What does the word howl mean? It's a long, loud cry. Allen Ginsberg's purpose in the poem "Howl" is to invite people to oppose repression, freedom and capitalism. The speaker views American society as deranged, but people view society as standard. An important character in the poem is Carl Solomon, whom Ginsberg met in a mental institution and who is much more mentally disturbed than Allen. The poem “Howl” was written for Solomon. The purpose of this poem is to show the fall, rise, and madness that characterize different forms of American society through symbols, metaphors, and characters. The author shows that madness is an elevated state with visions and delusions, and it is important for the reader to understand Ginsberg's past life and how he views his generation and society as desperate, alone, and in need of help. help. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayAllen Ginsberg uses symbols to demonstrate the madness of his generation and American society. In the first part of "Howl", one of the symbols presented is that of the best minds of his generation. Ginsberg goes on to say that his age group doesn't behave like normal people would. Allen Ginsberg describes his generation simply as follows: "Who chained themselves to the subways for an interminable period / traveling from Battery to the sacred Bronx on Benzedrine / until the noise of the wheels and the children / made them fall shivering, torn mouth and / brain dejected and dark, all emptied. of brilliance / in the dark light of the zoo” (Ginsberg 10). In this quote, people who are not sane, who are on drugs, who are desperate and who behave like animals are implied. The speaker indicates that people are not capable of achieving inner vision, which indicates to the reader that society is not in its right mind. Another symbol in the poem is Moloch, which is a false idol to which people worshiped and sacrificed their children. In the article "How I Hear 'Howl,'" George Bowering explains what he thinks Moloch represents: "Throughout the poem, heaven and eternity are in view, invoked or bitterly regretted, from so that a cynical stopgap presents itself as an ironic refuge from the current world of Moloch. Bowering says that Moloch seems to be something that holds people back and doesn't let them move forward. Allen Ginsberg uses Moloch as a symbol that is destructive to society and consumes the present, indicating to the reader that this is something sinister. Ginsberg says: “The heavy judge of men”. This refers to what the author sees as the government ruining America. Another symbol introduced is Rockland, which is the mental institution where Ginsberg went and where he met Carl Solomon. The author of “Howl” uses the phrase “I am with you in Rockland” (Ginsberg 24) to say that he has sympathy and understanding for Solomon. Rockland represents society's unwillingness to accept everyone. In the article “Mental Health, a Thing of Accord: Madness and Doubt in Ginsberg's Prophetic Poetry,” Tony Trigilio states: “Ginsberg deploys the psychiatric institution as a place of both inspiration and decadence.” Trigilio deduces that the psychiatric institution is both bad and good. Allen Ginsberg shows madness through these symbols to manifest what he is looking at. Metaphors are displayed throughout the poem “Howl” and characterize the theme of madness. One metaphor presented is: "That crashed into their minds in.