Let's Get High

The poem “Five AM” by Allen Ginsberg exemplifies the role of drugs during the Beat movement. In this short poem, Ginsberg deeply contemplates the meaning of life, while seemingly under the influence of drugs. He describes the creative energy and experiences one feels because of various substances, such as coffee, alcohol, cocaine, mushrooms, marijuana, and laughing gas. Ginsberg indirectly advocates for using drugs because of their liberating effects on the mind. Throughout the poem, he questions why society defines things such as time and space, restricting one’s creative abilities. Ginsberg states that one shouldn’t get caught up in questioning these things as he or she may “get entangled in Heaven or Hell.” Ultimately, the author offers drugs as an escape from the oppressing nature of humankind. This ideology of escaping from society made its way into the culture of the Beat generation, and eventually fostered the creation of hippie culture, where drugs were more widely accepted.