Things You'll Need:
- Any compilations of Ginsberg's work that include any/all of his Big Three: "Howl," "A Supermarket in California" and "Kaddish."
- Access to audio recordings of Ginsberg's public and/or readings
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Step 1
Read for music. Ginsberg's trademark is the long line, which can seem especially daunting in poetry. The first trick with Ginsberg is to tap your foot and listen to phonetic and metric clues for where emphasis ought to be placed. For instance, the repetition of "who" to begin so many lines in "Howl" or "I'm with you in Rockland / where ..." in the same poem (this technique is called anaphora) creates a trance-like rhythm amidst sprawling free-verse. Ginsberg's poems, in this light, are not as chaotic as they might seem, but instead systematically emphasize the similarity of the individual and vice-versa--an ironic statement on the Beat generation's hipsters and Ginsber's own place in the world as chronicler of it.
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Step 2
Read for meaning. Ginsberg is often a poet of great duality, referencing both high and low culture within the same line or phrase. His language (both in its syntax and diction) is not particularly literary, but his ability to wed the commonplace with often opaque references to mythology, history, religion and literature is part of what makes him great. Once you have heard the rhythm of the poem, however, you can check out your footnotes to find out what exactly "penumbras" have to do with "Garcia Lorca," what "Moloch" has to do with "Carl Solomon."
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Step 3
Listen to Ginsberg. When in doubt, track down a recording of the author himself. The man was a true professional when it came to reading his poetry and used meditation and yoga to develop amazing breath control in order to do justice to his own sprawling lines.
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Step 4
Combine all of these elements and close-read. This is what makes a poem a poem--the music, the meanings and the author's personality or voice all put together. Variations on this triad underlie all art, and it is typical of Ginsberg and many other Beat poets for the hierarchy of importance to follow the one outlined here.
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Step 5
For Example, from "A Supermarket in California": "What peaches and penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes! - and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?" Musically, note the rhythm of the "w"-sound - it is measured and soft, childish even, creating a sleepy or dream-like lull. This ties into both the peaches (think of a baby's skull) and penumbras (eclipses, obscurations of light), underscored by a reference to the Spanish poet Lorca, champion of the spiritual heft inherent in commonplace objects (i.e., those found in a grocery store) and, like Ginsberg, a great admirer of the American poet Walt Whitman. Lastly, note the exclamation points - Ginsberg's attitude is joyful, playful even. Never discount the sense of humor in a piece of art. Artists are human beings most of the time. The final equation here is a funny and completely coherent spasm of spiritual joy inspired by an ordinary scene in a grocery store. It's a medicine we all need on occasion. Cheers.
