BEAT POETRY
The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing, Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else, The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs. Why does Whitman most likely choose this structure for his poem?
The free verse structure presents a conversational style.
The tones of unseen mystery, the vague and vast suggestions of the briny world, the liquid-flowing syllables, The perfume, the faint creaking of the cordage, the melancholy rhythm, The boundless vista and the horizon far and dim are all here, And this is ocean's poem. Why did the author most likely choose this structure for his poem?
The long-line structure allows Whitman to include a list.
What thoughts I have of you tonight, Walt Whitman, for I walked down the sidestreets under the trees with a headache self-conscious looking at the full moon. Why does the author most likely use free verse for this stanza?
The long-line structure imitates stream-of-conscious thought.
Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes! What idea is expressed in this excerpt?
The narrator is amazed by the market's quantity of food and people.
The trees add shade to shade. What is the meaning of this phrase?
The narrator is remarking that trees make the night darker.
I heard you asking questions of each: Who killed the pork chops? What price bananas? Are you my Angel? What is happening in this stanza?
The speaker is imagining the questions Whitman would ask if he were there.
What thoughts I have of you tonight, Walt Whitman, for I walked down the sidestreets under the trees with a headache self-conscious looking at the full moon. Which statement best describes the scene in the first stanza of Ginsberg's poem?
The speaker is taking a lonely stroll at night while reflecting on the words of a favorite poet.
I heard you asking questions of each: Who killed the pork chops? What price bananas? Are you my Angel? Why does the author most likely use free verse for this excerpt?
The structure imitates casual conversation.
We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes, possessing every frozen delicacy, and never passing the cashier. Ginsberg most likely uses long-line free verse here to
express his thoughts freely and without constraints.
In the poem "A Supermarket in California," Ginsberg most likely uses free verse to show
his rebellious attitude toward uniformity in American culture.
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong, The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam, The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work, The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck, The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands. Whitman most likely uses this structure for his poem to
present a poem with a natural, conversational rhythm.
Ah, dear father, graybeard, lonely old courage-teacher, what America did you have when Charon quit poling his ferry and you got out on a smoking bank and stood watching the boat disappear on the black waters of Lethe? At the end of his poem, Ginsberg uses these allusions to convey a feeling of
sadness since the speaker will never experience the same America as in Whitman's day.
We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes, possessing every frozen delicacy, and never passing the cashier. In this excerpt, the speaker of the poem and his imaginary companion are
sampling items but not paying for them.
Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons? Ginsberg most likely makes this allusion to Garcia Lorca to
show his respect for Lorca for being an unconventional poet. The narrator is amazed by the market's quantity of food and people.
Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in an hour. Which way does your beard point tonight? (I touch your book and dream of our odyssey in the supermarket and feel absurd.) Will we walk all night through solitary streets? The trees add shade to shade, lights out in the houses, we'll both be lonely. Why does Ginsberg most likely make an allusion to Walt Whitman in this excerpt?
to show Ginsberg's esteem for Whitman and his work
Washington buried in Virginia, Jackson buried in Tennessee, Young Lincoln, brooding in Illinois, And Johnny Appleseed, priestly and free. What is the purpose of the allusions used in this excerpt?
to show the importance of Johnny Appleseed's status
I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old grubber, poking among the meats in the refrigerator. Why does Ginsberg make an allusion to Walt Whitman in this excerpt?
to suggest a familiarity and kinship with Walt Whitman and other outcasts
