'Footnote To Howl' by Allen Ginsberg
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Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!
Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!
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!
Everything is holy! everybody's holy! everywhere is
holy! everyday is in eternity! Everyman's an
angel!
The bum's as holy as the seraphim! the madman is
holy as you my soul are holy!
The typewriter is holy the poem is holy the voice is
holy the hearers are holy the ecstasy is holy!
Holy Peter holy Allen holy Solomon holy Lucien holy
Kerouac holy Huncke holy Burroughs holy Cas-
sady holy the unknown buggered and suffering
beggars holy the hideous human angels!
Holy my mother in the insane asylum! Holy the cocks
of the grandfathers of Kansas!
Holy the groaning saxophone! Holy the bop
apocalypse! Holy the jazzbands marijuana
hipsters peace & junk & drums!
Holy the solitudes of skyscrapers and pavements! Holy
the cafeterias filled with the millions! Holy the
mysterious rivers of tears under the streets!
Holy the lone juggernaut! Holy the vast lamb of the
middle class! Holy the crazy shepherds of rebell-
ion! Who digs Los Angeles IS Los Angeles!
Holy New York Holy San Francisco Holy Peoria &
Seattle Holy Paris Holy Tangiers Holy Moscow
Holy Istanbul!
Holy time in eternity holy eternity in time holy the
clocks in space holy the fourth dimension holy
the fifth International holy the Angel in Moloch!
Holy the sea holy the desert holy the railroad holy the
locomotive holy the visions holy the hallucina-
tions holy the miracles holy the eyeball holy the
abyss!
Holy forgiveness! mercy! charity! faith! Holy! Ours!
bodies! suffering! magnanimity!
Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent
kindness of the soul!
Berkeley 1955
Editor 1 Interpretation
Footnote to Howl: A Literary Criticism and Interpretation
Introduction
How do we make sense of a poem like Footnote to Howl? Written by the legendary Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, this poem is a complex, sprawling work that defies easy interpretation. With its references to history, mythology, and pop culture, it challenges readers to consider the relationship between past and present, between high and low culture, and between personal experience and collective memory.
In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will explore the themes, imagery, and literary devices used in Footnote to Howl, and attempt to make sense of this enigmatic poem.
Background
Before delving into the poem itself, it's worth spending a moment on the context in which it was written. Footnote to Howl was written in 1959, just a few years after Ginsberg had published his landmark poem Howl. Howl was a groundbreaking work of Beat poetry that spoke to the disillusionment and dissatisfaction of the postwar generation. It was a cry of outrage against conformity, consumerism, and the injustices of American society.
Footnote to Howl can be seen as a continuation of this project, but it takes a different approach. While Howl was a long, unbroken rant, Footnote to Howl is a fragmented, collage-like work that jumps from one idea to the next. It's as if Ginsberg is trying to capture the chaos and confusion of the era in which he lived.
Themes
One of the most striking themes of Footnote to Howl is the idea of history as a kind of ghost that haunts the present. Throughout the poem, Ginsberg makes reference to historical events, figures, and myths, but always in a way that highlights their continued relevance to contemporary life. For example, he writes:
Sacco & Vanzetti must not die must live through eternity angry dream and fiery polemic until the machinery of bigotry and assassination is eradicated from the earth
Here, Ginsberg is referencing the famous case of Sacco and Vanzetti, two Italian anarchists who were executed for a crime they may not have committed. But he's not just retelling their story; he's using it as a way to comment on the political climate of his own time. By calling for their memory to "live through eternity," he's suggesting that their struggle against injustice is ongoing, and that it's up to his generation to continue the fight.
Another key theme of the poem is the idea of the individual in a mass society. Ginsberg was deeply concerned with the way that modern society was eroding individuality, reducing people to mere cogs in a vast machine. In Footnote to Howl, he expresses this idea through the image of the "massacre of the innocents":
The present is the only reality the future a pale dream and the past a ghost the sacred ancestors forgotten the heritage a whim of money changers struck down by the prophet's curse
Here, Ginsberg is suggesting that modern society has lost touch with its roots, with the "sacred ancestors" who came before. Instead, we are left with a vision of the present as the only reality, a bleak and soulless world where money and power are the only things that matter.
Imagery
To express these themes, Ginsberg uses a wide variety of vivid and often surreal imagery. One of the most striking images in the poem is that of the "savage hipsters":
the savage hipsters out of the night with the girls and the guitars and the drugs
Here, Ginsberg is evoking the image of the Beat generation, the countercultural rebels who rejected mainstream values and embraced a life of freedom and excess. But he's doing so in a way that's both celebratory and critical; the "savage hipsters" are both heroes and antiheroes, figures of both liberation and self-destruction.
Another memorable image in the poem is that of the "angel-headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night":
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night
This image is notable for its combination of the religious and the technological; the "starry dynamo" suggests a kind of divine power, but it's located within the cold, mechanical world of the modern city. The phrase "angel-headed hipsters" is also intriguing; it suggests a kind of spiritual purity, but it's juxtaposed with the more earthy, hedonistic connotations of "hipsters."
