Howl

"Homosexuality is a condition, and because it alienated me or set me apart from the beginning, it served as a catalyst for self-examination or detailed realization of my environment and the reasons why everyone else is different and why I'm different." 1:14

At this point in the movie, Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) is explaining his reasons for writing the poem the way that he did. Right before he says this, he explains that the poem is not a promotion of homosexuality, it is actually a promotion of frankness. He then goes on to explain how his homosexuality is what caused his frankness. Homosexuality is what set him apart from others, it is what made him examine himself and the society he was living in. After hearing this explanation, I felt like I understood why he wrote the way that he did. I understood why he used some of the words and phrases that were considered vulgar to get his point across. Watching this movie made me understand and appreciate this poem much more than I did before. I see the reasoning behind what he is trying to say and the way that he is saying it. Some of the things that he says may seen inappropriate at first, but if you understand why he is saying what he is, it seems a little bit more acceptable.

Do you think that without Ginsberg's use of "vulgar" language the poem would have had the same effect? Is this language necessary?

Rhythm in Expression

"Poetry is a rhythmic articulation of feelings" (Not sure where that was said, but I wrote it down). Starting around 00:48:25, Franco as Ginsberg starts reading the second part of his poem, at "What sphinx of cement and aluminium bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination?" and the film articulates the word "Moloch!"

I found this moment of the film particularly interesting because of the way the audience reacts to the words that are being read by Ginsberg. Not only do we see a literal representation of this work through the animation, we see the audience moving in tune with this beat poetry, causing the entire venue to elude a sort of rebellious and lively energy. This entire piece has so much life and the reality that this youth is faced with, and we can really understand the sincerity of how it affects the crowd. It seems that the audience most reacts to Ginsberg's articulation of "moloch". According to wikipedia, the Moloch "is often used to refer to a person or thing demanding or requiring a very costly sacrifice." In some ways, Ginsberg is requiring his audience to sacrifice the world and it's expectations to reach freedom of expression. The audience members are fully engaged and seem to move with the words, seemingly eager to subscribe to his ideas and sacrifice the control of their surroundings in the "real world." It's interesting that the audience has been so smitten by Ginsberg's words, and that the rhythmic appeal of Ginsberg's monotone spiel causes the audience to become entranced, making the entire room move with his words. It's important that the audience's reaction is shown in the film, for the popularity of Ginsberg's poetry and the rise of the counterculture is what sparks the want for literature to be censored, thus this piece is tried in court.

Though I completely admire Ginsberg's expression in his poetry, I wonder if the venue of choice causes this energy to take over, inspiring the crowd to engage in "group think." Can location and surroundings change the way literature is read or received? Had Ginsberg's poetry been read initially to an audience in a more academic setting, would his piece ever leak out to become part of the counterculture?

The right to be yourself

"The poem is misinterpreted as a promotion of homosexuality. Actually, it is a promotion of frankness . about any subject. if you're a foot fetishist, you write about feet. A stock market freak can write about the rising sales curve of the erection of the standard oils chart. When a few people are frank about homosexuality it breaks the ice and then people are free to be frank about anything and that is socially useful." 1 hour and 12 minutes into the movie

This final moment in the movie is extremely significant because it is when Ginsberg is able to explain what his poem is meant for. Ginsberg believes that his poem is to shake things up and get the idea out that people should be able to be themselves. Being homosexual in the 50's was extremely difficult. Ginsberg felt ostracized and thought that he could not connect with and be loved by someone because he is homosexual. Ginsberg realized that he is able to truly express who he is through poetry. Through poetry people could finally understand him and his issues with himself and society. Howl illustrates the conformist pressure that is forced upon people in many societies. Howl also shows the destructive nature of this pressure as well as the ecstasy that is associated with being yourself and why being yourself is important..
It is very easy to confuse the true meaning of Howl because it is so complex. In the above line Ginsberg sums it up perfectly that he never mean for his poem to be advocating homosexuality. Ginsberg just wanted to express who he is and wanted to "break the ice" and inspire other people to truly express who they are.

Do you think banning the book gives Howl more significance and credibility? How has the use of crude language made this poem more less effective to the reader? How do people move forward to make society a place where we can be free to express who we are?

