'Howl'

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews and analyzes the epic poem 'Howl' by Allen Ginsberg. The paper then compares it to various other pieces of American literature. According to the paper, 'Howl' is not only a personal statement of society, but also a classic poem full of illusions to mythology and psychology. The paper reports that the poem itself is dedicated to Ginsberg's good friend Carl Solomon, who is addressed by name throughout the poem's verses.

From the Paper:

"Campbell's theories of the myth find their foundation in the works of Carl Jung, who studied the use of mythology in various cultural sects such as South American Indians. According to these sects, it is a fundamental belief that things do not have sharp boundaries as do things in rational, or modern day societies. (Jung, p. 45). This alone is in line with Ginsberg's use of the Moloch myth. The poet, as does a primitive society in Jung's studies, is able to express ideas without the boundaries of "rational" society. However, as Howel demonstrates, "rational" society makes this ability more and more difficult, essentially meaning that the culture of myth is being sacrificed to the evils of industrial society."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ginsberg, Allen. Howl: Original Draft Facsimile, Transcript & Variant Versions, Fully Annotated by Author, With Contemporaneous Correspondence, Account of First Public Reading, Legal Skirmishes, Precursor Texts & Bibliography. 1st. New York: HarperPerennial, 1995.
• Ginsberg, Allen. Howl. San Francisco: City Lights Publishing, 1991.
• Jung, C.G.. Psychology of the Unconscious: A Study of the Transformations and Symbolisms of the Libido. 1st. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991.
• Jung, Carl G., M.-L. von Franz, Joseph L. Henderson, Jolande Jacobi, and Aniela Jaffe. Man and His Symbols. 5th Ed. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1971.
• "The terrors that stem from our elaborate civilization may be far more threatening than those that primitive people attribute to demons. The attitude of modern civilized man sometimes reminds me of a psychotic patient in my clinic who was himself a doctor. " p. 45

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