Representations of Counterculture in the Poetry of Allen Ginsberg and Amiri Baraka
Type of Proposal
Oral presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Proposal
How do poets criticize their societies and represent the counter-cultures of their eras? In what ways do lived experience, form and content reflect the values that each poet possesses? In this paper I compare and contrast the differences and similarities between the representations of counter-culture in Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" and Amiri Baraka's "Somebody Blew up America." Ginsberg focuses on the tragic youth of post World War 2 America, who have been trapped by outdated ideals, and he encourages rebellion and individual expression, particularly in terms of sexuality in a very heteronormative world. Baraka criticizes the hypocrisy of the American government in the aftermath of the 9/11 bombings, asking the reader to critically consider the American government's own corruption and inhumane actions both on American soil and abroad, while reiterating the importance of individual pursuit of the truth. While these authors have very different lived experiences, counter-culture association and a 42-year gap in between their poems, both represent resistance through poetry and bring to attention the severe need for reform in their respective societies by criticizing the dominant culture and government failure.
Start Date
29-3-2016 1:00 PM
End Date
29-3-2016 2:20 PM
Lancer's Lair
1
Representations of Counterculture in the Poetry of Allen Ginsberg and Amiri Baraka
How do poets criticize their societies and represent the counter-cultures of their eras? In what ways do lived experience, form and content reflect the values that each poet possesses? In this paper I compare and contrast the differences and similarities between the representations of counter-culture in Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" and Amiri Baraka's "Somebody Blew up America." Ginsberg focuses on the tragic youth of post World War 2 America, who have been trapped by outdated ideals, and he encourages rebellion and individual expression, particularly in terms of sexuality in a very heteronormative world. Baraka criticizes the hypocrisy of the American government in the aftermath of the 9/11 bombings, asking the reader to critically consider the American government's own corruption and inhumane actions both on American soil and abroad, while reiterating the importance of individual pursuit of the truth. While these authors have very different lived experiences, counter-culture association and a 42-year gap in between their poems, both represent resistance through poetry and bring to attention the severe need for reform in their respective societies by criticizing the dominant culture and government failure.