Contradicting Expectations

I don't have a time signature! (sorry) Toward the end of the Film, Ginsburg discusses the very controversial motorcyclists line: "Who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy".

At the point in the film, James Franco is portraying Ginsberg in an interview about his poem, his intentions, and the trial surrounding Howl. Franco's character is casually pouring tea as he discusses the very explicit section that catches most readers by surprise: "Who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy". In the interview Ginsberg tells the reporter that surprise was just what he was looking for. We aren't just talking about profanities or the actions described here: We are talking about the way in which the motorcyclists and the reaction are described. Picture, for a moment, a motorcyclist. Most people see a large, burly, tough looking guy with a beard. Maybe he's even a hell's angel? This is not the type of person we would picture getting involved in such activities. Prototyping? Yes. But I believe this is exactly what Ginsberg was counting on. He even calls the motorcyclists "saintly", another description we do not expect. The most significant word in this passage, however is "joy". In the film, Ginsberg addresses this word specifically. One would expect the narrator to say "screamed in pain" or another equivalent. Ginsberg makes it a point to explain that he wanted this line to be unexpected. It is entirely possible, depending on who you are, you could be screaming in joy. This scene in the film enables me to gain a better understanding of the poem in a way that I would otherwise be unable to see.

Did Ginsberg succeed in surprising you with this passage? What does this element of surprise do for the poem? How did the film help you gain insight and understanding?

Honesty of Obscenity

“The battle of censorship will not be finally settled by your honor's decision, but you will either add to liberal-educated thinking, or by your decision you will add fuel to the fire of ignorance. Let there be light. Let there be honesty. Let there be no running from non-existent destroyers of morals. Let there be honest understanding.” 1:08

The lawyer of this trial finishes his beautiful speech about censorship with this quote and this could be used as defense for Howl and all of this books used in this course. People are not comfortable with subject matter in Howl, Lolita, etc. because the subject matter is uncomfortable. Allen Ginsberg seems to make the point in Howl that uncomfortable topics are what drive people and they should write about the feelings that are weighing on them. He wrote Howl to be true to himself and because of this Howl does have true literary merit. In the trial the prosecuting attorney seems to focus on the the subject matter as not relating first hand to Ginsberg as the character of Ginsberg tells snippets of the poem with stories showing how it relates to his life which begs the question: why not call Ginsberg to the trial to testify? The lawyer knows that this trial stands for all “obscene” literature and there will always be more works to come in the future. He makes the perfect point that banning this poem will not stop obscenity, but will hinder true liberty of opinions allowed to be expressed. Honesty, he seems to say, is not only the story but the vocabulary used to tell the whole story that contributes to the work as a whole.

Will the banning of this work add to liberal-educated thinking? Without this specific work will the world be ignorant? Is the use of obscene language enough to deem a whole work obscene? Did Ginsberg need to use obscenity to be honest?

Madness and Meaning and Truth.

"After a year or two I came to realize it meant something clear, unconsciously...like a photograph developing slowly over time." Ch. 5, 40 minutes into the movie.

This scene in the movie is where Allen Ginsberg's character is discussing the motivation and meaning behind the writing of Howl. He begins with discussing the idea that at the start, even he himself did not fully understand what it was that he was writing. This idea comes to embody the emotional aspect of the poem Howl. Ginsberg wrote what he was feeling, as best as he could. He admits that it wasn't until later that the significance behind the words became known to him. He started the see his own work more clearly over time. I think this scene does well to highlight the insanity theme throughout the poem. Ginsberg is admitting that his work was not meant to make sense, that the madness portrayed by it is the end to a means, not the other way around. The madness and the emotion behind the words are what really matter, not the meaning behind them. Ginsberg eventually goes on to discuss the other end of the spectrum; the times when his poem makes perfect sense to him, and perhaps, those who read it. He remarks on the idea of truth, which I think is another theme in the poem Howl. Though full of "madness," the poem tells the truth and Ginsberg in this scene does a good job of glorifying that.

How is Ginsberg own confession of not actually understanding his own work as it was being written a clue, in many senses, into the "madness within" Howl's author? How does Ginsberg's thoughts towards his poem help the reader to better understand the context in which it was written, and in turn, better understand the poem as a whole?