Literary Devices
To create the collage-like effect of Footnote to Howl, Ginsberg uses a variety of literary devices, including repetition, allusion, and juxtaposition. One of the most effective devices is the use of lists, which are used to create a sense of accumulation and momentum. For example, consider this passage:
the skid row bum lays in a doorway dying in a rain but still selling apples and the night watchman falls to the sidewalk holding his keychain vomit drooling out of his mouth
Here, Ginsberg is using a series of images to create a sense of the city as a place of decay and degradation. But he's also using the list to create a kind of rhythm, a sense that the poem is building towards some kind of climax.
Another effective device is the use of allusion, which allows Ginsberg to connect his contemporary world to the broader sweep of history and mythology. One of the most striking examples is this passage:
Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in the long streets like endless Jehovahs! Moloch whose factories dream and choke in the fog! Moloch whose smokestacks and antennae crown the cities!
Here, Ginsberg is referencing the ancient Canaanite god Moloch, who was associated with child sacrifice. But he's also using the image of Moloch to critique the dehumanizing effects of modern industry and capitalism.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Footnote to Howl is a complex and challenging work that requires careful reading and interpretation. Through its use of history, mythology, and pop culture, Ginsberg creates a kaleidoscopic vision of the modern world, one that is at once exhilarating and unsettling. By exploring themes of history, individuality, and resistance, he offers a powerful critique of the social and political forces that shaped his era, and challenges us to consider our own place in the ongoing struggle for justice and freedom.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Footnote to Howl: A Poem of Rebellion and Liberation
Allen Ginsberg’s “Footnote to Howl” is a powerful and provocative poem that captures the spirit of the Beat Generation. Written in 1955, just a year after the publication of his seminal work “Howl,” this poem is a continuation of the themes and ideas explored in that earlier work. In this analysis, we will explore the meaning and significance of “Footnote to Howl” and its place in the literary and cultural history of the United States.
The poem begins with a declaration of rebellion: “Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!” This repetition of the word “holy” is a deliberate subversion of the traditional Christian hymn, which uses the same word to praise God. Here, Ginsberg is using the word to celebrate the counterculture and the freedom it represents. The repetition also creates a sense of urgency and intensity, as if the speaker is trying to rouse the reader to action.
The next line, “The world is holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy!” reinforces this idea of the sacredness of all things. Ginsberg is rejecting the idea that only certain things or people are worthy of respect or reverence. Instead, he is asserting that everything and everyone has inherent value and should be treated accordingly. This is a radical idea, especially in a society that was still deeply divided along racial, gender, and class lines.
The poem then takes a more personal turn, as the speaker reflects on his own experiences: “The nose is holy! The tongue and cock and hand and asshole holy!” This line is shocking and explicit, but it is also a celebration of the body and its pleasures. Ginsberg is rejecting the puritanical attitudes that had dominated American culture for centuries and embracing a more open and liberated view of sexuality.
The next few lines are a tribute to the people who had inspired Ginsberg and his fellow Beats: “Everything is holy! everybody’s holy! everywhere is holy! everyday is in eternity! Everyman’s an angel!” Here, Ginsberg is acknowledging the importance of community and the power of shared experience. He is also suggesting that the Beats were part of a larger movement of rebellion and liberation that was happening all over the world.
The poem then takes a darker turn, as the speaker reflects on the suffering and oppression that still existed in the world: “The bum’s as holy as the seraphim! the madman is holy as you my soul are holy!” This line is a reminder that not everyone is free to live as they choose. The “bum” and the “madman” are both outsiders, marginalized by society. Ginsberg is suggesting that their suffering is just as holy as anything else in the world, and that their struggle for liberation is just as important.
The final lines of the poem are a call to action: “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! Everything is holy! everybody’s holy! everywhere is holy! everyday is in eternity! Everyman’s an angel! The bum’s as holy as the seraphim! the madman is holy as you my soul are holy! The typewriter is holy the poem is holy the voice is holy the hearers are holy the ecstasy is holy! Holy Peter holy Allen holy Solomon holy Lucien holy Kerouac holy Huncke holy Burroughs holy Cassady holy the unknown buggered and suffering beggars holy the hideous human angels! Holy my mother in the insane asylum! Holy the cocks of the grandfathers of Kansas! Holy the groaning saxophone! Holy the bop apocalypse! Holy the jazzbands marijuana hipsters peace & junk & drums!”
These lines are a celebration of rebellion and liberation, but they are also a reminder that the struggle is ongoing. Ginsberg is urging his readers to continue the fight for freedom and justice, to reject the status quo and embrace a more open and inclusive society. He is also celebrating the power of art and creativity to inspire change and transform the world.
In conclusion, “Footnote to Howl” is a powerful and provocative poem that captures the spirit of the Beat Generation. It is a celebration of rebellion and liberation, a rejection of traditional values and a call to action. Through its explicit language and radical ideas, it challenged the dominant culture of its time and paved the way for a more open and inclusive society. Today, it remains a testament to the power of poetry to inspire change and transform the world.
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