The Use Of Vulgarity in the Works of Allen Ginsberg Essay -- Biograph

The Use Of Vulgarity in the Works of Allen Ginsberg The sustain poets were the voice of a generation. Unadulterated h iodinesty and truth is a primary objective of the beat poets, and to them this honesty and truth is best achieved with a raw, oftentimes vulgar diction that can make some readers uncomfortable. In this excerpt from his book, Allen Ginsberg, Thomas Merrill comments on the truth exhibited by the poet ...such a commitment to internal truth not only permits still demands the uninhibited confessions that tend to make conventional readers squirm. galore(postnominal) beat writers, especially Ginsberg, flaunt their most intimate acts and feelings...in an aggressive lane language (2). In Ginsbergs collection of poems, mankind Sandwiches, 1953-1960 , The reader gets a faithful taste of Ginsbergs mouth... which, as usual is uninhibitedly and often flamboyantly honest (Merrill 88). The unashamed honesty in this collection often concerns sex and drugs, those subjects bei ng distinguished for this generation of rebellion. In The Green Automobile, a poem about a fantasy road-trip enjoyed by Ginsberg and Neal Cassady, his one time lover, Ginsberg presents images of a sexual nature. deuce of the images follow Id honk my horn at his manly gate, inside his wife and three children sprawl naked on the living room floor. (Ginsberg, Reality Sandwiches 11) Neal, well be real heroes now in a war surrounded by our cocks and time (15) Even if some readers pay little attention to the allusions to homosexuality, one of the images, the one concerning Cassadys children, could make some readers uncomfortable. The imagination here is strong, it is this strength of imagery that ... ...s Howl and On Neals Ashes the vulgarities are used not merely for effect, but to truly convey the feeling he wishes to express. Although some are do to feel uncomfortable, the true nature of the poet is to convey feeling, and this is done in an highly proficient manner. Works C ited Ginsberg, Allen. Reality Sandwiches 1953-1960. San Francisco City Lights Books, 1963. - - - . Howl. contemporary American Poetry-5th Edition. Ed. A.Poulin Jr.. Boston Houghton Mifflin, 1991. 175-182. - - - . America. Contemporary American Poetry-5th Edition. Ed. A.Poulin Jr.. Boston Houghton Mifflin, 1991. 182-184. - - - . On Neals Ashes. Contemporary American Poetry-5th Edition. Ed. A.Poulin Jr.. Boston Houghton Mifflin, 1991. 188. Merrill, Thomas. Allen Ginsberg. Boston Twayne, 1988.