Howl/A Supermarket in California-by Allen Ginsberg

Howl by Allen Ginsberg to the average reader seems like a bunch of random rants yet has three strong organized sections. The three sections almost seem to be very long run-on sentences, if somebody wants to picture it like that. The first section is by far the longest and seems to be the most important.

Ginsberg starts off by stating, "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness", most likely meaning, people that may have been close to him and meant a great deal to him, have left him. Throughout the rest of the first section the reader can see a little bit of what Ginsberg means by "the best minds of my generation destroyed". Ginsberg never really states what happens to these people however he may be implying that socially, sexually, or religiously they didn't meet the standards at that time in America.

Ginsberg also has very, strong imagery, and very vivid details of his sexual encounters and his experiences throughout his younger years. For example, "Who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy", this statement itself really throws the idea of homosexuality into the readers face, and makes the reader place a judgment on the narrator whether positive or negative. Ginsberg doesn't only talk about sex but really his drug craze as well. "Dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix", here it seems the narrator needs to find a way to escape. He is confronted by society for being different then everyone else, and society is pressuring too much for him to handle sober. Whether the drugs, sex, or whatever else he needs to escape this pressure. However I also think Ginsberg is showing and expressing his troubles with his own sexuality and acceptance with society. The first section asks who the problem is and immediately in the second section Ginsberg expresses "Moloch" is the problem. Moloch is a god to whom children were sacrificed, which overall is not a very pleasant god to be around. Ginsberg shows in the second section how he was trapped and couldn't go anywhere. For Ginsberg this god is the society pressuring, and government regulations, all these issues were so overbearing as if a god "Moloch" was holding him from moving forward.
As far as the last section goes, I couldn't really tell, but maybe Ginsberg has become content with where he stands in society and with the repeated phrase,"I'm with you in Rockland", maybe somebody is there that can help him or save him from the anger and troubles he has had to deal with.

In a Supermarket in California, Ginsberg basically is literally in a supermarket in California and describes who and what he sees. The narrator finds Walt Whitman and Federico Garcia Lorca in the grocery store. However much emphasis is put on Walt Whitman, and what he thinks during his time at the supermarket, "I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old grubber, poking among the meats in the refrigerator and eyeing the grocery boys." It seems as if the narrator wants to see the world through the eyes of Walt. Ginsberg goes on to say, "Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!--and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?", basically explaining where everyone fits in the grocery store or where they should be based on their social status or being. Here Ginsberg could be showing he doesn't know where he fits in the "Supermarket" or society itself. Ginsberg is lonely, a homosexual and not a lot of people can accept that, and he doesn't know himself which aisle he fits into.
Another interesting point about Walt Whitman is how old fashion he is, and how much Ginsberg is trying to follow in his footsteps but is just about to give up. The reader can see how much Ginsberg or the narrator wants to be accepted and how hard he may have tried yet it seems the "The doors close in an hour." for Ginsberg and he really doesn't know how to face it. Great poem overall full of lots of meaning.

Three Words:

odyssey-a long series of wanderings or adventures, esp. when filled with notable experiences, hardships, etc.

grubber-a dull, plodding person; drudge.

purgatoried-a condition or place in which the souls of those dying penitent are purified from venial sins, or undergo the temporal punishment that, after the guilt of mortal sin has been remitted, still remains to be endured by the sinner.