in the second phrase of this line, according to
Ginsberg’s annotated edition, refers to the ancient
Greek philosopher Pythagoras’s statement, ‘‘When
the mode of the music changes the walls of the city
shake.’’ The idea is that a change in musical fashion
not only reflects but also can cause a societal
change.
Even skyscrapers, accused in part II of being
creations of Moloch, are welcomed into Gins-
berg’s fold of sacredness (line 9). A juggernaut
(line 10) is any unstoppable force; Ginsberg
explains in his annotations that the word refers
to the growing military-industrial complex. The
places named in line 11 are significant to Ginsberg
and the Beats. Moscow is the capital of Russia,
which was projected as America’s enemy during
the cold war. Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, is
probably introduced as a cosmopolitan city in
contrast to what the Beats saw as the white
Anglo-Saxon isolationism of mainstream Amer-
ica. Ginsberg embraces all these places, from the
straightest to the hippest, as equally holy.
Line 5 refers to the International Working-
men’s Association, which first met in London in
1864, under the leadership of the founders of
Communism, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
When Ginsberg wrote ‘‘Howl,’’ four meetings of
the association had taken place, and he is putting
forward the notion that it is time for the fifth.
Lines 13 and 14 unite products of indus-
trialization (the railroad and the locomotive)
with spiritual qualities: Ginsberg affirms that
all are sacred. The conclusion to the footnote
hails the inherent kindness of the soul as
sacred; it alone can resolve the suffering cat-
alogued in ‘‘Howl.’’
Themes
The Birth of the Beat Movement
The overriding theme of ‘‘Howl’’ is the emergence
of the Beat movement and the conflict between its
values and the values of conformist or ‘‘straight’’
American society. Part I captures the essence of
the Beat movement by chronicling events from the
lives of some of its key figures, including Jack
Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Herbert Huncke,
Neal Cassady, Carl Solomon, and Ginsberg him-
self. These events are characterized by spontane-
ous expression, sexual freedom, rebellion against
convention, experimental drug use, and spiritual
search. These people make up the counterculture
of hipsters, those at the forefront of change in the
direction of freedom and spirituality. They are
implicitly contrasted with their opposites, known
in Beat parlance as ‘‘squares.’’ Square culture was
considered to be founded on conformism, materi-
alism, consumerism, moral repression, fear, war,
and divisiveness. The deity of the otherwise god-
less square culture in the poem is Moloch, who
symbolizes all that is repressive and destructive to
the spirit.TOPICS FOR
FURTHER
STUDY Research the work of any three Beat writers.
Identify the similarities in ideas, themes,
and stylistic elements that you find. Then
identify any differences between the writers:
What makes them unique or gives them their
own distinctive voices? Write an essay on
your findings.
Trace the development of the Beat move-
ment in music, literature, visual art, and phi-
losophy from its beginnings to the present
day. Make a CD or write an essay detailing
your findings. You may use illustrations as
appropriate.
Read William Blake’sThe Marriage of Heaven
and Hell. In what ways does ‘‘Howl’’ expand
on and comment on Blake’s work? What sim-
ilarities and differences are there between the
social critique of these two works? Write an
essay on your findings.
In his introduction to ‘‘Howl,’’ the poet Wil-
liam Carlos Williams remarks that the poem
is a trip into hell. In what way does ‘‘Howl’’
portray the United States as a hell? Lead a
class debate on the topic.
Research the political and social climate of
the United States in the 1950s, when Ginsberg
wrote ‘‘Howl.’’ Identify some of the factors
that influenced the poem, taking into consid-
eration both the established ‘‘straight’’ society
and the emerging ‘‘hip’’ counterculture. Write
a report on your findings.Howl