Allen Gingsberg, one of the major contributors of the beats movement, speaking in front of a packed Mason audience in the Student Union II Ballroom.
History
The Beat Generation was a group of American Poets who wrote about post World War II literature, politics and culture. The beat culture evolved around the 1940s in both the East and West coast. Poets including Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Corso , considered the beat generation, were involved in changing consciousness and defying conventional literature. They also experimented with innovations in style, experimentation with drugs and alternative sexuality. Many of the artist involved with the beat generation were influenced by poets in other literature movements such as Surrealism and Romanticism.
Analysis
The poem "Homework" is about washing away every bad action that has caused the deterioration of our planet . Ginsberg writes about the corruption of the world and uses the idea of doing homework and laundry as a way to talk about these issues. He tries to grasp the attention of the reader by mentioning something that is a common practice that people can easily relate to so we can understand the focus of the poem. He uses laundry as away to convey the complex global picture of how our world is and how much is needed for there to be a change.
Literary Devices
Allusion- The author uses an allusion when he says washing the “Amazon river and clean the oily Carib & Gulf of Mexico’’ to make a point of trying to cleanse the world of destruction.
Metaphor- Ginsberg uses metaphors throughout the entire poem. He compares washing clothes to the solution of the world’s problems like war, crime and pollution. In “I’d wash the Amazon River and clean the oily Carib & Gulf of Mexico” he is referencing the pollution.
Hyperbole- Ginsberg uses a hyperbole when mentions putting the world in the drier and letting it sit for 20 minutes.
Onomatopoeia- “Rub a dub dub” is used to show the action of washing clothes and doing laundry.
Metaphor- Ginsberg uses metaphors throughout the entire poem. He compares washing clothes to the solution of the world’s problems like war, crime and pollution. In “I’d wash the Amazon River and clean the oily Carib & Gulf of Mexico” he is referencing the pollution.
Hyperbole- Ginsberg uses a hyperbole when mentions putting the world in the drier and letting it sit for 20 minutes.
Onomatopoeia- “Rub a dub dub” is used to show the action of washing clothes and doing laundry.