Howl

This poem was pretty powerful for me because of the vivid imagery it portrays. It brings up the dregs of society but also the realness of society. Upon reading this, I got a pretty clear image of the streets of Brooklyn as well as other main cities that could be pretty similar. This poem highlights a lot of failed talent and aspirations that lurk in the streets of Brooklyn. One example of this is the line, "I saw some of the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness" (Ginsberg 2). This shows that ultimately it is the society at this time and location that gets to the minds of these intelligent people and acts as a poison. It finally ends with a solomon note that relates to the great Western frontier and the "tears" that are associated with this.