new one. We are handing our country over to a new leader who will hopefully realize the mistakes of our forefathers and make our future better. Studying the past will give us a path from which we can move forward and new choices that we can make. The poem says that if we understand the past, we will correct ourselves and move forward in the future. The inaugural period is a time when a nation must reflect on its past and think about the future. It means new leadership and the need to improve old ways.

Maya Angelo’s poem, the “Inaugural Poem,” was musical thought drawn out in the way it is written on paper. It was very instrumental and distributed proportionally according to the messages that the poem contained. Her poem, the “Inaugural Poem,” was cut down into short stanzas and stretched into long lines. This was to portray the length of time from which the world has come to be as we know it. Different points of views were used to give the viewpoints of various parties. First from the view of the rock, then the river, onto the tree, and opinions were diverse and biased to one group. This arrangement allowed everybody to express their own personal opinion. “The Gift Outright”, by Robert Frost, was an entirely different thought all together. It was written in a pentameter with several lines of one stanza and forces us to realize how the new nation was quick and meaningful. The layouts of the poems were important and a necessity, to successfully convey this special message to the audience.

Writers such as Maya Angelou and Robert Frost used all methods of ‘instruments of writing’ to its fullest. They were used diversely and meaningfully in each of the two inauguration poems. Maya Angelou used imagery and personification excessively in her “Inaugural Poem.” Example, Imagery brought out in the rock, river, and tree shows how our world is changing. She brought out personalities of the elements while Frost used minimal personification in his poem. However minute, the imagery used in both poems played prominent roles in both. Imagery in “The Gift Outright” was the raw land that builds up America. Rhymes were not excessively used but patterns of writing were common in both poems, such as the pentameter in “The Gift Outright.” Frost used figures of speech to a great extent to convey messages within a meter in the poem. Elements of writing make a poem special and much more than a simple rhyme or limerick. Poetic devices make poetry meaningful and it is dispensed throughout both poems.

In conclusion, the inauguration poems of Maya Angelou and Robert Frost were chosen to be read to give fresh hope for a new nation. In the “Inaugural Poem,” many viewpoints of different groups and people that lived before were expressed through personification of a river, rock, and tree. In “The Gift Outright,” stressed the necessity of giving and not expecting to receive. Only like this can we move on and build a stronger nation for our descendants to live in. The path of our ancestors is paved and we are there to walk further than they once did. Understanding our past and sacrificing selfish greed is the only way for us to move on. Under a new leader marks the start of better times and new conclusions are found in this newer era. These are the meanings of both inaugural poems.

Robert Frost’s Fire and Ice outlines the familiar question regarding the fate of the world of whether it is more to be destroyed by fire or by ice. Frost his personal take on the question of the end of the world. He concludes that the must end in fire due to his personal experiences with the emotions of desire and passion which are of fire.

He reflects upon his experience with ice or hatred as well and that would be just as equally destructive. It is clear that the poem had several interpretations and Frost uses metaphor and imagery to convey his message. of the pocult of and nen Frost app is compared to desine favor fire.” Here Fdesire is a sin.

Fr In the first two lines of the poem, Frost creates a distinct difference between fire and ice and claims that the world will end as a of one of these elements. The most noticeable literary device used in Frost’s poem is. The words “fire” and “ice” are compared to ways that Frost the world will end. Fire is compared to desire when Frost states in lines three and four: “From what I’ve tasted of I hold with those who favor fire.” Here Frost is referring to his own life and feelings of desire. By fire to desire, one can assume that desire is a sin.

Frost believes that the world will end due to fire because people are maybe more sinful and possess desire which could result in the death of humanity. Although the first two lines of the poem that there can only be a single choice between fire and ice, Frost that both elements could successfully destroy the world. He has had personal experience with both of these in the form of desire and hate which reveals that fire and ice are not mutual. Although Frost first concludes that the world will end in fire, he later goes to admit that the world could just as end in ice.

Through the use of literary devices like metaphor and symbolism, Frost is able to help convey a deeper meaning in his poem. When these devices, the reader is able to look deeper into the poem to better understand it. In just a few lines of poetry, Frost is able to educate his readers of the powers of desire and hate. The themes presented in this poem can be many ways depending on who is reading the poem, but with the use of Frost’s literary devices, he is able to steer his in a certain direction.

When Allen Ginsberg writes he does not just write beautiful, appealing, poetry to sell. Ginsberg writes with a message in mind. Ginsberg steals the reader’s attention with his aggravated cursing and startling openness. Through his lack of structure, rhyme and rhetoric, Ginsberg portrays chaos not only through the words of his poetry but through the poems themselves. Allen Ginsberg was an eccentric: man, defiant, nonconforming, and comfortable with his homosexuality. The fact that his sexual orientation was considered taboo and vastly unaccepted to say the least fueled his defiant demeanor and caused him to flaunt it.

He did this through his poetry, but someone who was so fond of causing a scene his poetry is far from the academic norm. “Because of its sensationalism and frequent obscenity, Ginsberg’s verse often makes a considerable initial impact upon readers of listeners” (Sutton). By astonishing his readers with his unorthodox diction, Ginsberg piques their curiosity and uses their own curiosity to trap them into reading farther. Some of Ginsberg’s lines are so offensive and insulting, his readers may be inclined to put down the poem, but their own astonishment captivates them, and causes them to read further.

