![]() It’s important to note that although this poem is based on Ginsberg’s experience, many of its elements are fictionalized. ![]() He also refers to other friends he had throughout his life, many of whom are noted in the poet’s notes on the poem. ![]() It reads:Ĭarl Solomon was a personal friend Ginsberg met in a mental hospital and who the poet repetitively references throughout the poem. ![]() He makes his connection to the poem very clear from the dedication. The famous ‘Howl’ speaker represents the poet himself. The poem is regarded as a landmark in the LGBTQ liberation movement. He challenges the standards of his time, promotes rebellion against capitalism, and elevates his “mad” friends who suffer from drug use and unfulfilled artistic desires. Throughout this poem, the poet engages with themes of madness, contemporary society, religion, rules, and more. Then, the third section is very clearly devoted to Carl Solomon and what he, and other men like him, endured in mental hospitals at the time. The second section deals with what drove his friends mad. He describes their drug use, sexual habits, and how they sought meaning in their everyday lives. The poem explores the poet’s “mad” friends in the first section. ![]() ‘Howl’ by Allen Ginsberg is an indictment of modern society and celebrates anyone who lived outside its standards. ![]()
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