Sign Inventory – Week 3

Allen Ginsberg
from “Howl”


1. The title “Howl” can be viewed in different contexts.
     a. It could represent the loud cry of animals such as wolves and dogs.
     b. As a long and loud emotional utterance that is often plaintive.

2. There is a sense of breathlessness when the poem is read aloud. The mouth has trouble keeping up with the rapidity of thoughts being expressed. This is encouraged by the minuscule use of punctuation in the excerpt.

3. The term yacketayakking is an interesting compound.

4. The wig of blood, while most likely resulting from the extreme forms of early psychotherapy listed, can also be reminiscent of  the crown of thorns Jesus was forced to wear while he endured public mocking. It is possible the person(s) who sought help and treatment were "mocked" by the public for seeking institutional help.

5.The last words of Christ, “Eli, Eli lamma sabacthani” are compared with a jazz musician. The translation being, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” Is the musician crying to God or is this the narrator's interpretation of the music he/she hears?

6. Ginsberg adds an extra lamma in the poem that could either be an extra note played in the jazz music or, if the words are being spoken, a pause and then continuation of the question.

7. The narrator’s “I” disappears in the chaos he/she is describing. After the first line, the pronoun who takes over. This could reflect the narrator’s loss of identity and subsequent questioning of their place in society.

8. If the stanzas are broken into separate parts questions emerge. For example, “Who bared their brains?”, “Who got busted?”, “Who chained themselves?” When viewed like this, the poem begins to sound like an interrogation. 

9. The repetitive use of the word who also sounds like an owl calling in the night, as if this bird of wisdom is searching for someone.

10. The use of who in the poem is used as an indefinite relative pronoun with an implied antecedent until the naming of Carl.

11. In fact, while other places and things are mentioned by name, Carl is the only person named in the poem.

12. The stanza naming Carl is the only one where dashes are used, indicating the only directed pause in the rapid flow of the poem.

13. The row of asterisks is odd. It can be assumed that it is meant to disguise an unpleasant word (i.e. cuss word). Was this a publisher’s choice or the author’s?

14. The poem makes me think of the musical Rent, and a particular song, “La Vie Boheme: A & B.” This song specifically mentions Ginsberg in addition to other influential poets and writers of his time. The song, whether sung or read, shares a similar sense of breathlessness and rapidity of thought. I wonder how much of an influence Ginsberg was on the composer, Jonathon Larson.