This is the true genius behind his poetry is: Ginsberg insures that if his readers do not understand or see the underlining message of his poetry, the poem offends them so much that it leaves an impression. Ginsberg’s language alone sends a message “In Ginsberg … language and … attitudes are entirely personal, and … excitement is direct, unabashed. … Only someone who was sure of his attitudes toward his society could find an imagery as coherent, as consistent, as Ginsberg finds” (Charters). By using obscene diction there is really no misconstrued understanding of Ginsberg’s views, or of how strongly he stands by them.

Although many parts of his poems are hard to relate to, by taking a few steps back and look at the bigger image and message, one can find themselves relating to many of the minor themes. By far the one thing that makes Ginsberg’s poems more relatable is that he adds his own memories and experiences into his poetry giving his poems a whole new level of relativity and power. “[Allen] Ginsberg hurls not only curses but everything—his own purported memories of a confused, squalid, humiliating existence in the ‘underground’ of American life and culture, mock political and sexual confessions’ (together with a childishly aggressive vocabulary of obscenity),” (Rosenthal).

Unlike many other poets whose powerful verses come from: slant rhyme, beautiful pairing of words, and the concrete structure of the poems; Ginsberg’s comes from his disregard of all of this. SPECIFIC EXAMPLE TO STRENGTHEN Instead Ginsberg relies on appeal of people’s self-pity to cause them to relate to his own painful situations he inserts into his poetry. When Ginsberg writes he hides nothing, his writing is “Naked, gauche, and crudely confessional as it was—seemed the very antithesis of the dry, precise, and calculated verse of the academic poets”(Cook 119). His openness is a method of keeping the reader from being deterred by his cursing. By seeming like has nothing to hide, Ginsberg ensures that his readers are more inclined to build a genuine interest in him and read past his obscene diction.

This is also just natural for Ginsberg; he has always been one to make a scene. So as he writes and his poems come under scrutiny for their failure to adhere to what is ruled as poetry, he enjoys the argument as long as he is the topic. In some of Ginsberg’s poems he over use of obscene vocabulary becomes deterring. In Understand That This Is a Dream “full of his cock / my ass burning / full of his cock” (1. 50) and “with many men I knew one generation / our sperm passing into our mouths and bellies / beautiful when I love / given” (61-2).

There is no denying that this was a testament to Ginsberg’s homosexuality, and this alone is nothing to deter a reader but coinciding with his aggressive obscenity it does become dissuading. Once you get past his obscenities and his inherent lack of reservations, Ginsberg’s poetry has a message behind it. Some messages are more precedent than others though. Kissass is a poem with one of the more obvious

messages. With just its four lines and one word title it does clearly express the flaw Ginsberg sees in society. The flaw being the only way to keep peace is to kissass, for by making everyone feel secure there is no need for confrontation and everything works fluidly, without it chaos would ensue. In his poem A Desolation Ginsberg talks of how one must conform to a status quo to survive.

“So I

build: wife,

family and seek

for neighbors.

Or I

perish of lonesomeness 

or want of food or

lightning or the bear” (7-14).

For someone to survive in the society we created they must do as others do or face the chaotic wilderness of the unknown. He felt the full effect of this fear of the unknown because

of his sexuality. Ginsberg also harshly attacks the economy in his poem “Velocity of Money” “Everybody running after the raising dollar….. nothing’s happening but the collapse of the economy” (22 and 26). He clearly portrays the chaos that ensues from a failing economy where money is becoming worthless and useless, a problem his family faced in his young years during the great depression. This is another example of Ginsberg inserting his own personal experiences into his poetry. However the words of his poems are the shallowest form of expression in Ginsberg’s poems.

Ginsberg uses a deeper means of expression in some of his poems, or rather with the poems. This is clearly evident in his most popular poem “Howl”, in which Ginsberg sends a message of chaos. However this message is more powerful than that of some of his other poems. This is due to the style he took in writing this poem. Much of the poem seems more like rant than poetry. Ginsberg was criticized by academic poets for this lack of structure until quite a while after the poem was published, when scholars began to see he had an underlying reason for his poor structure.

Harold Bloom once said: “Ginsberg’s genuine poetic flaws are not in structure or in the control of rhetoric. Granted his tradition, he has a surer grasp of the shape of his poem and a firmer diction than almost all of his academic contemporaries, so many of whom have condemned him as formless. A little sympathetic study will establish that most of his larger poems move with inevitable continuity.” Bloom was referencing Ginsberg’s “Howl” one of Ginsberg’s larger poems, and when Ginsberg wrote the poem its structure helped to portray it as a howl voicing his disdain towards his country.

There are critics who label Ginsberg’s “Howl” as merely a rant rather than a poem. These critics must look past the formless verse of the poem and observe the words Ginsberg uses; their placement on the page and how they interact with one another. “Howl” is actually a testimony of Ginsberg’s political and social views. This must be remembered when in the middle of talking about Capitalism and Communism he writes a line such as: “who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy” (55).

Many would see this as Ginsberg just expressing his homosexuality, as he so openly and often does, but due to its placement in the poem it is clear it means much more. The line, when looked at with a political lens, is expressing how America is run by suppressive groups, “the saintly motorcyclists”, and then the people thank them, “screamed with joy”, for the false security these groups give them by protecting the people from other groups just like them. “But there is a wilder side to Ginsberg that grows increasingly more apparent throughout his development” (Cook 118). Once Ginsberg is sure he has the audience hooked he holds