The role of the outside observer in Allen Ginsberg's 1956 poem "Howl" is a significant presence in the poem and illustrates crucially why Ginsberg is so compelled to create this literary work in their honor. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned'?Get Original Essay 'Howl' embodies the Beat generation and this poem in particular 'helped jumpstart the countercultural revolutions of the following decade and its author has been hailed as the voice of the beat generation.” “Howl” is written in free verse, perhaps poetically describing a freedom from constraints from stylistic “norms,” meant to be indicative of the oppression faced by many people in this society. The use of breath and prosodics when spoken out loud can create the feeling that the poem is a living being and a literal representation of the overwhelming society they live in and is therefore struggling to stay alive . Even the act of speaking and bringing these terrible truths to life is actually what kills the poem. For this reason, the poem is also most effective when spoken before the masses, stifling in its intimacy and relentless in its intensity. There is an element of accusation in his poem as he lists countless examples of tragedies he has witnessed – both on a personal level and also those of which he has been an objective spectator – particularly when he uses short ungrammatical exclamations in the second. part of the poem: “Moloch! Solitude! Dirt! Ugliness! Ashtrays and dollars nowhere to be found! Children screaming under the stairs!” act or not, because even remaining silent and simply watching is a crime in itself. It is also interesting to note that the post-modification of the second line – “hungry, hysterical and naked” – presents a list of three adverbs which. almost metaphorically summarize some of the anonymous outcasts mentioned by Ginsberg: poverty, madness and sexuality. This visceral imagery frames the entire narrative and presents a very profound, instinctive but hauntingly sad depiction of the harsh reality of life. 1950s America. Ginsberg is brutally honest about the society he witnesses and vehemently demands change Yet, in doing so, Ginsberg takes a hypocritical stance on the issue, because even though he is speaking about his experiences. , it offers no solution or absolution of its own, illustrating how deep the poisonous roots of this society are growing. The first-person narrative is both a study in inclusiveness and exclusivity, both alienating and inviting the audience. Ginsberg creates this synthetic personalization between himself, the character's voice, and the many faces that make up the audience – a metaphorical reflection, perhaps, of society's many outcasts. The anaphoric repetition of "who" throughout the poem is deliberately ambiguous, as if to force the audience to delve deeper and internalize subtextual rhetorical questions about the context of their own identity, disguising interrogatives as declaratives, such as: who are you? Furthermore, the parallel between inclusiveness and exclusivity is indicative of the disadvantaged community that suffers from mental illness as a whole, and also illustrates its differences among members of the societal “norm.” Janet Hadda, professor of Jewish and Yiddish literature at UCLA,. 2019.