Howl for Nonconformity

“Howl” by Allen Ginsberg caused a lot of controversy in the 1950s when it was written because in it Ginsberg encourages nonconformity and spontaneous creativity, similar to Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” The genre of the poem is considered Beat culture, which overall embodied the rejection of standards and innovations in style, and was slowly but surely accepted. For example, in “Howl” the line, “who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy,” was used in court to try and ban the poem from being sold. The judge ruled that this poem was important for society, supporting the Beat culture. Ultimately, these ideas gave rise to what is now known as the hippie movement of the 1960s. Whitman, in a similar yet debateably less sexually explicit manner, also encouraged nonconformity, and questioned traditional roles in society. Both poets advocated finding one’s identity, but Whitman’s ideas weren’t as quickly accepted. His impact on society came later; in fact it helped fuel Beat Generation authors such as Ginsberg. Today, both pieces of literature are considered great works of American literature because of their outright opposition to following the norm that, in the end, changed society.