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

The Use Of Vulgarity in the works of Allen Ginsberg The beat poets were the voice of a generation. Unadulterated h mavinsty and truth is a primary objective of the beat poets, and to them this honesty and truth is best achieved with a raw, a lottimes vulgar language that jakes 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 moreover demands the uninhibited confessions that tend to make conventional readers squirm. Many beat writers, especially Ginsberg, flaunt their most intimate acts and feelings...in an aggressive street language (2). In Ginsbergs order of battle of poems, Reality Sandwiches, 1953-1960 , The reader gets a good taste of Ginsbergs mouth... which, as usual is uninhibitedly and often flamboyantly honest (Merrill 88). The unabashed honesty in this collection often concerns sex and drugs, those subjects being important 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. Two of the images follow Id honk my horn at his manly gate, inside his wife and three children sprawl naked on the living mode floor. (Ginsberg, Reality Sandwiches 11) Neal, well be real heroes now in a war between 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 imagery 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 unfeignedly convey the feeling he wishes to express. Although some are made to feel uncomfortable, the true nature of the poet is to convey feeling, and this is done in an extremely proficient manner. Works Cited Ginsberg, Allen. Reality Sandwiches 1953-1960. San Francisco City Lights Books, 1963. - - - . Howl. Contemporary American Poetry-5th Edition. Ed. A.Poulin Jr.. capital of Massachusetts 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.