'In Back Of The Real' by Allen Ginsberg

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railroad yard in San Jose
I wandered desolate
in front of a tank factory
and sat on a bench
near the switchman's shack.

A flower lay on the hay on
the asphalt highway
--the dread hay flower
I thought--It had a
brittle black stem and
corolla of yellowish dirty
spikes like Jesus' inchlong
crown, and a soiled
dry center cotton tuft
like a used shaving brush
that's been lying under
the garage for a year.

Yellow, yellow flower, and
flower of industry,
tough spiky ugly flower,
flower nonetheless,
with the form of the great yellow
Rose in your brain!
This is the flower of the World.

San Jose, 1954

Editor 1 Interpretation

In Back of the Real: A Journey Through the Depths of Reality

Introduction

Allen Ginsberg's poem, "In Back of the Real," is a journey through the depths of reality. The poem explores the raw and gritty side of life, exposing the seedy underbelly of society. Ginsberg's style is raw and unfiltered, and his language is direct and honest. In this literary criticism and interpretation, I will explore how Ginsberg uses the elements of poetry to create a powerful and thought-provoking piece.

Analysis of the Poem

The poem begins with Ginsberg describing a scene in which he sees "a woman's body / naked / and white / beside me / in the darkness" (lines 1-5). This image sets the tone for the entire poem. It is raw, unfiltered, and honest. Ginsberg does not shy away from the darker aspects of life. Instead, he embraces them and uses them to create a powerful and thought-provoking piece.

Throughout the poem, Ginsberg uses repetition to create a sense of urgency and intensity. The phrase "I am" is repeated several times throughout the poem, emphasizing the speaker's sense of identity and purpose. The repetition of the phrase "in back of the real" creates a sense of depth and mystery, as if the speaker is exploring an unknown and uncharted territory.

Ginsberg also uses vivid and powerful imagery to create a sense of place and atmosphere. The line "the rats on the garbage cans / on the East River Bank" (lines 10-11) paints a vivid picture of urban decay and desperation. The line "the moonlight reflecting off the knives / in the windows of the meat packing district" (lines 19-20) creates a sense of danger and violence.

The poem also contains several references to death and decay. The line "the smell of death off the river" (line 9) creates a sense of foreboding, while the line "the dead bodies piled up" (line 14) is a stark reminder of the harsh realities of life. These references to death and decay serve to emphasize the transience of life and the inevitability of our own mortality.

Ginsberg also uses language and syntax to create a sense of rhythm and flow. The poem is written in free verse, with no strict meter or rhyme scheme. However, the language and syntax create a sense of musicality and rhythm. The line "I am in back of the real / in back of the reality" (lines 6-7) has a certain musicality to it, with the repetition of the "r" sound creating a sense of flow and rhythm.

The poem also contains several rhetorical devices, such as alliteration and metaphor. The line "the brass band plays / off-key / in the distance" (lines 21-23) contains alliteration, with the repetition of the "f" sound creating a sense of dissonance and discord. The line "the river is blue-black" (line 24) contains a metaphor, with the river being compared to a bruise or a wound.

Interpretation of the Poem

The poem "In Back of the Real" is a journey through the darker side of life. It is a reflection on the harsh realities of poverty, violence, and despair. Ginsberg's style is unfiltered and raw, and his language is direct and honest. The poem is a reminder that life is not always beautiful or pleasant, and that we must confront the darker aspects of life if we are to truly understand the world around us.

One interpretation of the poem is that it is a reflection on the human condition. The speaker is exploring the depths of reality, trying to understand the world around him. He is confronting the harsh realities of poverty, violence, and despair, and is trying to make sense of it all. The poem is a reminder that we are all connected, and that we must confront the darker aspects of life if we are to truly understand ourselves and others.

Another interpretation of the poem is that it is a reflection on the power of language. Ginsberg's style is unfiltered and raw, and his language is direct and honest. The poem is a reminder that language can be a powerful tool for exploring the world around us. It can help us to confront the darker aspects of life, and to make sense of the world around us.

Conclusion

Allen Ginsberg's poem "In Back of the Real" is a powerful and thought-provoking piece. It is a journey through the darker side of life, exploring the raw and gritty underbelly of society. Ginsberg's style is raw and unfiltered, and his language is direct and honest. The poem is a reminder that life is not always beautiful or pleasant, and that we must confront the darker aspects of life if we are to truly understand the world around us.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

In Back of the Real: A Poem of Transcendence

Allen Ginsberg's poem "In Back of the Real" is a powerful and evocative work that explores themes of transcendence, spirituality, and the search for meaning in a world that often seems chaotic and meaningless. Written in the aftermath of World War II, the poem reflects the disillusionment and despair of a generation that had witnessed the horrors of war and the destruction of traditional values and beliefs.

At its core, "In Back of the Real" is a poem about the search for something beyond the mundane and the ordinary. It is a quest for transcendence, for a connection with something greater than oneself. The poem begins with a vivid description of a city street, with its noise and chaos and the "smell of garbage and piss." This is the world of the everyday, the world of the real, and it is a world that is suffocating and oppressive.

But then, in the midst of this chaos, the speaker catches a glimpse of something else. He sees a "golden aura" around a woman's hair, and suddenly he is transported to another realm, a realm of beauty and transcendence. This moment of epiphany is the heart of the poem, and it is a moment of profound significance.

The speaker realizes that there is something beyond the real, something that transcends the limitations of the everyday world. He sees the world in a new light, as if he has been given a glimpse of a deeper reality that lies just beyond the surface of things. This is a moment of transcendence, a moment of spiritual awakening, and it is a moment that changes the speaker forever.

The poem is filled with vivid and evocative imagery, from the "smell of garbage and piss" to the "golden aura" around the woman's hair. These images are not just descriptive, however; they are also symbolic. The garbage and the piss represent the ugliness and decay of the everyday world, while the golden aura represents the beauty and transcendence that lies just beyond it.

The poem is also filled with religious and spiritual imagery, from the "golden aura" to the "holy lightning" that illuminates the speaker's vision. These images suggest that the quest for transcendence is not just a personal one, but a universal one. It is a quest that has been undertaken by countless generations before us, and it is a quest that will continue long after we are gone.

The poem is also notable for its use of language. Ginsberg's language is raw and unfiltered, filled with slang and profanity. This language is not just a reflection of the speaker's personality, however; it is also a reflection of the world he inhabits. The world of the poem is a world of chaos and confusion, a world that is often ugly and brutal. The language reflects this world, and it gives the poem a sense of immediacy and urgency.

Despite its rawness, however, the language is also poetic and lyrical. Ginsberg's use of repetition and alliteration gives the poem a musical quality, and his use of metaphor and symbolism gives it a depth and complexity that belies its apparent simplicity.

Ultimately, "In Back of the Real" is a poem about the search for meaning and transcendence in a world that often seems devoid of both. It is a poem about the human quest for something beyond the mundane and the ordinary, and it is a poem about the power of language and imagery to capture the ineffable and the transcendent.

In the end, the poem is a testament to the human spirit, to our capacity for wonder and awe, and to our ability to find beauty and meaning in even the most unlikely places. It is a poem that speaks to us across the generations, reminding us that the quest for transcendence is a universal one, and that it is a quest that is always worth undertaking.

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